One of DFC’s most recent sponsors, Ahmad Shah Janbaz of Super Pizza, has built up his pizza empire from a single restaurant to 28 restaurants across the South East. Here we talk to him about his story.
When Ahmad Shah Janbaz fled his war-torn homeland of Afghanistan in 1997, little did he think he would be in the position he is now.
When he first arrived in England, he found a job delivering flyers for takeaways before eventually setting up his first Super Pizza restaurant. Fast forward to today and he has amazingly built up a pizza restaurant empire of 28 restaurants with a turnover of over £12 million.
However, it was far from an easy process to get to this point.
He explained: “I was an economic, political and war refugee leaving Afghanistan for a better life.
“When I first arrived, I managed to get a job distributing pizza leaflets, then a job as a delivery driver. I eventually had the opportunity to start my own business which was a
restaurant in Old Kent Road, Bermondsey.
“That was 27 years ago now. From there I started expanding and now run 28 restaurants and employ more than 200 people.
“Back where I was at the beginning, I never would have imagined being where I am now, but I believe it’s about putting in the hard work and being honest.”
While one ingredient in the success story is hard work, there are a few other ingredients Ahmad is particularly proud of.
He continued: “We were the first restaurant in the south east to introduce halal pizza toppings. All our menus are halal certified.
“We are also known for our speciality cheese called The Crown, it’s 89 per cent mozzarella and we distribute it to a lot of other restaurants.”
Ahmad isn’t one for sitting still, he’s always looking to expand and find new locations.
He added: “A lot of time goes into looking at different locations. All of the shops we take on, we spend time looking at the area to make sure they are in the right place.
“We are also in the process of starting up a new chain, Super Grill, which sells gourmet burgers, with an American diner feel.”
Ahmad, a football fan, is planning to get along to some Dartford matches, with the Super Pizza head office and depot in Dartford.
Keep an eye out for the discounts supporters can take advantage of with the company that will be shared on social media soon.
You can find your nearest restaurant or order a takeaway here https://www.superpizza.biz/
