The owner of 600 Degrees Pizza says that opening inside Southport Market three years ago has given him the confidence to develop and expand his business.
Dan Johnstone took 600 Degrees to local events and food festivals before he was offered the opportunity to become one of the first eateries to open inside Southport Market in July 2021.
It followed Sefton Council’s £1.4 million transformation of the venue into a stylish food, drink and events venue, using £900,000 Government Town Deal funding and £500,000 from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
Today Southport Market hosts a central bar, operated by Mikhail Hotel and Leisure Group, and several local, independent traders selling food from around the world.
They include 600 Degrees, which specialises in hand-crafted Neapolitan pizza.
Since the success there, a new 600 Degrees opened at 66a Sandon Road in Hillside in Southport in December 2023, in the unit previously occupied by Korean Kitchen.
Owner Dan Johnstone said: “600 Degrees started in 2017, as a side hustle, a little bit of fun on the weekends, going to weddings, parties and corporate events, and sharing our love and passion for pizza.
“In 2021 we were lucky enough to be presented with an exciting opportunity to expand our offering here at the Southport Market.
“We were nervous, yet so excited to expand our business and offer something fresh to the local community.
“Dine-in was very new to us, our main focus and experience was in mobile events, so this was actually quite a big step up for us.
“The first three months at the market were crazy busy and without any real catering experience, adapting to the new endeavour was challenging, to say the least.
“That being said… being a part of Southport Market has been a huge success and it gave us the push we needed to open up our own dine-in pizzeria just around the corner in Hillside.
“We’ve just had a great weekend in the sun and we’d like to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who has tried our pizza and supported the brand over the years, here’s to many more.”
600 Degrees has forged a fine reputation since it was established in 2017, initially catering for outside events, before opening in the market four years later.
It was launched when Dan and his wife went to the Amalfi coast of Italy on their honeymoon, also spending time in Naples, the home of Neapolitan Pizza.
Dan Johnstone said: “The response since opening in Hillside has been fantastic, people have been really positive.
“We have built up a really big following since we opened at Southport Market and customers are delighted they now have the choice to come here too.”
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