People are only just realising how to pronounce Prezzo and they are mortified

10 November 2023 , 15:54

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Prezzo has weighed in on how to pronounce it (Image: X03696)

Of course you know how to pronounce Prezzo, you say to yourself - you've eaten there at least half a dozen times and the chain restaurant is a staple of high streets across the country. Well, not so fast, because we may have some bad news for you - it turns out pretty much everyone has been saying it wrong this whole time.

Prezzo first opened on New Oxford Street back in 2000 and it was initially called 'Jonathan's' - hopefully we can all pronounce that at least - but it's since become a household name as Prezzo with over 180 venues across the country where you can enjoy its Italian food offerings.

The realisation that so many people had been saying it wrong was sparked after a debate took place on X - formerly known as Twitter - over the proper pronunciation of the name. Luckily for all of us, someone working for the famous restaurant brand has broken down the correct way to say Prezzo.

Speaking to the Metro, Olly Smith - chief brand officer of the chain - explained that: "We celebrate diversity at Prezzo – of all things, including the pronunciation of our name. The word Prezzo is of Italian origin meaning price.

"And, many of our customers are surprised to discover that the correct way to say Prezzo is "PreT-zo", with the first z pronounced like a t, rather than “PreZ-zo". If you've been going for the latter all these years, not to worry, you are certainly not alone.

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"If you're unsure how to pronounce it, an easy way to remember is that the first z in the word Prezzo has the hard 'T' sound – just like pizza or mozzarella," Smith explained. "However, whether you prefer to say 'PreT-zo' or 'PreZ-zo', we really don't mind. We'd rather you worried about which plate of pasta to enjoy first!"

So, straight from the horse's mouth: it doesn't really matter which way you say the restaurant's name, just as long as you enjoy tucking into their famous pasta and pizza offerings. While many of us may have been caught out by the actual pronunciation of Prezzo, it's by no means the only place that catches people out - with locations like Edinburgh, Teignmouth, Bicester, Cholmondeley, and Gloucester all regularly being mispronounced, according to Country Living.

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Emma Mackenzie