As part of our mission to build a better business, we created our model restaurant in Horsham, Sussex. The goal was simple: put the community at the heart of the dining experience. But not only that, to trial new and innovative ways of doing things, from the food we serve to the choice of table tops, each decision was carefully considered to build a better business for people, planet, and plate.
LOCAL DRINKS FOR LOCAL PEOPLE
Each ASK serves its own unique community. In Horsham, we wanted to showcase the incredible craftspeople in the local area by featuring local suppliers on our menu.
We partnered with Firebird Brewery to bring a selection of its award-winning craft beers for you to enjoy with our range of Prima Pizzas and Pasta Frescas.
In our brand-new cocktail, Lemon Drop Spritz, we blended our Italian passion with Horsham Spirit Gin, which has been so popular we’ll be searching for a local gin for each of our 65 restaurants across the UK.
MURALS BY LOCAL ARTIST
We commissioned Horsham-born artist, Sam Flylightly, to adorn our restaurant with a bespoke mural. Brighton-based, Sam’s passion for illustration stemmed from her childhood and her love for storytelling and surreal interpretations shine through in her mural for your local ASK in Horsham. Sam’s mural celebrates the town’s shared features with the picturesque Italian town of Lerici.
To check out more of Sam’s creations, tag a snap of her artwork or connect with her on Instagram please use @samflylightly.
LOCAL PENNIES, LOCAL CHARITY
We know not everyone has access to the food they need so we’re supporting the Horsham District food bank through Horsham Matters and working with them to lend a hand in other ways too, including supporting our teams in their volunteering efforts with two full-paid volunteering days to give back to their community.
We’ve partnered with Foodsteps – a company committed to showcasing the carbon footprint and environmental impacts of the food we eat.
Our menu was redesigned with a new-look and ‘Make it Vegan’ labels, to empower customers to make simple dish swaps to reduce the carbon footprint of meals, without sacrificing flavour.
THE GOLD STANDARD
The space comes with a brand-new fit-out using industry-leading sustainable practices and materials – including a suite of upcycled products from ASK Italian’s inventory.
Adorned on our Community Wall and across our table tops, you’ll notice cork used throughout you ASK Italian in Horsham. Cork has been chosen for its incredible sustainable credentials. Eco-efficient, the cork industry doesn’t waste a single gram of cork (even the cork dust is used to generate energy).
Cork oak forests are well adapted to the semi-arid regions of southern Europe, helping to preserve the environment and biodiversity for generations to come.
Our industry-leading sustainable practices are so good we’ve even been awarded a gold SKA rating.
