Creating places: Rustic Pizza Co. - our journey to Rotherham

Here Lee Ogley, managing director of The Rustic Pizza Co. – the final tenant to sign-up to Forge Island – tells us more about the history of the company and what the people of Rotherham can expect when the restaurant opens in 2025.

In 2017, my wife, Sian, and I turned our passion for pizza into a successful business that continues to grow and grow. Coming from humble beginnings, we started off as a mobile pizzeria supplying people with tasty treats at events and festivals, before taking up space in Doncaster Wool Market in 2019.

When covid hit, we had to adapt and soon became famous in the city for our DIY pizza kits – something we hope will be as popular in Rotherham. Since reopening post-pandemic we’ve gone from strength to strength – opening our sister venue, The Rustic Burger Co. at the Wool Market and we have plans to open another Doncaster venue later this year.

We really like Rotherham as a place and can’t wait to get set up in our new space and meet our new neighbours. We think that with the help of all the other independent businesses who will open here, we can work together to bring people back into the town centre by creating something truly special for the people of Rotherham – an authentic, welcoming vibe combined with great food. Our restaurant here will offer a combination of both our pizza and burger menus, with 70 to 80 in-dining capacity and we have future plans to include a takeaway offer.

People can expect a truly unique experience when eating with us – a true taste of Italy in Yorkshire. Our freshly made, authentic, wood-fired pizzas are made with only the finest Italian products, something this area of Rotherham has never seen before.

We can’t wait to bring our famous rustic atmosphere, tasty food, cocktails, and live music to the city and we’re confident that people are going to love it.