50 new jobs as new restaurant teams prepare to stretch, toss and serve 12,000 pizzas in their first month.

Pizza lovers in High Wycombe and Gerrards Cross are in for a treat this month as PizzaExpress prepares to open two new restaurants within a week.

The first opened in the Eden Shopping Centre, High Wycombe, on 6th September, and can seat 142, bringing jobs for 20 new team members including four pizzaiolas and 12 waiters and waitresses.

The Gerrards Cross restaurant, with seating for 117, opens in Packhorse Road on Thursday 12 September, creating 30 new jobs, with five pizzaiolas and 15 waiters and waitresses.

An estimated total of 3,400 kilos of dough will be used at both restaurants in the first month as the teams prepare to serve up a combined 12,000 pizzas and 4,000 portions of PizzaExpress' iconic Dough Balls.

Hannah Slade, manager of the new PizzaExpress in High Wycombe, said, "We've got a beautiful new restaurant which we're all very proud of and can't wait to show it off to our customers."

Rodney Clive, manager at Gerrards Cross said, 'We have a friendly and enthusiastic team who are looking forward to welcoming everyone over a delicious pizza.'

PizzaExpress was one of the first to bring pizza to the UK when it opened its first restaurant in Soho, London, in 1965. It serves delicious, fresh, handmade pizza including its Leggera range of skinny pizzas which are all just 500 calories or less.

PizzaExpress has also introduced a gluten-free range covering starters, main courses (including pizza), desserts, options for children and even a gluten-free beer.

Its new Piccolo menu for younger pizza lovers is full of tasty choices including 'Create Your Own' pizza.

Parents can now book a Kids' Pizza Making Party. Children from the age of four to 11 will be transformed into mini-pizzaiolas, getting to stretch and toss their own pizza base, before topping it with their favourite ingredients. Once they've enjoyed their culinary creations, they will be entertained with games, Like Pin the Moustache on the Pizzaiolo, by their personal party host.

Primary schools in the local area will be able to take advantage of PizzaExpress free School Visits programme, which has been running since the late 90s when a teacher called up and asked if she could bring along her class to her local restaurant and teach them how to cook.

Teachers can find out more about how PizzaExpress is getting kids cooking or book a School Visit online www.pizzaexpress.com/schoolvisits.