As we come to the end of our 4th week of re-opening the pizzeria, following the forced lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to all my staff for your hard work and enthusiasm in getting yourselves back into work and coming together like the great team which you are. I would also like to thank my customers for your loyalty, support, and understanding.

The last 5 months have been some of the most testing for our small family business in the 34 years we have been trading. Closing the doors was upsetting for me, as it was the first time we have shut since my father opened the pizzeria in 1986, but it was the right thing to do. During lockdown I took the decision to refurbish the restaurant, and post lockdown re-opening has been just as difficult for a few reasons; not being able to trade for 18 weeks has put an enormous strain on us financially, every member of staff has had to learn how to operate within a new kitchen environment and familiarise themselves with the new pizza ovens. Every member of staff has been required to adapt to a new process so we can keep our customers as safe as possible. My staff are nervous about their own safety as we are still living in the unknown, and it’s been a huge demand on my own energy to get this show back on the road.

I realise that we have not been perfect in delivering our service to you and we have made one or two mistakes in the last few weeks, can I ask you all for a favour? Please, if you can – be patient with us. We are immensely proud of our food and the service we deliver, and we are fully committed to continuing our efforts to get better and operate in a more efficient manner so that we can adapt to this new strange world. This goes for any small independent business that you may do business with, be patient with them too, tell them how great they’re doing and support them with your patience as well as your money because it’s extremely tough out there and some of them may not survive these challenging of times. Small independent family-run businesses like ours are the heartbeat of any community and we all need them so we can come together to spend time with our families, socialise with friends, shop, drink coffee and eat good pizza.

Thank you,

Marc.