‘Emotional’ pizza chefs shun Brexit Britain, says Franco Manca owner

Brexit hit Italian and Greek chefs “hard emotionally”, making them more difficult for restaurants to recruit, the boss of Franco Manca owner Fulham Shore said today.

“We were a really attractive destination if you were under 30 and from Greece and Italy,” chairman David Page said.

“But Brexit hit them hard emotionally so they are thinking twice about coming over here and starting a future. It’s proving more difficult [to recruit] than it was a couple of years ago. The government needs to give reassurance.”

If hiring becomes more costly, the price of its food could increase, he added.

Fulham, which also owns The Real Greek chain, saw sales rise 41% to £41.3 million and operating profit more than double to £1.2 million in the year to March after a string of new openings.

Page said a shake-out in the restaurants industry, caused by rivals expanding too quickly and being forced to slim, has created opportunities for Fulham to grow.

A site in a London suburb being offered for £90,000-a-year rent three years ago was recently marketed to it for £50,000, he said.