Ask and Zizzi owner subject of casual inquiry

Restaurant chains including Jamie’s Italian, Prezzo and Byron may be finding the going tough, but at least one is attracting admiring glances.

Azzurri Group, owner of the Zizzi and Ask Italian brands, is understood to be the subject of potential bid interest as private equity firms scour the bombed-out casual dining sector for opportunities.

Although Bridgepoint, which backed a £250m buyout of Zizzi and Ask in 2015, is not running a sale process, it is thought to be open to offers that might provide a good return.

One restaurant industry source said: “Bridgepoint is a very happy owner of Azzurri Group, but it’s a private equity firm, so if someone was to come along with a decent offer it would consider it.”

Click here for the full Times article (£).