Mon 20th Sep 2021 - Prezzo announces 4% average pay rise for restaurant workers and Boxing Day closing Prezzo announces 4% average pay rise for restaurant workers and Boxing Day closing: Prezzo, the Cain International-backed restaurant chain, will give all its 2,500 restaurant workers a pay rise in October. From next month, team members’ wages will rise by an average of 4% and managers’ by an average of 5%, meaning every Prezzo employee will be paid above the national minimum wage. Alongside this, in line with Prezzo being shortlisted for Best Mental Health Strategy at the Employee Benefits Awards 2021, all Prezzo restaurants will close on Boxing Day to give workers a two-day break during the busiest trading period of the year. Prezzo executive chair Karen Jones said: “Reopening all of hospitality after a third prolonged lockdown has been an extraordinary challenge. Every part of the industry has felt the strain and at the front line stand our wonderful teams, front and back of house, of whom we are so proud. Making sure we get pay right is a pre-requisite; ensuring our Prezzo people feel valued and cared for is equally as important. We can never do enough in this regard to ensure the future flourishing of all. Thank you Prezzo people.” The news follows two recent appointments at Prezzo, with former Pret A Manager finance director Matt Prior joining as chief financial officer and ex-GLH Hotels HR director Debbie Moore being named as people director. In December 2020, Cain International, the privately held investment firm led by Jonathan Goldstein, bought Prezzo out of administration for around £5m, pledging to maintain the vast majority of its sites. Although plans to close 22 restaurants across the UK later emerged, the group announced plans in June to open the first new Prezzo restaurant since 2018, in London’s Islington Square.