The first Pasta Emporium opens officially today (25 July) in Richmond in partnership with AMSRIC, an appointed franchisee for brands including KFC and Starbucks across the south of England. A second is due to launch in Greenwich on Church Street in the coming months.
The venues will serve what the company says is previously forgotten fresh pasta shapes made by hand on site and served from open pasta counters. Customers can choose to dine in or take away and order via digital screens or from the counter.
Fresh pasta dishes include lobster tortellini; truffle mac’n’cheese; carbonara; and slow-cooked beef and chianti ragù with a range of traditional antipasti also available, including tomato and rosemary focaccia; mini calzone pizzas; as well as Italian desserts such as tiramisù, lemon tarts; and a gelato assortment.
A selection of plant-based and dairy free options are also available, as well as the option to order an ‘half & half’ dish, enabling diners to try two different dishes for the price of one.
The sites will feature self-pour wine machines offering a complimentary glass of wine to customers waiting for their meal and will also run weekly wine tastings that will be free of charge for the local community) and kids’ pasta-making sessions on Saturdays.
“We’re delighted to launch our first franchise sites in Richmond and Greenwich,” says Alessandro Savelli, CEO of Pasta Evangelists.
“As Pasta Evangelists continue to expand, we’re constantly looking to innovate and elevate our pasta offering, and the new franchises will allow us to do exactly this. After seven years of operating as a digital business, we are so looking forward to welcoming customers into our new homes.”
Pasta Evangelists opened its first pasta factory in 2023 and operates its own takeaway service in London, which it is looking to expand across England. It opened its first restaurant in the Harrods Dining Hall in May 2021 and was bought by the Barilla Group the same year.
