Ten years ago, a nonna’s recipe became the foundation of Fireaway Pizza, the UK’s fastest-growing pizza franchise
Now, with over 160 stores across the UK, new research shows just how much Britain is craving the kind of connection that recipe was always meant to create.
So this anniversary month, Fireaway is doing something about it and launching a month-long nonnas eat for free promotion, inviting the nation to strengthen social ties
Fireaway Pizza, the UK’s fastest-growing pizza franchise, is today celebrating its tenth anniversary, and using the milestone to spark a national conversation about something many of us feel we are not doing enough of: gathering around a table with the people we love.
What began in 2016 as a single store in Sutton – with a Subway-style counter, a stone-fired oven cooking pizzas in 180 seconds, and a recipe passed down from founder Mario Aleppo’s nonna – has now grown into one of Britain’s most beloved pizza brands. today, Fireaway operates over 160 stores across the UK and continues to make its dough by hand, every day, in every single store. Because some things, Mario insists, should never change.
So to mark a decade, Fireaway has commissioned new research into Britain’s shared mealtime habits, and the findings paint a picture of a habit that, for many people, is under real pressure. While shared mealtimes remain common for much of the population, the data reveals a striking generational divide: among adults aged 55 and over, 37% say they eat together less often now than when they were growing up, compared to just 15% who say more often. Among under-35s, the picture is strikingly different, 50% say they now eat together more often than growing up, suggesting a generation actively seeking more connection, not less.
Overall, 59% of UK adults say they would like to eat with their family more often than they currently do, rising to 69% among under-35s and 73% among those with children at home. And 88% agree that sitting down together is one of the simplest ways to feel connected to the people they love.
The barriers are not emotional but practical: 33% blame physical distance, 29% say conflicting schedules get in the way, and 57% admit that phones and screens are a distraction at the table even when people do manage to get together. People want to gather. Modern life keeps getting in the way.
It is this gap, between how deeply people value shared time around a table and how rarely everyday life makes room for it, that sits at the heart of Fireaway’s tenth anniversary campaign.
That’s why from today and throughout the rest of this anniversary month, Fireaway is inviting the nation to gather with the people whose time and connection they value most, launching its nonnas eat for free promotion. That means for anyone who brings along someone whose time and connection they value most, be it an older relative, a grandparent, a parent or a much-loved family friend, they’ll see that person eat for free. All customers need to do is register to the promotion using Fireaway’s nonnas eat for free sign up link or at fireaway.co.uk and they’ll receive a QR code for in-store redemption of any free pizza when ordering in a group of two or more.
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Mario Aleppo, founder and CEO of Fireaway Pizza, said: “My nonna came over from the Amalfi Coast with nothing, worked hard her whole life, built something from scratch, and left me with a love of food and a belief that the best things in life are made with care and shared with people who matter. Ten years ago I opened our first store on that same foundation: proper ingredients, no shortcuts, and food that brings people together. That’s why nonna has always been at the heart of our food story.
“The research we’ve commissioned shows how much connection means to people, and how rarely modern life makes room for it. And then you see something like ‘nonnamaxxing’ as a new trend on social – this idea that the Italian grandmother way of living, of gathering, of slowing down and eating together and prioritising the people around you – is actually exactly what people are craving right now. It doesn’t surprise me at all. We’ve always known that food tastes better when you share it. This anniversary is our way of saying: whatever’s getting in the way, let pizza be the reason you finally just get together. Gather your people.”
To bring the anniversary to life in store, Fireaway is also launching a limited Italian specials menu throughout May, created to celebrate the food story at the heart of the brand. Joining the permanent menu for the month are three celebration pizzas: the Arrabiata, a fiery combination of tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, parmesan, fresh basil and chilli oil; the Diavola, rich with Italian sausage, chicken, nduja, caramelised onions and peppers; and the Quattro Formaggi, a four-cheese indulgence of béchamel, mozzarella, parmesan, cheddar and buffalo mozzarella, finished with truffle oil, alongside a selection of Italian-inspired sides including truffle mushroom dough balls, a caprese salad and a truffle mushroom mac and cheese.
