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The right ingredients for extremely good pizza
14 March 2010 By Tina-Marie O’Neill
Philip Martin would probably agree that every cloud has a silver lining - or, in his case, that every recession has its upside.
The Dubliner recently opened the first Extreme Pizza restaurant in the capital, and has secured the franchise rights for the entire country.
Extreme Pizza was founded by two Californian surfers, Todd Parent and Michael Pastor, in San Francisco in 1994. It now has 40 outlets across the US, and has won a series of awards for the quality of its pizza base, as well as the quirky and unusual combination of toppings on offer.
Martin’s Dublin restaurant and takeaway, which seats 75 people and is located on the Rathmines Road, has opened at a fortuitous time for the fast food sector. Studies have shown that, during an economic downturn, people tend to stay home and order takeaways rather than going out, and pizza is a popular takeaway choice among families.
‘‘The business is going well, and we have been up week on week since we opened in December," said Martin, whose family runs Myo’s pub in Castleknock.
‘‘We’ve had great feedback and strong repeat customer numbers. What is striking is the amount of repeat business from mums coming back with young children."
Martin admits that it is ‘‘incredibly difficult’’ for someone like him to compete with big name franchises such as Dominos and Apache, which have much higher marketing and advertising budgets.
‘‘People hear the word ‘gourmet’ and think our pizzas are going to be more expensive, but they’re not," he said. ‘‘We can afford to offer our range at a competitive price because our franchise fees are not as high as those paid by our bigger rivals."
According to Martin, Extreme Pizza is not your average franchise.
‘‘The founders are laid back, fun-loving surfers who are really enthusiastic about the business. At the same time, they have a strict policy about sourcing fresh, quality local produce and baking the pizza base in-store. That approach accounts for their rapid success in the US, and it’s a reputation we want to build here," said Martin.
The company’s core philosophy is ‘‘extreme, not mainstream’ ‘, an approach epitomised by the names of some of the pizzas on offer.
For example, the Holy Cow includes Gruyere, Swiss and blue cheese, as well as mozzarella, roasted walnuts and freshly cut sage.
Peace in the Middle East is layered with homemade hummus in place of tomato sauce, while the White Out is cheese free and will appeal to anyone watching their weight. Pizzas start from €8, and there are also calzones, salads and sandwiches to choose from.
The company offers a home and office delivery service, online ordering, children’s party catering and a ‘take and bake’ option, allowing customers to pick up an unbaked pizza in the restaurant and cook it at home.
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