# Pizza Empire Founder: What It Really Takes to Build a Successful Restaurant Brand - Thom Elliot

An episode of [Thriving Minds with Alberto Zandi](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1756514468), 26 Mar 2026, 1 h 42 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/668417dd4cb273e4613fe2e9/e/69c3ec45a3dddd45e97db0b6/media.mp3

This week Alberto sat down with Thom Elliot, co-founder of Pizza Pilgrims, one of the UK’s most recognisable and successful pizza brands. Thom shares the real story behind building Pizza Pilgrims from a single van into a national business with over 800 employees, and what it actually costs to scale in hospitality. From long hours and financial pressure to the emotional toll of leadership, this conversation goes far beyond the highlight reel. They explore the early days of the business, the realities of growth, why hospitality is often romanticised from the outside, and how pressure, responsibility, and risk change as a company scales. Thom opens up about burnout, identity, and the challenge of staying grounded while building something that demands everything. You will learn • What it really takes to build and scale a restaurant business • The personal cost of entrepreneurship in hospitality • How leadership pressure changes as a business grows • Why success does not remove stress or uncertainty • How to build something meaningful without losing perspective Follow Thom & Pizza Pilgrims https://www.instagram.com/pizzapilgrims/ https://www.youtube.com/@UC_LiCe5657Ynu5G7lIzHGjg https://www.tiktok.com/@pizzapilgrims https://www.linkedin.com/in/thom-elliot-9115ab2b/ #podcast #entrepreneurship #pizzapilgrims #startupstory #hospitality #founderstories #businessjourney #streetfood #smallbusiness #motivation #thrivingminds Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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