Since opening Senza Fondo in February last year, Worthington - who has proudly taken on the self-appointed title of ‘chief Béchamel officer’ - has turned Senza Fondo’s bottomless lasagna offering into a runaway success, propelling the brand to viral fame. The generous offer of all the lasagna one can eat for £22 (previously £20) has seen competitive eaters vie to see how many plates they can consume – in a YouTube video watched more than 10 million times eater BeardMeatsFood consumes 11 portions – and has impressed critics, including The Standard’s David Ellis.
With his new venture Senza Fondeli lasagna will still feature, but will play more of a bit part, with Worthington bringing his brother-in-law and drinks expert Charlie Sweet to help ring the changes. Sweet, who founded The Cocktail Social in 2016, brings extensive drinks expertise and a wide-reaching client network built through the concept, with past clients including PayPal, TikTok and the BAFTA TV Awards, as well as celebrities such as Peter Crouch, Olly Murs, Denise Van Outen and Rylan Clark. It is some of this magic that he hopes will be sprinkled on their new venture.
This time called Senza Fondeli, in reference to the site’s delicatessen element, the new venue builds on the established concept of Worthington’s original restaurant, expanding it into a broader all-day offer. Located in Tunbridge Wells, the first regional site marks the brand’s move beyond London, bringing its Italian American dining style to the historic Kent town.
Despite being less than 40 miles from Shoreditch, Tunbridge Wells feels worlds away - so it raises the question: what prompted the pair to The Pantiles?
For Worthington and Sweet that’s exactly where the opportunity lies. The new location marks a deliberate shift away from London - a step back geographically for Worthington, but potentially a step forward in taking on a new hospitality model. Targeting Tunbridge Wells is a calculated move. It allows the pair to tap into London’s orbit while operating within a town that offers something the capital struggles with - a sense of familiarity and repeat interaction. Here, the ambition isn’t just to attract customers but to know them, and to build a base of regulars from the outset.
Familiar Italian cuisine
It is Worthington’s original concept that has provided the foundation for the duo’s new venture. Since opening last year, Senza Fondo has made its name in Shoreditch as a high-energy, evening-led ‘party restaurant’, where the motto is to ‘come for the lasagna, stay for the good times’ and is known as much for its atmosphere as its food.
“You know you’re going to have a great lasagna and probably one too many Negronis,” Worthington says, summing up a formula that has made it a go-to for birthdays, date nights and group dining.
We want that all-day crowd - we want it to become part of people’s daily rituals
Worthington
At its core, Senza Fondo offers familiar Italian cuisine alongside a strong social dining experience. Bottomless lasagna sits firmly at the centre of that identity, becoming a defining part of the brand’s personality. The format leans into generosity and accessibility, sitting comfortably within the wider social media-driven trends for value-for-money popular on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
The space and service style, meanwhile, reflect its positioning as a destination for groups and occasions, with an energetic, music-led atmosphere designed to feel celebratory and immersive.
Yet despite offering both lunch and dinner service, the concept has remained largely evening-focused, with the 68-cover restaurant reaching around 150% occupancy at dinner, compared with just 25% at lunchtime. That imbalance has become a catalyst for change. “We’ve created a real destination in the evening,” Worthington explains. “Now we’re building something that works throughout the day.”
Senza Fondeli as an evolution
This shift takes shape in Senza Fondeli - a reworked format that expands the brand beyond its evening roots into an expanded day-to-night operation. “It’s an elevated approach,” says Worthington. “We want that all-day crowd - we want it to become part of people’s daily rituals.”
Senza Fondeli is designed to move fluidly across the day. Service will begin from 11am, starting with coffee and a daytime offer of sandwiches, salads, and antipasti. Later, the focus shifts towards aperitivo-style drinking and a restaurant menu built around fresh pasta. Late night then leans back into a cocktail-led, high-energy atmosphere.
People might experience Senza Fondo in London, then go back to their town and visit Fondelli
Sweet
The food remains deliberately familiar, with pasta such as cacio e pepe, carbonara, and stuffed tortellini, at the centre of the menu. Lasagna, in particular, continues to anchor the identity. At Senza Fondo, bottomless lasagna is offered daily at £22; at Senza Fondeli, the offer will become more structured - with bottomless lasagna available on Tuesdays, while a classic lasagna is served daily.
“In order to create a more elevated concept, we considered veering away from the bottomless lasagna, however, we realised we should also stick to what we’re good at,” says Worthington, “It was Charlie’s idea that maybe we just keep it one night a week and use it to drive custom to one of the quieter nights.”
“We’ve led so much of London into the lasagna world that it’s become a big part of my DNA, and of Senza’s DNA. And the lasagna is genuinely excellent, so we can’t really lose with it.”
As the name suggests - a new addition is the deli and retail element, which extends the experience beyond dining in. By offering cheeses, cured meats and pantry items to take away, the brand hopes to create more regular touchpoints with customers and become an everyday routine.
Overall, Fondeli maintains the original spirit of Senza Fondo while widening how - and how often - people engage with it.
Moving beyond London
The decision to move beyond London was shaped by familiarity as much as opportunity. Both founders already have personal ties to Tunbridge Wells with each of them based locally, so it was an obvious location that allows them to be hands-on with the site while embedding themselves directly into the community they’re serving.
Worthington, who has lived in cities including London and Sydney, describes the pull towards Tunbridge Wells as immediate. “I kind of fell in love with it,” he says. “It’s affluent, it’s picturesque, and people do like to spend on food and drink experiences.”
Sweet, who grew up locally, saw a clear gap in the market for ‘London-level’ hospitality without the need to travel into the capital. That overlap between expectation and accessibility became central to the decision-making. “People might experience Senza Fondo in London, then go back to their town and visit Fondelli,” highlighting the opportunity to meet that audience where they already live.
The Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells stood out as a natural setting for the duo’s intention of targeting a location with an established community, a strong local economy and a higher likelihood of repeat customers. It is a pedestrianised stretch lined with independent hospitality operators, regular seasonal events and consistent footfall, offering both visibility and a strong sense of community energy.
An accidental partnership
The partnership between Worthington and Sweet came about almost by accident. The brothers-in-law, were initially independently exploring opportunities in the Pantiles but once they became aware of each other’s plans, quickly realised the overlap made more sense as collaboration than competition. “Rather than compete, we thought - why don’t we win together?” Worthington says.
We’ve led so much of London into the lasagna world that it’s become a big part of my DNA, and of Senza’s DNA.
Worthington
The collaboration brings together two complementary skill sets. Worthington contributes brand-building experience and a proven hospitality concept, while Sweet brings regional knowledge and a strong network through his business The Cocktail Social. “People are going to associate a premium experience with Charlie,” Worthington notes. “And when they realise he’s opening a bricks-and-mortar venue here, that will drive people to us.”
Operationally, Worthington leans towards food; and Sweet towards drinks, but both expect significant overlap. “While we have our lanes, there is sure to be a natural crossover,” says Worthington.
Looking to the future
Senza Fondeli is designed with scalability in mind, which could lead the brand to roll out across similar towns. The long-term vision is a dual-brand ecosystem, with Senza Fondo operating in the city as a high-energy destination and Senza Fondeli an all-day, community-driven space suitable for smaller towns.
“We see Fondeli growing into its own thing,” says Worthington. “It’s about keeping the DNA but executing it in a different way - from coffee through to cocktails.”
At its core, the strategy is about proximity - not just geographically to London, but socially to its customers. “Opening in a town of let’s say 170,000 people rather than millions means you can really build relationships,” Worthington adds.
“That’s what we want - to become part of people’s everyday lives.”