A Scottish restaurant has hailed a bumper summer as it embarks on a countrywide expansion.
Edinburgh’s pizza "institution" Civerinos has announced that this August has been its busiest month to date.
During the Fringe, more than 180,000 slices of pizza were sold, with Saturday 19 August the busiest day in the company’s nine-year history.
It is estimated that the dough prepared by chefs Maciej Surmacki and Arnold Kovacs throughout the month could stretch from Edinburgh to the company’s new slice bar in Finnieston, Glasgow.
It was the Italian street food institution’s busiest week ever from Monday 7 August just days after this year’s Fringe began.
The company, which has venues on Hunter Square, Forrest Road and Portobello Promenade, grew sales by 18%.
Civerinos closed its booking system for the entire month, simply telling fans: “Rock up, and we’ll sort you x”.
READ MORE: Pizza restaurant owner reveals location of new Glasgow venues amid new UK push
In October, the company will host what it has described as “the staff party to end all staff parties” in Portobello to pay tribute to its team for their efforts, with a DJ, bonfires, wellness breakouts, food and drinks.
Mark De’mar, Civerinos operations director, said: “Our staff have been absolutely phenomenal. The Fringe is always busy - even busier than the festive season - but this was exceptional, and no matter how busy we were, everyone received the amazing service, and amazing pizza, they’ve come to expect from Civs thanks to our incredible team.
“Civerinos has become a must-visit for visitors to Edinburgh. But whether it’s a tourist coming for the first time or a regular who visits every Friday night, we go above and beyond to create the best possible experience.“
The company is set to open its first venue in Glasgow next month. Earlier this month, applications opened and the company was inundated with more than 400 people applying for a role in the Finnieston slice bar.
He added: “I’ve worked in this industry for more than a decade and I’ve never seen demand quite like it. It’s incredibly exciting that so many people want to work here.
"Over the past year we’ve put so much effort into making Civs the best place to work, and redefining hospitality as a viable and rewarding career. We’ll continue to try and improve every single day.
“We are out to fix the serious issues that have plagued hospitality: during our exceptionally busy August any work over contracted hours was minimal, and was either paid or returned as lieu time.
“Everyone in the team is so excited to come to Glasgow. It’s been a long time coming.“
Last month, Civerinos founder Michele Civiera revealed the company was on track for £10m annual turnover.
Michele bootstrapped his first venue in 2016 by selling his beloved rare sneaker collection he built over decades, including incredibly rare Nike SB dunks and original Nike Air Jordans.
As well as its sites in Edinburgh and soon to open Glasgow venue, Civerinos also introduced a production kitchen last year which helped ensure efficiency throughout the festival. The Civerinos food truck is currently popping up at venues across the UK ahead of a planned wider expansion.
Herald Picture Agency offers access to award-winning talent
The Herald and Times publishing group has launched a new service giving access to the decades of experience of its picture desk staff.
The Herald Picture Agency will operate alongside the award-winning Herald and Glasgow Times brands, providing high-quality photography and video services to corporate and public relations clients. Headed by group multimedia editor Craig Alexander, the team includes his deputy Damian Shields, and staff photographers Colin Mearns and Gordon Terris.
Landmark Glasgow restaurant wins awards after sale
A landmark Glasgow restaurant which changed hands last December has continued its award-winning ways by picking up another two accolades this week.
The Battlefield Rest, on the south side of Glasgow, won the Best Italian Establishment award at The Food Awards Scotland 2023 at the voco Grand Hotel in Glasgow on Monday night. It also won the Restaurant of the Year (Glasgow) award.
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