California Pizza Factory expands

California Pizza Factory, the award-winning restaurant concept in the Birmingham suburbs, is to set up a second outlet, opening in November, and a third next spring.

Owners Gary and Tracey Perkins are opening an 86-seat outlet in Solihull town centre on the ground floor of a modern development. They negotiated a 15-year lease on the 2,700sq ft Solihull premises through property consultancy Chesterton.

Work on the premises has already begun, and a wood-fired kiln has been brought over from Italy. Premises for a third outlet in Birmingham city centre are also under negotiation, with an opening date set for March or April next year.

The first restaurant opened two years ago in Harborne and was last year named England Restaurant of the Year in Egon Ronay's Just A Bite guide. This year it was named Pizza Restaurant of the Year by the Pizza and Pasta Association.

Mr Perkins told Caterer that annual turnover for the business currently stood at £500,000.