Fireaway Pizza has unveiled a new brand identity and an open-kitchen store format, first in full at its new restaurant at 30 Oxford Street in Totterdown, Bristol. The franchised pizza chain will roll the design out through new openings, while existing franchisees switch when a refurbishment makes commercial sense.
The refresh covers a redesigned logo and typography, a more sparing use of the brand’s signature orange, and an interior of darker finishes, timber, stainless steel and warm lighting. Fireaway says it trades from more than 150 stores in the UK, while its own franchise page puts the figure at more than 160. Abroad, it is present in Ireland, Spain, Portugal and the Cayman Islands, with a first restaurant in Dubai due in the coming months.
The kitchen moves to the front
The main change is the layout. In Bristol, the kitchen sits in full view behind the counter, so customers can watch the dough being stretched, topped and baked. Fireaway says the back-of-house area was reworked at the same time to improve movement and speed of service for franchise partners, the kind of specification covered in our guide to opening a pizzeria in the UK.
The design was produced by its in-house marketing and design team. According to the brand, it also responds to feedback from customers and franchisees, who asked for the preparation and ingredients to be more visible.
No forced refit for existing franchisees
Fireaway is not asking its current franchisees to refit straight away. The format will appear first in new openings, so the brand can test and adjust it in trading restaurants. Existing units will move across when a refurbishment and the investment behind it are commercially appropriate. The identity will reach digital channels and packaging over the coming weeks and through 2027. Anis Hadji, managing director of Fireaway, said every part of the business had to evolve for its next phase of growth, “our technology, our operations, our product and now our stores”.
Two new formats in two months
Bristol is the second format change this autumn. In September, Fireaway opened its first concession inside a convenience store, at Welcome Rickmansworth, a format now used by several fast food franchises in the UK to reach sites a standalone unit could not. That shop is run by Dilan Patel, who operates 10 Welcome stores in partnership with Southern Co-op alongside a portfolio of Fireaway businesses.
Restaurant Online reported at the time that Fireaway had opened more than 100 new stores in the previous three years, and that many of its 160 UK restaurants run under a franchise model. Hadji called Rickmansworth “a completely new format for the brand”.
What Fireaway asks of new franchisees
Fireaway’s franchise page sets out its published entry terms. It lists an investment of £200,000 or more, minimum liquid capital of £100,000, and units of 800 to 2,000 sq ft with at least 10 seats. The brand says it is looking for franchisees across the UK, particularly in the North and South East. It names Liverpool, Chester, York, Hull, Bradford, Wakefield, Sheffield, Colchester and Chelmsford as interest areas.
