Latest news with #BombayPizza
Entrepreneur
13-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Spice Meets Slice
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. When Anisa Khan stepped into the boardroom of The Apprentice, few could have predicted that her Bombay-inspired pizza brand would make it all the way to the final - let alone resonate so widely beyond the show. A second-place finish, it turns out, was just the beginning. "I grew up surrounded by vibrant Indian food, and it's always been a huge part of my identity," Khan says. "At the same time, pizza is such a universally loved comfort food. The idea of bringing those two worlds together came from wanting to create something that felt familiar yet exciting." That hybrid ethos - pairing paneer with mozzarella, tikka with tomato sauce - has captured imaginations and appetites across the UK. Step forward Bomay Pizza. Yet it wasn't just a matter of mashing flavours together. "When it comes to combinations, I think about Indian dishes people already love, then test how those flavours translate on a pizza base. It's all about balance - spice, texture, richness - and making sure it still feels like a pizza." But after the cameras stopped rolling, real life took over. A surge in orders, press attention, and curious customers meant the business faced its first real test. "Surviving, definitely," Khan says when asked which came first - scaling or surviving. "The attention was overwhelming in the best way, but it also came with a lot of pressure. My priority was to make sure every customer had a good experience and that the product quality never slipped." It's the kind of response you'd expect from someone used to tight deadlines and public scrutiny, but Khan is quick to acknowledge the deeper lesson of translating a viral moment into long-term viability. "A trend can open doors, but it won't keep the lights on," she says. "I've learned that consistency, operational systems, and understanding your numbers are just as important as the buzz." For many entrepreneurs of colour, authenticity often becomes a battleground - something to be preserved, negotiated, and, at times, defended. Khan approaches it with a quiet clarity. "For me, authenticity comes from staying rooted in my cultural background and being intentional with storytelling," she says. "Every flavour has a story, and I try to bring that through in everything - from the names of the pizzas to the way we present the brand. At the same time, I want the food to be accessible. I'm not just speaking to one community - I want everyone to feel welcome and curious to try something new." That spirit of openness, matched with resilience, may be her strongest asset - sharpened, unexpectedly, during her time on the show. "It taught me how to think on my feet and pitch under pressure - skills I use daily now. But more than that, it gave me a thick skin. Being in the public eye can be tough, and not everyone will see your vision, but I've learnt to stay grounded and focused on the long term." From a television set to supper tables across the country, Khan's Bombay Pizza isn't just a food trend. It's a cultural conversation - served hot.
Daily Mail
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Apprentice star Anisa Khan's Italian-Indian fusion pizza parlour suspends online deliveries amid 'incredible' surge in orders
A pizza parlour in London 's south has become a viral sensation with foodies travelling for hours and lining up around the block to get a slice of the action. Bombay Pizza in Wallington is making a name for itself with its unusual - yet delicious - fusion pies that marry Italian and Indian cuisines. Fronted by Apprentice runner-up Anisa Khan, 26, the new hot spot has been so inundated with orders that staff are working overtime to keep up with demand. The hype comes after Anisa battled it out with fellow contestant Dean Franklin on the BBC reality show's finale where the pair had to relaunch and rebrand their existing businesses. After 11 long weeks, the final two were tasked with creating a new brand, producing an advertising campaign, and then pitching their business to Lord Sugar and other leading industry experts to receive his £250,000 investment. For the challenge, the young businesswoman created a chickpea pizza with a flavourful dahl base and changed the company name to Zaal Pizza. Although Lord Sugar favoured Dean's pitch and crowned him the winner, viewers rallied behind Anisa. Since the finale was aired, Bombay Pizza - operating under its original name again - has received so many orders, its UK-wide delivery service had to be paused. The eatery is currently only accepting in-person takeaway orders serviced in London. To meet customer demand, Anisa also stepped up and began pulling extra shifts in the kitchen with her staff to catch up with the backlog of more than 500 orders. A statement posted to Bombay Pizza's social media read: 'We're currently experiencing an incredible surge in demand and are truly grateful for everyone's enthusiasm. To ensure we maintain the quality of our service, we're temporarily accepting in-person orders only at our restaurant. 'We're receiving a high volume of emails and calls, so please bear with us if there's a delay in our response. Our small team is working hard to get back to everyone as quickly as possible. 'We truly appreciate your patience and understanding during this exciting time. Once things settle down, we'll resume normal service - and we can't wait to see you again soon.' Just days after the message was posted, Bombay Pizza shared a video of Anisa greeting dozens of fans as they queued up outside the restaurant waiting to place their orders. 'I'm in south Wales and so tempted to drive five hours just to taste these pizzas, they look absolutely delicious,' one user said. 'I'm going to have to fly to London to try this, it's on my bucket list now,' another replied. 'My boyfriend and I travelled from London to try this pizza after seeing all the great reviews on The Apprentice. Although the wait time was 2.5 hours, we were happy to wait at a local pub. These pizzas didn't disappoint. The chicken tikka masala was absolutely delicious,' a reviewer wrote. 'I've just had the best pizza of my life – the Bombay Pizza in Wallington is an absolute gem! From the first bite, I could tell this wasn't your average pizza,' another said. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline earlier this month about how the interest in her pizza changed after her stint on The Apprentice, she said: 'It was like hundreds of people. 'We had queues coming out of my takeaway restaurant and it's amazing. 'Also it's amazing because one, it's great business, but two, it's nice that I've had an impact on so many people. 'So it's strange, because obviously the show I did last year, and I knew I was a finalist the whole time. 'Like, the whole time the air shows I know how far I got right, I knew I did well on the show, but now the nation has caught up, now everyone's so proud and I've had so many messages, and so many people have come in. 'I'm trying my best to handle it, because honestly, last Friday and Saturday was just mental. Like, I've never experienced that level of busy.' Bombay Pizza opened in Sutton in 2020 as a dark kitchen serving a range of South-Asian-inspired pizzas. Popular choices include The CTM, with tandoor-grilled chicken tikka in masala sauce, red onions, mozzarella, and coriander, as well as the Khan's Keema Special with lamb, spices, peas, cheese and herbs. Also on offer is the vegan Bombay Brinjal that's topped with roasted aubergine, mushrooms, spinach and masala spices and the best-selling chilli paneer pizza. There is also a range of sides like the cheesy garlic coriander and chilli slices and fiery Bombay fries. Off the back of the unique restaurant's success, Anisa said she wants to open more Bombay Pizza dark kitchens in high-demand areas. She told the BBC: 'This will allow me to grow the business strategically, introduce our innovative menu to more customers, and build towards establishing a nationally recognised brand'.
The Independent
18-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Apprentice runner-up shares surprise revelation about final boardroom
The runner-up of The Apprentice 2025 has opened up about falling at the final hurdle – and revealed a surprise claim about the climactic boardroom showdown. On Thursday (17 April), Lord Sugar made his decision after whittling down 18 candidates to just two – and selected Dean Franklin as his latest business partner, securing him the tycoon's £250,000 investment. Dean's air-conditioning business was favoured over Anisa Khan's restaurant, which offers pizzas with Indian-based ingredients. In a follow-up interview after the episode aired on the BBC, Anisa acknowledged that Dean's business 'does make more money' than hers, which is now called Bombay Pizza, stating to MailOnline: 'I think from a business perspective, it makes sense, we're all sure that Sugar wants to invest in the one that makes more money. And I think that's what it came down to in the end.' However, rather than succumb to nerves in the final showdown, Anisa said she felt strangely measured. 'I know the final boardroom was the most important, but it's also the one I was the most calm in it, because I think by that point, I was just speaking about my business and I knew, in terms of the final task being about my business, that I had done everything I could have in a way. 'I presented well, I said my arguments, I described the business.' Meanwhile, Franklin told Yahoo! News that he always had a feeling he'd win the show if he made it through the auditions. 'I've always wanted to do The Apprentice; I've always said to my friends and family, 'I'm gonna get on that show one day and I'm gonna win it.' And I've done it.' However unlike Anisa, he found the final boardroom 'a struggle' as he was so tired and 'had nothing left'. 'I knew my taxi was outside that was taking me home. That got in my head when I was in the final boardroom and I was just thinking, 'I'm going home in a minute. Let's just get this done.' Dean continued: 'I'm not the best speaker and this is what I was saying in the process – I was up against people that are professional speakers. I've never done anything like this before. I never had to speak in front of an audience or speak about myself in these ways. 'I've always been a grafter, I've always been on the tools and sites, and that's what I'm used to, so this was me out of my depth. But I was just true to myself and just spoke how I could, really.' The Apprentice returns to BBC One in 2026.
The Independent
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Where to buy Apprentice finalist Anisa Khan's Bombay Pizza ahead of tonight's finale
After another gruelling 12 weeks of mad-dash BBC Apprentice action,tonight Lord Sugar will crown his next business partner, investing a life-changing £250,000 to supercharge their business. Hoping to go all the way in tonight's finale is Sutton-based Anisa Khan, who has to be one of this series' biggest losers, having only been on the winning team twice this series. But having reached the final, she's hoping to tempt Lord Sugar with her South Asian-inspired pizzas. Tonight, Anisa's pizzas will go up against Dean Franklin's London and Essex-based air conditioning business in the final task of the series. Both candidates, who have existing businesses already, will re-launch and brand their business with a digital billboard and TV ad, and will be grilled by industry professionals. But will the entrepreneur's fusion pizza get Lord Sugar smacking his lips? Here's everything you need to know about Anisa's Bombay Pizza business and how you can try a slice for yourself. Anisa has been operating Bombay Pizza out of a dark kitchen in Wallington, Sutton since 2020, creating a selection of hand-crafted pizzas with a South Asian twist. Serving up a huge range of fusion pizzas – all 12in in size – Bombay Pizza's selection includes everything from the fiery 'chilli paneer', made with sautéed chilli paneer, red onions, peppers, mozzarella and fresh chillies on a spicy masala base, to the rich and indulgent 'CTM', which combines tender tandoor-grilled chicken tikka with creamy masala sauce, red onions, mozzarella and fresh coriander. Meat lovers can opt for Khan's 'keema special', topped with lamb keema, peas and masala spices, or go all-in with the 'Bombay meat feast', which throws halal pepperoni, sausage and spiced keema into the mix. For something plant-based, the 'vegan Bombay brinjal' features roasted aubergine, mushrooms and spinach sautéed in aromatic spices on a marinara base. It looks like a mash-up of traditional Italian technique and bold desi flavours. Bombay Pizza also serves a range of sides – from jumbo tandoori wings and cheesy masala fries to chilli cheese bites and onion bhajis – as well as fresh salads, high-protein options and desserts like Nutella-filled samosas and kulfi lollies. Right now, due to high demand, Bombay Pizza is only taking in-person orders – so if you want a slice, you'll need to head down to Sutton yourself. And if that's a bit too far, you'll be pleased to hear that last month Anisa launched Bombay Pizza by Post, a nationwide delivery service. All postal orders have already sold out, but you can sign up to the mailing list to be the first to know when they're back in stock. In a cute twist, Anisa has also launched a special run of Apprentice -inspired pizzas on the Bombay Pizza by Post site, each one named after one of the final five contestants. 'The Jordan' features a BBQ base with Bombay aloo, red onions and mozzarella; 'The Dean' has a spicy masala base topped with chicken madras, mozzarella and chillies; 'The Chisora' pairs butter chicken with BBQ sauce, sweetcorn, peppers and mozzarella; 'The Amber-Rose' combines an Italian marinara base with chicken tikka, peppers, sweetcorn, olives and cheese; and finally, The Anisa brings the heat with Bengali chicken naga, peppers, red onions and mozzarella on a spicy masala base.
The Independent
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Where to buy Apprentice finalist Anisa Khan's Bombay Pizza
After another gruelling 12 weeks of mad-dash BBC Apprentice action, Lord Sugar will soon crown his next business partner, investing a life-changing £250,000 to supercharge their business. Hoping to go all the way is Sutton-based Anisa Khan, who has to be one of this series' biggest losers, having only been on the winning team twice this series. But having reached the final, she's hoping to tempt Lord Sugar with her South Asian-inspired pizzas. On Thursday, Anisa's pizzas will go up against Dean Franklin's London and Essex-based air conditioning business in the final task of the series. Both candidates, who have existing businesses already, will re-launch and brand their business with a digital billboard and TV ad, and will be grilled by industry professionals. But will the entrepreneur's fusion pizza get Lord Sugar smacking his lips? Here's everything you need to know about Anisa's Bombay Pizza business and how you can try a slice for yourself. Anisa has been operating Bombay Pizza out of a dark kitchen in Wallington, Sutton since 2020, creating a selection of hand-crafted pizzas with a South Asian twist. Serving up a huge range of fusion pizzas – all 12in in size – Bombay Pizza's selection includes everything from the fiery 'chilli paneer', made with sautéed chilli paneer, red onions, peppers, mozzarella and fresh chillies on a spicy masala base, to the rich and indulgent 'CTM', which combines tender tandoor-grilled chicken tikka with creamy masala sauce, red onions, mozzarella and fresh coriander. Meat lovers can opt for Khan's 'keema special', topped with lamb keema, peas and masala spices, or go all-in with the 'Bombay meat feast', which throws halal pepperoni, sausage and spiced keema into the mix. For something plant-based, the 'vegan Bombay brinjal' features roasted aubergine, mushrooms and spinach sautéed in aromatic spices on a marinara base. It looks like a mash-up of traditional Italian technique and bold desi flavours. Bombay Pizza also serves a range of sides – from jumbo tandoori wings and cheesy masala fries to chilli cheese bites and onion bhajis – as well as fresh salads, high-protein options and desserts like Nutella-filled samosas and kulfi lollies. Right now, due to high demand, Bombay Pizza is only taking in-person orders – so if you want a slice, you'll need to head down to Sutton yourself. And if that's a bit too far, you'll be pleased to hear that last month Anisa launched Bombay Pizza by Post, a nationwide delivery service. All postal orders have already sold out, but you can sign up to the mailing list to be the first to know when they're back in stock. In a cute twist, Anisa has also launched a special run of Apprentice -inspired pizzas on the Bombay Pizza by Post site, each one named after one of the final five contestants. 'The Jordan' features a BBQ base with Bombay aloo, red onions and mozzarella; 'The Dean' has a spicy masala base topped with chicken madras, mozzarella and chillies; 'The Chisora' pairs butter chicken with BBQ sauce, sweetcorn, peppers and mozzarella; 'The Amber-Rose' combines an Italian marinara base with chicken tikka, peppers, sweetcorn, olives and cheese; and finally, The Anisa brings the heat with Bengali chicken naga, peppers, red onions and mozzarella on a spicy masala base.
