Prezzo Italian says the new benefits, which also include a tiered certification programme for head chefs and performance bonuses tied to mystery dining scores, are ‘designed to reward excellence, enhance team experience and celebrate the Italian culture at the heart of the brand’.
As part of the scheme, any team member who chooses to holiday in Italy will receive 10% extra annual leave for their trip.
“At Prezzo Italian, we believe our people are our most important ingredient,” says James Brown, CEO of Prezzo Italian.
“By giving our teams more opportunities to experience Italy, we strengthen their connection to the brand and bring that authenticity back into our restaurants.”
The new initiatives form a key part of the group’s wider repositioning and turnaround strategy that saw it change its name from Prezzo to Prezzo Italian and introduce a refreshed menu back in May.
Prezzo Italian says the new employee benefits are ‘designed to reward excellence, enhance team experience and celebrate the Italian culture at the heart of the brand’ (©Prezzo Italian)
A new certification programme will reward Prezzo Italian’s head chefs based on adherence to food specifications, handling standards and execution quality, all of which will monitored through AI-powered assessments of online reviews and social media sentiment.
Split across bronze, silver and gold tiers, rewards include £100 Amazon vouchers and increases of between 25p and £1 on the chef’s hourly wage.
Staff will also be able to earn bonuses by achieving an average score of 92% or above over four visits from Prezzo Italian’s new mystery dining partner.
Benefits will include a £250 one-off bonus for the general manager, assistant manager, and head chef; and a £250 shared bonus for the servers who looked after those tables.
Additionally, each quarter, the single highest-scoring restaurant will see the general manager, assistant manager, head chef and servers share an additional £1,000 reward.
“We are building an organisation that rewards excellence and celebrates our people,” Brown adds.
“These new benefits put a spotlight on quality, service, and passion, the foundations of customer happiness and food excellence. As we grow, refurbish, and open new restaurants, this is how we ensure the very best talent wants to build their future with Prezzo Italian.”
Prezzo Italian currently operates 95 sites across the UK.
Last month the group announced that it was accelerating expansion plans following a ‘fantastic’ reaction to its recent rebrand with new openings in Edinburgh and Rugby, Warwickshire, confirmed.
It has also launched a wide-ranging restaurant refurbishment programme as part of the rebrand featuring a softer colour palette alongside new tables, chairs, crockery, drinkware, and artwork.
Prezzo Italian has previously said it is aiming to refurbish up to 20 of its 95 restaurants with the new branding by the end of the year, with a further 40 set to be overhauled in 2026.
Dining and Cooking