Bad Boy Pizza Society has come a long way from a joke university society to opening its first pizzeria in London. Founded by four friends, Henry, Josh, Charlie and Sam, the idea started at the University of Southampton as a parody society for a group who felt they had missed out on that side of university life.
The idea came after a trip to a local bar offering a free pizza with every pint. What started as a tongue-in-cheek society quickly became a way for members to get together over discounted meals, and it was around this time that the Bad Boy Pizza Society Instagram account was born. From there, the group’s obsession with pizza only grew.
Over the following years, the society evolved from backyard pizza parties to trips around the world’s pizza capitals, building up a following and experimenting with their own take on the dish. Now, that university project has turned into a proper business, with the four friends taking the next step and opening their first shop in London.
Getting it open was far from easy. The team had just 10 days to build their pizzeria and, with no previous DIY experience, Google, YouTube and Reddit became their best friends. One of the biggest challenges was getting the fridge through the door, resulting in three minor injuries between them, while Alex was outside painting the signs and Dam was forced to patch up his finger with a McDonald’s napkin.
There were plenty of late nights, too. Henry stayed up until 2am making a pizza mosaic, while the group relied on McDonald’s for food and toilet breaks as they raced to get the shop finished. By opening day, though, the kitchen was finally fitted, the menus were in, the seats were down and the team was ready to serve.
The first customers were treated to Bad Boy Pizza Society favourites including the vodka parm, Funghi Town and classic pepperoni, available by the slice or as whole pizzas. For four friends who started out with a parody society at university, opening their first London shop is a pretty big step. And, according to the team, it’s only the beginning.
