Fireside Chat with Mario Aleppo of Fireaway Pizza

In 2016, Mario Aleppo left his job to open the first Fireaway Pizza. Today, it is one of the UK’s fastest-growing franchises. But the journey between those two points wasn't a straight line, it involved massive financial risk, operational headaches, and learning how to lead a national brand.

As part of the Croydon Business Support Programme (CBSP), this evening session is designed for local founders who want to move beyond the start-up phase and understand what scaling actually looks like.

Join us at Weatherill House for a fireside conversation about the financial decisions, growth mistakes and reality of scaling fast when you're still figuring it out.

You'll hear about:

• The financial reality of opening the first Fireaway store and how he funded it
• Moving from one location to a franchise model
• The biggest mistake he made while scaling and what it cost him
• How he manages quality control across 160+ locations
• His advice for founders who are still employed or just starting to see traction

About Mario:

Mario Aleppo is the founder and CEO of Fireaway Pizza. After working at Nando's and attempting to run a coffee shop, he opened the first Fireaway store in Sutton in April 2016. The brand now operates over 160 locations across the UK and internationally, including sites in Amsterdam, Dubai, Turkey, Portugal, Spain and the Cayman Islands. Fireaway generates over £60 million in annual revenue and has won multiple industry awards, including Small Pizza Chain of the Year (2019) and the Rising Star Award (2021).

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