Zizzi


Zizzi is a chain of Italian inspired restaurants across the United Kingdom and Ireland. In February 2015, Bridgepoint Capital completed a £250 million acquisition of ASK Italian and Zizzi.

Locations

As of September 2019, Zizzi have over twenty five restaurants in London. They also have sites in other cities, including; Birmingham, Nottingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds and Sheffield. Some cities house two, three, or four restaurants. The restaurant estate of Zizzi also includes sites in Belfast, Cardiff, Dublin, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. They opened their first restaurant in Chiswick in 1999.

Salisbury nerve gas poisoning

The Zizzi in Salisbury, England, was at the centre of the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. The pair had dined there, and advice was given to those who had eaten at Zizzi and the nearby Mill Pub on Sunday 4 or Monday 5 March 2018, to take measures such as washing or wiping their personal belongings, even though the risk of harm to fellow diners was "low".

Charity fundraising

In the summer of 2011, Zizzi began using Pennies, the electronic charity box, in all their restaurants, giving their customers the option to top up their bill by 20p and donate to charity. By March 2012, over £50,000 had been raised for charity, with the majority going to long standing charity partner, The Prince's Trust. 'Pennies with Zizzi' was crowned "Project of the Year" by the Real IT Awards in 2012, also picking up the prize for Corporate, Social and Environmental Responsibility.

Pandemic impact

On 17 July 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Azzurri Group, owner of the Zizzi and ASK Italian chains, announced the closure of 75 restaurants with the loss of up to 1,200 jobs.