Northern Ireland entrepreneur renames pizza stores following ‘significant investment’ securing jobs

Belfast entrepreneur Ciaran Kelly has revealed that all three of his stores are to be renamed Pizza Crew following significant investment which has secured over 40 jobs.

Previously named Pizza Guyz, Ciaran feels that the decision to change the name was more like fate.

Ciaran said: “The name change was taken out of my hands to an extent as I ran into a trademark issue over the Pizza Guyz name. We could not come to a resolution so rather than waste money on legal fees, I decided to invest it back into the business and my people.

"I have installed new signage, created a bespoke App, I now have a specially made mobile truck, new uniforms, menus and boxes, and I have given our delivery vehicles a Pizza Crew makeover.”

Over the last eight years, Ciaran, who has been making pizzas from the age of 17, has been a consistent employer in north, south and west Belfast.

He continued: “When we opened our flagship store in 2017, it was myself and my two brothers chasing our passion for pizza with exceptional service. Fast forward to 2024 and we have gone from a few people and one store to a whole crew of 40 plus staff and two additional locations.

“We want to encourage more people to consider pizza making as a career particularly women. We’re proud to have female store owners and 30% of our staff overall is made up of women. We also have people from all over the world working for us, so we are a diverse Pizza Crew.”

The Pizza Crew name was revealed simultaneously at the Antrim Road, Ormeau Road and Anderstonstown Road stores.

Ciaran explained: “We had special covers made for all of the storefronts which were removed at the same time on June 3 so that all of our customers could see the new name together. We have invested a significant amount in introducing the Pizza Crew to Northern Ireland and we’re excited for the next chapter.”

Ciaran won ‘Best Takeaway in the Country’ at the Just Eat awards in 2023, along with other pizza accolades.

He added: “I am always keeping on top of the latest innovations in food and technology related to the pizza industry. I visit the pizza expo in Las Vegas every year and last year I was crowned ‘King of Pizza in Ireland’ by pizza legend, Mike Bausch. Mike owns Andolini's Pizzeria, named one of the ‘Top 10 Pizzerias in America’. I was also honoured to graduate from Mike’s world-renowned Unsliced Restaurant System.

“To celebrate the creation of the Pizza Crew name, we have introduced a brand new pizza, The Italian Job, inspired by Tony Gemignani which has Milano salami, Cup and Char pepperoni, Italian sausage and a side of honey from local company, Murray’s Hot Honey, that customers can spread on or dip their pizza into.”