Spaghetti Tree
Award overview
- The Spaghetti Tree (which has branches in Warlingham, Walton-on-the-Hill and Shirley, near Croydon) has been awarded the title “Best Independent Italian Restaurant” at the annual Pizza & Pasta Association (PAPA) Awards. (Inside Croydon)
- This marks the fourth time in eight years the business has featured among the accolades at these Awards (including being a finalist in 2024). (Inside Croydon)
- The award was presented at a dinner held at the Sheraton Grand London Park Lane. (Inside Croydon)
Business background & turnaround story
- The Spaghetti Tree was founded by Luigi Romano in 1985 (with the first restaurant in Sutton). Now the business is run by his granddaughter Loredana and daughter Maria Romano, continuing a three-generation family tradition. (Inside Croydon)
- One of their major recent challenges: their Warlingham branch was hit by a malicious arson attack in 2023, which destroyed newly installed “dining pods” and left significant damage. (Inside Croydon)
- The team rebuilt, recovered, and grew stronger — the award win is being positioned not just as a recognition of food/restaurant quality but also of resilience, community spirit and family business strength. As Loredana said: “To be recognised nationally as one of the UK’s best independent Italian restaurants is … a symbol of resilience, family spirit, and community pride.” (Inside Croydon)
Key facts & features
- Branches: Warlingham, Walton-on-the-Hill and newest addition in Shirley (Wickham Road). (Inside Croydon)
- Mystery diners visited the Shirley branch as part of the evaluation for the Awards. (Inside Croydon)
- The business emphasises classic Italian dishes, family-run hospitality and maintaining the independent restaurant feel (despite being a multi-branch operator) rather than being a large corporate chain.
- The award helps elevate the profile of the restaurant nationally — useful for marketing, recruitment, potentially higher footfall.
Why this matters
- For the restaurant itself: Winning a national award gives credibility, boosts staff morale, marketing momentum, and can help attract new customers (especially those seeking “award-winning” dining).
- For the local area (Croydon / Surrey border): It illustrates that strong independent hospitality still thrives outside the central London hotspot zones — helps to shine a light on the local dining scene and can drive more traffic, tourism, or local reputation.
- For the restaurant industry: The recognition of an independent operator at a national awards level shows that smaller chains — especially family-run ones — can compete head-on with larger brands, when they focus on quality, service and resilience.
- In terms of business resilience: The back-story of recovering from a serious arson attack and coming back to national recognition underscores how adversity can be turned into a stronger growth story and brand narrative.
Selected quotes & commentary
- On the award: “Clearly, they loved what they experienced! … To be recognised nationally as one of the UK’s best independent Italian restaurants is not just an achievement for our business — it’s a symbol of resilience, family spirit, and community pride.” (Loredana Romano) (Inside Croydon)
- On the arson attack: “It was a devastating blow — emotionally and financially. For a moment, we thought it might be the end of our story. But with the support of our family, staff and community, we rebuilt it from the ashes, and have come back bigger, stronger…” (Inside Croydon)
Implications & what to watch
- It will be interesting to see how the Spaghetti Tree leverages this award: whether through expansion (new branches), higher pricing, stronger marketing, or premium positioning.
- The impact on customer traffic: whether higher recognition leads to measurable increases in table bookings, especially from further afield (beyond local catchment).
- Whether other local independent restaurants in the Croydon/South London/Surrey area will get inspired or supported to aim for national recognition — possibly boosting the region’s hospitality sector.
- How sustainable this level of recognition is: maintaining the quality, service consistency and customer satisfaction is key — awards help, but long-term growth depends on operational excellence.
Case Study: Spaghetti Tree (Croydon / Shirley)
1. Background & business journey
- The Spaghetti Tree was originally founded in 1985 by Luigi Romano and his wife Caterina, converting a sandwich bar in Sutton into a pasta-house under the name “Spaghetti Tree”. (spaghettitree.co.uk)
- It is a family-run business, now managed by second/third generation: Luigi’s daughter Maria and granddaughter Loredana. (Inside Croydon)
- They have multiple branches: Warlingham, Walton-on-the-Hill, and a newer branch on Wickham Road in Shirley (Croydon) (address: 136-138 Wickham Rd, CR0 8BE) in the Greater London / Surrey border region. (Square Meal)
- Their website emphasises that the business is built on “food, family and music” with Sicilian roots. (spaghettitree.co.uk)
2. Award recognition
- At the trade event held by the Pizza & Pasta Association (PAPA Awards), the Spaghetti Tree was named “Best Independent Italian Restaurant in the UK” (or an equivalent top independent Italian award) in 2025. (Inside Croydon)
- According to the awards archive of PAPA, Spaghetti Tree had previously been a winner/recipient of Gold/Platinum awards (for example: 2018 Gold for Spaghetti Tree, Tadworth). (papaindustryawards.co.uk)
- The latest award comes despite the business facing serious adversity: their Warlingham branch experienced a malicious arson attack in 2023, which destroyed newly-installed dining pods and caused major damage. (Inside Croydon)
3. What the judges & diner reviews indicate
- Mystery diners visited the Shirley branch as part of the award evaluation process. (Inside Croydon)
- Customer reviews for the Shirley branch (and other branches) highlight strengths: attentive service, stylish décor, generous portions, good value for celebrations. For example:
“The food was lovingly prepared … The tiramisu is generously portioned.” (Tripadvisor)
- At the same time there are mixed reviews: a 2024 review noted: “The food itself was tasty and well presented… the service was a bit patchy though I think due to how busy it actually was in the venue.” (Tripadvisor)
- Local commentary emphasises the win as a “symbol of resilience, family spirit, and community pride.” (Quote from Loredana) (Inside Croydon)
4. Key success factors & differentiators
- Strong family brand heritage: The three generations involved provide continuity, story-rich branding and local roots which resonate.
- Resilience and narrative: The rebuild after the arson event adds to a narrative of “come-back business” which may enhance brand perception and team morale.
- Combination of food + ambience + experience: Beyond just pasta, the Spaghetti Tree emphasises live music, stylish décor and a “dining experience” rather than purely casual meals. (See review of Warlingham branch: live music, 16-course style tasting) (rocksmag.com)
- Recognition & consistency: Repeated awards over years build credibility (2017-2018 winners, finalist in 2024, winner in 2025) which helps marketing and positioning. (papaindustryawards.co.uk)
- Local independent identity: Being independent rather than part of a large chain appeals to diners (especially for “something special”) in a competitive dining market.
- Location & catchment: The Shirley branch sits in a vibrant part of Croydon / Greater London, providing access to urban-surban diners looking for a quality occasion meal.
5. Challenges & what the business must watch
- Maintaining service quality under volume: Some reviews flagged that when busy the service dipped. For example: “the service was a bit patchy though I think due to how busy it actually was in the venue.” (Tripadvisor)
- Consistency across branches: As the brand runs multiple sites, ensuring that each meets the award-standard expectations is key. If one branch underperforms, it could drag the brand.
- Sustainability of the experience: Their offering includes live music, special ambience and higher-end dishes; those cost more to run, and margins may be tightened by inflation or labour costs.
- Leveraging the award without undermining value: They must balance the “award-winning restaurant” image with accessible value to keep attracting regular diners, not just special occasions.
- Competitive pressure: Being in a high-density market (Greater London/South East), independent Italian restaurants face strong competition from chains, upscale Italian boutiques and fast-casual formats. They must stay differentiated.
6. Strategic implications & comments
- The award will likely boost local visibility and may allow the Spaghetti Tree to increase its pricing slightly, or invest more in marketing-driven traffic (e.g., online booking, social media campaigns using the “UK’s Best Independent Italian” badge).
- The business could use the recognition as leverage for growth: perhaps opening further branches, launching finer dining offshoots, or franchising the brand — though each such step will need to preserve the independent “family restaurant” ethos to retain authenticity.
- From a hospitality sector viewpoint, this case shows how independent restaurants can leverage heritage, narrative and experience-led dining to compete with chains. The pivot from pure food to “entertainment + food + location” helps.
- For the local economy/community: A restaurant of this calibre can help raise the profile of the Shirley/Croydon dinner-scene, potentially attract more diners from outside the immediate area, and create more jobs — as the review of the job-site Indeed highlights staff talk of skills, tips and training at Spaghetti Tree. (Indeed)
7. Key quotes
- “To be recognised nationally as one of the UK’s best independent Italian restaurants is not just an achievement for our business — it’s a symbol of resilience, family spirit, and community pride.” — Loredana Romano. (Inside Croydon)
- “It was a devastating blow — emotionally and financially. For a moment, we thought it might be the end of our story. But … we rebuilt it from the ashes, and have come back bigger, stronger…” — Loredana, about the 2023 arson attack. (Inside Croydon)
Lessons for other independent restaurants / hospitality operators
- Tell a differentiated story: Heritage, family, adversity-overcome can be powerful branding tools.
- Experience matters: Food quality alone is less differentiating nowadays; ambience, entertainment (e.g., live music), memorable service create a “destination”.
- Awards and recognitions help marketing: Winning national awards gives credibility, helps media coverage, raises footfall and may support pricing strategy.
- Consistency is crucial: One great location isn’t enough—you need to ensure high-standards across all sites if you operate multiple.
- Local community and staff engagement matter: The human side (staff, local customers, community reputation) supports resilience when facing shocks (e.g., the arson).
- Balance growth with identity: If you expand too fast, you risk losing the identity that made you special in the first place.