News: Slice to meet you: Rustic Pizza Co.'s journey to Rotherham

Lee Ogley, managing director of The Rustic Pizza Co. is looking ahead to a new base in Rotherham where he aims to help create an authentic, welcoming vibe combined with great food at Forge Island.

The Independent South Yorkshire restaurant chain exchanged a deal earlier this year with nationwide placemaker, Muse, to open a new outlet in the last remaining retail space at Forge Island.

The Rustic Pizza Co was founded in 2017 by Doncaster-based husband and wife team Lee and Sian who originally ran a mobile street food business. The duo transformed a passion for pizza into a successful business venture, delivering their freshly made, wood-fired pizzas across their home city as well as serving up a slice of Italy at events and festivals all over the country.

The company opened its first permanent outlet at the popular food court in Doncaster’s Wool Market in 2019.

The Rotherham restaurant is due to open in 2024 after work completes on the Rotherham town centre site.

Lee said: "When covid hit, we had to adapt and soon became famous in the city for our DIY pizza kits – something we hope will be as popular in Rotherham. Since reopening post-pandemic we’ve gone from strength to strength – opening our sister venue, The Rustic Burger Co. at the Wool Market and we have plans to open another Doncaster venue later this year [at Lakeside].

"We’re so excited for Forge Island; we really believe that it will regenerate the area and make Rotherham a place people want to visit and be an incredible destination for families who live here."

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Joining the pizza place, the Thistle Group is signed up to bring a number of brands to Forge Island. These include Portuguese and Southern African eatery, Casa Peri Peri, created by Masterchef star, Bobby Geetha; Estabulo Rodizio / Sakku Samba – a dual-branded concept honouring the Gaucho style of cooking and a fusion of Japanese-Brazilian cuisine, and luxury coffee shop Caffé Noor. Local burger, shake and dessert restaurant, Cow & Cream has also taken space to complete the mix of eateries.

The independent eateries will be joining boutique cinema operator, The Arc, and national hotel chain, Travelodge, who will anchor Forge Island, to bring a real, family-friendly feel to the town centre.

Lee added: "We really like Rotherham as a place and can’t wait to get set up in our new space and meet our new neighbours. We think that with the help of all the other independent businesses who will open here, we can work together to bring people back into the town centre by creating something truly special for the people of Rotherham – an authentic, welcoming vibe combined with great food. Our restaurant here will offer a combination of both our pizza and burger menus, with 70 to 80 in-dining capacity and we have future plans to include a takeaway offer.

"People can expect a truly unique experience when eating with us – a true taste of Italy in Yorkshire. Our freshly made, authentic, wood-fired pizzas are made with only the finest Italian products, something this area of Rotherham has never seen before.

"We can’t wait to bring our famous rustic atmosphere, tasty food, cocktails, and live music to the city and we’re confident that people are going to love it."

Rustic Pizza Co. website
Forge Island website

Images: Muse

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News: Pizza restaurant pre-let sees Forge Island fill up

Independent South Yorkshire restaurant chain, The Rustic Pizza Co, has exchanged a deal with nationwide placemaker, Muse, to open a new outlet in the last remaining retail space at Forge Island.

In an unprecedented milestone for the new landmark destination, which will bring a family-friendly offer to Rotherham town centre, all of the commercial spaces have now been snapped up. Muse is delivering Forge Island in partnership with Rotherham Council and works started on site in November.

The Rustic Pizza Co was founded in 2017 by Doncaster-based husband and wife team Lee and Sian who originally ran a mobile street food business. The duo transformed a passion for pizza into a successful business venture, delivering their freshly made, wood-fired pizzas across their home city as well as serving up a slice of Italy at events and festivals all over the country.

The company opened its first permanent outlet at the popular food court in Doncaster’s Wool Market in 2019 before having to diversify due to the pandemic and resulting lockdown in March 2020, delivering up to 500 DIY pizza kits a day across Doncaster. The business has grown from strength-to-strength since re-opening to the public in June 2020, with both its in-dining and takeaway service proving hugely popular with customers. The duo source only the finest Italian products, using their network of suppliers who provide seasonal products and regional specialties from Italian markets.

A sister venue, the Rustic Burger Co has since launched at the Wool Market, with plans to open another Doncaster venue in the new year. The Forge Island restaurant will offer a winning combination of both its pizza and burger menus, with 70 to 80 in-dining capacity and future plans to include a takeaway offer.

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The Rustic Pizza Co joins four exciting brands already signed as part of a deal with Thistle Group. These include Portuguese and Southern African eatery, Casa Peri Peri, created by Masterchef star, Bobby Geetha; Estabulo Rodizio / Sakku Samba – a dual-branded concept honouring the Gaucho style of cooking and a fusion of Japanese-Brazilian cuisine, and luxury coffee shop Caffé Noor. Local burger, shake and dessert restaurant, Cow & Cream has also taken space to complete the mix of eateries.

The independent eateries will be joining boutique cinema operator, The Arc, and national hotel chain, Travelodge, who will anchor Forge Island, to bring a real, family-friendly feel to the town centre.

Raife Gale, senior development manager at Muse, said: “The Rustic Pizza Co is a fantastic final addition to our delicious offering here at Forge Island. To let all our commercial spaces off plan is an amazing achievement, especially in the current market – and is testament to the huge amount of confidence in our collective vision for Rotherham town centre. We always look to create places that will enrich the lives of the communities we serve for the long term. Forge Island will offer residents in Rotherham a fantastic leisure destination packed with amenities on their doorstep, but it will also create jobs and provide opportunities for local people too.

“Forge Island is clear proof of how public/private partnerships like the one we have with Rotherham Council, can be a real catalyst for a place, to supercharge growth and investment, but importantly it’s focused on people. By getting all the ingredients right from the outset with our partners means we’ve created a real recipe for success and we can’t wait for it to open to the public.”

Lee Ogley, co-owner of The Rustic Pizza Co said: “Having grown our business across Doncaster over the last five years, we have been looking to venture into a new town or city for a while and Forge Island ticked all the boxes in terms of being a leisure destination with a focus on attracting local, independent businesses. I am really excited to work alongside the other indie restaurants and cafes to create something truly special for the people of Rotherham.”

Rotherham Council’s cabinet member for jobs and the local economy, Cllr Denise Lelliott, said: “The council is very happy to welcome The Rustic Pizza Co to Forge Island. It will be joining a fantastic range of café, restaurant and leisure facilities at the state-of-the-art Forge Island site and will provide families with a whole host of fun activities right in the heart of the town centre. I am sure everyone will be excited to visit The Rustic Pizza Co once it opens next year.”

The new Forge Island is due for completion in 2024 and will be set within an attractive public square with a new pedestrian bridge connecting to the town centre.

Rustic Pizza Co website
Forge Island website

Images: Muse

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