HE sold his rare sneaker collection and car to start a pizza chain that is now an institution.

Now Michele Civiera, owner and founder of Civerinos, the Edinburgh New York pizza specialist, reveals the locations of his next two new Glasgow restaurants and a recruitment drive to take on 30 staff in the city.

The latest openings will follow its first Glasgow restaurant, due to open at 9 Radnor Street in the West End in September.

Marking the start of a UK-wide expansion push, Mr Civiera sat down for an exclusive Q&A with The Herald.

As well as a series of great launches so far, however, he also points to staffing problems largely because of Brexit and tax breaks that could help the hospitality industry through high cost times.

Q&A

 

Name:

Michele Civiera

 

What is your business called?

Civerinos

 

Where is it based?

We have four sites in Edinburgh, which includes two slice bars, one in Portobello and another in the city centre, one restaurant on Hunter Square that is our original site, just off the Royal Mile, and a delivery kitchen which is also home to a production kitchen, training academy and creative studio.

We also have just purchased a mobile food truck, which will allow us to pop up in venues across Scotland and eventually the whole of the UK - our first pop-up was in North Berwick last week.

Our first venue in Glasgow will open in September. We’ve invested more than £500,000 and work is well under way on the renovation of our Radnor Street site, which is just off Kelvingrove. We have plans in the works to open two more restaurants in Glasgow’s Southside and city centre, and eventually in every student city and town in the UK.

 

What does it produce/do?

Our brand is inspired by NY-style slice bars. Across our venues good people sell massive tasty pizza slices and sides to sit-in, order at the window and by delivery. We also offer pasta and Italian street food staples at our Hunter Square venue. Our merch has also been incredibly popular - everywhere I go I see people wearing Civs t-shirts. Our customers know us for good times, good music and NYC attitude.

 

To whom does it sell?

Everyone. Because everyone enjoys pizza.

 

READ MORE: New York-style pizza chain Civerinos to open in Glasgow

What is its turnover?

£6 million last year and we’re on target for £7m this year. We’re aiming for £10m by the end of 2024.

 

How many employees?

We have a team of 160 people currently, but recruitment is under way for 30 more people in Glasgow.

 

Why did you take the plunge?

The attitude in Scotland used to be booze first and food second, but I began to see the shift in the early 2000s to a better version of casual dining, and I thought I could bring something different to the table. I was a huge fan of NY-style pizza after spending a lot of time out there, and thought there was a gap in the market, so I bit the bullet, sold my rare sneaker collection and car to fund our first venue, and the rest is history.

 

What were you doing before?

I was making other people a lot of money, running in cocktail bars, night clubs and restaurants around the world and somehow ended up back in Edinburgh.

 

READ MORE: Civerinos announces first Glasgow location 

What do you least enjoy?

The hurdles and sanctions imposed on hospitality by the Scottish and UK Governments. They make it a hard industry to be in. Brexit in particular has made it extremely hard to recruit - we’ve lost a lot of talent from the industry and it’s especially difficult during busy times like The Fringe. But we’ve doubled down on making it the best place to work for homegrown talent, by maintaining our values of respect, fair pay, fair working hours and fun.

 

What are your ambitions for the firm?

We want to become a household name, and build a brand that stands the test of time. We are firmly established in Edinburgh but that’s just the beginning. We’re already planning for our next move after Glasgow and the goal is to operate nationwide in cities across the UK. We also want to be the best place to work possible. Hospitality is a great career, but it’s been given a bad name. We are trying to redefine global perceptions of the Scottish food industry in how we present ourselves, how we treat our staff, our food, service and overall customer experience.

We are growing - week on week vs last year we are in double digit [percentage] growth. We are getting smarter as a business and continue to combat price increases by creating smarter menus and working closely with suppliers. We have invested in our operations team, which comes as a large expense to the business, but this means the business runs with greater efficiency and savings overall. Our food, drinks and labour spends are currently running less than last with an increase in business. This means we were either really sh*t last year or we are just really good this year - the jury is out. We’ll find out next year.

All of this is designed to make us run as efficiently as possible, so we’re ready to scale while still providing the same quality and standards that people expect from us.

                                                                       

What single thing would most help?

Better VAT systems for hospitality.

 

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned?

To get the best out of people, you have to be the best version of yourself. When anyone starts a business, you try to do everything and it can be challenging. I’ve spent a lot of time working on myself, both personally and professionally, and that’s put me in a better position to build the incredible team we have. I’ve worked to become the boss I always wanted to have, providing a place where people can build exciting, fulfilling careers within a growing business.

 

READ MORE: Civerinos prepare for opening of new Glasgow restaurant

What was your best moment?

When our venue on the Portobello Promenade opened, I was standing with my neighbour outside my house and I could see a queue that was nearly a mile long.

 

What was your worst moment?

Boarding up all the sites during the pandemic was awful. It felt like everything we had worked so hard for was just gone in an instant, and we had absolutely no idea when we could get back to doing what we love to do. However, for all I wouldn’t have chosen it, it does make you think differently as a business and look at new ways. We’re stronger than ever after the pandemic and we learned a lot through that time. To survive, everyone in the hospitality industry had to be resilient and creative in equal measure. There was a real siege mentality which was actually great to be part of - there was so much collaboration with other business owners. We came together to share ideas and find a way through together.

 

How do you relax?

Talking to our Operations Director Mark De’mar who always brings me up to speed with how everything’s going. It calms me down and reminds me that everything’s taken care of so I can focus on the big picture. I love driving, and always have so I sometimes just get in the car and go. I’m very lucky to live near the water in Portobello - I feel better about everything after simply watching the water. I start every single day, all year round, by going for a swim for half an hour. I feel more relaxed about everything once I’ve done that. Most of all I love spending time with my family, especially when we’re cooking together. It’s easy to forget about any stresses.