How Rudy’s went from Manchester to rating high in London
A humble restaurant hailing from Manchester has become a trendy London hotspot and has now been rated the top pizzeria in the capital.
Those from Manchester are likely acquainted with Rudy’s Pizza Napoletana, which first launched in the city’s trendy Ancoats in 2015 – an area known for its burgeoning food and drink scene.
The neighbourhood food spot quickly became a staple in the area, with hour long queues becoming a common feature of the dining experience.
Overwhelmed and unprepared with their newfound success, co-owners Jim Morgan and Kate Wilson sold their pizza project to Mission Mars in 2017 but remained stakeholders in the company.
Thanks to an immensely successful festive period last year, the hospitality group has opened 27 different UK locations, and now its Tottenham Court Road branch has been dubbed London’s top pizza by TripAdvisor.
Rudy’s Pizza Napoletana has gone from being a humble pizza joint in Ancoats, Manchester (pictured), to being crowned London’s favourite pizza on TripAdvisor
When Rudy’s first opened in 2015, co-founders Kate and Jim did not expect the restaurant to become such a success. But despite being grateful for its popularity, they didn’t feel equipped to candle such an influx of customers.
After two years of running Rudy’s, the pair decided to sell their pizza project to Mission Mars for an undisclosed amount.
At the time of sale, Kate told Manchester Evening News: ‘We have been astounded by the response to Rudy’s over the past year and half and in many ways, we were not quite prepared for it.
‘By joining Mission Mars, we will be able to continue to fulfil the demand of our wonderful customers with the support and guidance of an established and well-loved operator.’
Mission Mars went on to open new branches across the north of England, including in Liverpool, Leeds, and Sheffield.
It was the chain’s immensely successful festive period over December last year that helped fund additional Rudy’s locations.
In January, the company revealed a ‘record’ period of festive trading in December last year, according to Caterer.
Rudy’s sticks to tradition when it comes to food, cooking their pizzas for just 60 seconds to create a light and airy base
After being purchased by Mission Mars, Rudy’s has expanded to 27 locations across the UK, including in London, Nottingham, and Sheffield
The restaurant, which first opened in 2015, offers 15 different types of pizzas in addition to monthly specials
Based on customer reviews, TripAdvisor crowned Rudy’s Pizza Napoletena at Tottenham Court Road as London’s best pizza
The neighbourhood style pizzeria joint offers traditional toppings, including Portobello mushrooms and Napoli salami
Revenue from Rudy’s rose 72 per cent to £4 million from November 2023 to the end of that year.
The success led the company to open five new sites in the UK’s capital, including in Queensway, and Canary Wharf.
Despite rapid expansion, Rudy’s has stuck to Napoli tradition when it comes to pizza, cooking each one for just 60 seconds to create a light and airy dough.
Their toppings are also traditional, with popular choices including as fior di latte, San Marzano tomato, and Napoli salami.
At the same time, Rudy’s launched a Manchester-based pizza training academy in August 2023 to train chefs and ensure consistency across all 27 branches.
It an approach that paid off, because TripAdvisor assessed customer reviews and declared Rudy’s at Tottenham Court Road as London’s best pizza.
In a double win, Rudy’s Shoreditch branch came in fourth position, despite only opening in November last year.
Commenting on the new openings at the time, Neal Bates of Rudy’s Pizza, said: ‘We’re so excited to have the opportunity to share our authentic Neapolitan pizzas to even more Londoners.’
