NEWS
Prezzo announce pay increase and Boxing Day closure In September, Prezzo announced an average 4% pay rise for its restaurant teams as of this month, and claimed to be the first restaurant group to confirm closure on Boxing Day in order to give team members time with friends and family (the high street chain has also been shortlisted for Best Mental Health Strategy at the Employee Benefits Awards 2021). Prezzo added that it had announced the pay rises in deep appreciation of the care and commitment shown by their teams since they re-opened their restaurants, and that it was part of a wider strategy to encourage more of their existing and future team members to pursue career opportunities with Prezzo, having also introduced new development and pay progression opportunities for both their kitchen and front of house teams. To improve the attractiveness of management roles within their restaurants, they have also increased pay for managers by an average of 5%. As a result of the increases, every Prezzo team member will be paid above the national minimum wage, Prezzo also recognising that career opportunities represent just one element that team members value; the mental and physical
health of our teams being a top priority, they add. It was their primary focus throughout the pandemic, they stated, and in acknowledgement of this, Prezzo has been shortlisted for the Best Mental Health Strategy at the Employee Benefits Awards 2021. Alongside this pay rise and in recognition of the extraordinary efforts of our team since reopening, all Prezzo restaurants will close on Boxing Day say the group so as to give teams a two-day break during the busiest trading period of the year.
Karen Jones, executive chair, Prezzo said: “Re-opening all of hospitality after a third prolonged lockdown has been an extraordinary challenge. Every part of the industry has felt the strain and at the front line stand our wonderful teams, front and back of house, of whom we are so proud. Making sure we get pay right is a pre-requisite; ensuring our Prezzo people feel valued and cared for is equally as important. We can never do enough in this regard to ensure the future flourishing of all. Thank you Prezzo people!”
Carluccio’s launch Italian snack boxes for Jet2 A taste of Italy can now be enjoyed at 35,000 ft as Carluccio’s Italian Snack Boxes cruise onto the in-flight menu of leading leisure airline Jet2.com this autumn. A maiden flight for Carluccio’s, this is another innovation from the Italian multi-channel, multi-format brand founded by the late Antonio Carluccio, which has recently seen collaborations with Sainsbury’s. The £4.80 Carluccio’s Italian Snack Boxes will be available on all Jet2.com flights with the UK’s third largest airline. The box includes Taralli (a traditional savoury snack from Southern Italy made with three simple ingredients - olive oil, flour and water), two dips (tangy cheese and tomato and garlic), handmade skinny grissini bread sticks, baked and double dipped in chocolate, and torcetti (a twisted butter cookie from Piedmont, Northern Italy, hand finished in sugar). Giving passengers an extra perk, each Snack Box comes with a 20% off voucher, which can be used across the 25-strong 10
Carluccio’s restaurant estate and delis nationwide as well as via the brand’s online store. Sarah Strangeway, head of buying at Carluccio’s, said: “We are thrilled to be taking Carluccio’s to the skies for the first time with Jet2.com and have created a box filled with authentic Italian products sourced from artisan producers to give passengers a delicious quality treat on their travels.” October 2021
