Aparna Bangur launched Pizza Party, a business created to train and provide jobs for people with autism

NEED TO KNOW

• London mom Aparna Bangur launched a pizza business called Pizza Party to help people with autism build workplace skills and access employment opportunities
• She said she was inspired to start the business because of her 14-year-old son, Aarav, who was born with autism
• She believes employers should rethink traditional hiring and interview practices in order to better support people with autism

A London mom is combining her son’s love of pizza with a bigger goal: helping people with autism build practical life skills and attain gainful employment.

Aparna Bangur, a London-based marketing and creative strategist, launched a pizza business called Pizza Party in April, with the goal of training and hiring people with autism, according to MyLondon. 

Aparna, 42, said her 14-year-old son, Aarav, who was born with autism, was a major inspiration behind the business, as she said she often worries about how he will “make a living” some day.

She added that pizza seemed particularly well suited to teaching practical workplace skills.

“Pizza is something that is quite rhythmic and ritualistic in terms of making and eating,” she explained while speaking to MyLondon. “So it works really well with people on the spectrum because you can create clear stations and it’s very teachable.”

“It’s just generally a food that brings a lot of joy in my household, and brings everybody together,” she continued, “so I think by nature it’s a very inclusive kind of product. So it just felt right.”

Aparna, who manages the pizza business during the evenings while working full-time during the day, funded the venture herself and operates from a dark kitchen rather than a traditional restaurant space.

She noted the decision helped her get the project running more quickly and at a lower cost, explaining that “good things shouldn’t be delayed.”

Still, building the initiative has come with challenges.

“It’s been a bit of a challenge in terms of driving sales, so we are very dependent on delivery platforms like Deliveroo and Uber Eats,” Aparna said.

Rather than setting it up as a charity, Aparna established Pizza Party as a community interest company, a type of U.K. business structured to use its profits and assets for community benefit.

The menu is also intended to remain relatively affordable. Prices start approximately $11.00 for a children’s pizza and about $18.60 for the most expensive option.

Aparna is preparing to welcome three trainees with autism, who are expected to develop their skills through July 2027. Her hope is eventually to offer them full-time jobs and move Pizza Party into a permanent brick-and-mortar location.

She also believes employers need to rethink how they recruit and support people with autism.

She said traditional hiring practices can place too much emphasis on qualities such as polished cover letters, confidence during interviews and verbal presentation — skills that may not accurately reflect someone’s ability to do a job.

“You have to dig deeper, you have to allow more time,” she said. “You have to create more adjustments in the workplace for there to be employment opportunities.”

Ultimately, Aparna said her biggest measure of success will be seeing her own son develop the independence she hopes Pizza Party can help foster for others.

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She described parenting a child with autism as “a rollercoaster of emotions with unpredictable turns and twists.”

“There are moments where you feel exhilarated, moments you feel a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach,” she said. “It’s also a test in resilience.”

Her advice to other parents is simple: “To not give up, you have to keep trying.”

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