AN ENTREPRENEUR whose restaurant idea was rejected as “a disaster” on Dragon’s Den is set to open 100 new outlets of his popular chain.
Alessandro Savelli, who co-founded Pasta Evangelists and currently serves as its CEO, says the chain is aiming to become the UK’s “fastest-growing, casual dining hot spot”.
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Now worth around £40 million, Pasta Evangelists was rejected on Dragons’ Den by business experts in 2018 when Savelli and co-founder Finn Lagun asked for a £75,000 investment for a 2.5 per cent cut of the company.
Dragon Jenny Campbell even called Finn “delusional” and “a disaster” during their pitch.
However, the entrepreneurs have no doubt had the last laugh as their business is now set for major expansion.
Pasta Evangelists says it will invest £30 million into new restaurants, creating up to 1,500 jobs.
It hopes to open 100 new restaurants across the UK in the next five years, including in the south of England, the Midlands, and Scotland.
The company is also aiming to develop a “Pasta Apprenticeship” scheme to attract new staff and help the current workforce develop new skills and knowledge, reports The Grocer.
Savelli said: “The demand for our fresh, beautifully cooked artisan pasta is growing.
“Our intention is to become the UK’s fastest-growing, casual dining hot spot and the hottest place to eat for pasta lovers of all ages.
“Sustainable growth has always been our plan.
“The hospitality industry is going through tough times at the moment, but we are confident that our business model is robust and dynamic, and the proof of this is we have already bucked the trend with the confirmed opening of five more restaurants in the space of three months, and more to come.”
The chain opened a restaurant in Farringdon, central London, this summer as well as its first outside of the capital in Guildford in July.
Three new London locations are set to open in the coming weeks, helping carry the total number of outlets to 11 as we head into autumn.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the plans were “great news” and highlighted the “dynamism and resilience of British businesses”.
The restaurant has had a remarkable success story since its Dragons’ Den miss.
Recalling their appearance on the BBC show, Finn said he was “shaking life a leaf” before walking out to pitch his business.
He added that he was left devastated by the business experts’ “vicious” comments.
Speaking to The Sun in 2023, he said: “I never would have expected to be called a ‘disaster’ or ‘delusional‘ on national TV – they were vicious things to say to a young entrepreneur.
“To use that kind of language against a young, passionate person was dismaying. I would never talk to any young entrepreneur like that.”
Despite their lack of faith in the business, the Dragons are no doubt feeling red in the face now as Pasta Evangelists is one of the UK’s biggest fresh pasta companies.
It has also earned the highest praise from many voices, including chef Gordon Ramsay.
SCARRED BY EXPERIENCE ON DRAGONS’ DEN
While Pasta Evangelists has gone on to huge success, Finn says he’s still scarred by his experience in the Den.
“We received an extremely strong, negative, visceral reaction,” he says.
“I was 24 years old when I went on Dragons’ Den, so for a seasoned entrepreneur like Jenny Campbell to call me ‘delusional’ and a ‘disaster’ was so vicious… Jenny was savage.
“At one point she said, ‘I like it’ and I replied, ‘Thank you’, only for her to say, ‘I like it because it’s a brilliant business lesson in how not to set up and run a business’.
“I was mortified, I felt like an idiot having grinned at her and thanked her. She was deliberately trying to take me for a ride for entertainment.”
Finn adds: “I don’t want to sound like the Virgin Mary but if the tables were turned and I was Jenny Campbell, I would have apologised.
“If I saw the business had turned into the UK’s biggest pasta company in a few years I’d say, ‘Well done, you defied expectations’ and maybe even offer a little contrition or an apology.”
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