Owner of Felpham pizzeria 'gutted' to say goodbye after 24 years in the village

Colin Pollard, who has owned and operated Pizza Base since 2001, switched off his pizza ovens for the last time on March 2, marking an end to one of the longest running and most popular eateries in the village.

He told the Bognor Regis Observer that doing so was a tough decision but, with more competition then ever, and the shadow of Covid-19 continuing to loom large over the industry, calling time was ultimately the right decision.

“During Covid, the cost of everything went up quite dramatically. Food costs went up, utilities went up a lot, and ever since it’s been quite quiet. Then the rents went up, and it was getting to this point where there were so many other shops in the area. When we started there were maybe two or three other pizza shops in the whole of Bognor, and now there are 20 other places you can get a pizza.

"It was getting to this point where I had to balance it out. I’m the only cook, and, running a business like this, you end up losing a lot of time with your family. I haven’t had my evenings or my weekends for 24 years, basically.”

Even so, with legions of loyal customers, and a team of hard-working staff, closing up shop wasn’t easy, and Colin said he was blown away by the enthusiastic support of regulars and residents alike – many of whom turned out for one last, emotional goodbye.

"It’s been gutting, really. We’ve got good staff and loyal customers,” he said. “We announced (the closure) around five weeks ago, and people have been coming in and saying ‘my kids have grown up with you’ – I have customers who come in with their kids and I’ve known them since they were kids, since they were five or six years old. We’ve had people come down from London, Portslade, the Witterings; from all over, just to kind of say goodbye.”