Pizza Fan: Operations restart as account freeze eased for payments

Pizza Fan is restarting operations following a decision allowing transactions needed to cover its operating requirements. According to a report by Greek broadcaster Star on 6 November 2026, Greece’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority is lifting the freeze on the company’s accounts for specific purposes, while retaining restrictions on cash withdrawals and profit distributions.

Which transactions are permitted again

The decision allows payments to employees, suppliers and business partners. It also permits the receipt of revenue from customers and delivery platforms. These cover both sides of day-to-day operations: settling liabilities and collecting sales revenue.

The development concerns the restart of a network that includes franchised outlets and, according to Star’s report, supports operational continuity for 2,500 employees. The key point is not a general announcement of a return to business, but specific permission to carry out the transactions needed to operate.

Payments to suppliers and business partners are expressly included among the permitted uses, alongside payroll. On the receipts side, both customers and delivery platforms are mentioned. This clarifies the scope of the measure without implying that all restrictions on the accounts have been removed.

A restart, not a full lifting of restrictions

Restrictions on cash withdrawals and profit distributions remain in place. The lifting of the freeze for operational purposes must therefore be distinguished from an unrestricted return to all banking transactions. Permission to pay employees or suppliers does not mean funds can be used freely for any purpose.

This distinction is particularly important for the franchising community, as the news concerns a network that also includes partner businesses. The decision is described as a measure to meet the company’s operating needs. It does not, in itself, confirm that every outlet has already returned to its previous level of activity.

Pizza Fan says it expects normal operations across its network to resume soon. This is the company’s expectation for the period ahead, not a statement that the recovery is complete. Restarting operations and returning fully to normal therefore remain two distinct stages in updates on the network’s progress.

Earlier wage payments at franchised outlets

The latest development follows an update on payroll in early November. According to a report in Greek newspaper Ta Nea on 2 November 2026, Labour Minister Niki Kerameus had said that employees at Pizza Fan’s franchised outlets were paid at the end of the previous week.

The same update stated that payments were under way to employees of the parent company, who numbered around 500. Wages were being paid through the banking system. The distinction between franchise employees and those of the parent company is essential to an accurate account of the payment timeline.

The minister had also clarified that no order had been issued to suspend the business’s operations and that employment contracts remained in force. The obligation to pay wages owed and social insurance contributions therefore continued to apply. The payments reported on 2 November and the subsequent decision on operational transactions are separate developments, not a single announcement that all liabilities have been settled.

The next step for the network

Alongside its update on restarting operations, the company says it has begun the process of submitting amended tax returns for previous years. This information accompanies its expectation of a swift return to normal operations; it is not an announcement that the filing process has been completed.

For partners in the franchising community, the central development is now specific: the payments and receipts described in the decision are permitted, while two categories of restrictions remain in place. Any assessment of the restart should therefore be based on the substance of the decision, rather than simply on the headline announcement of a return to business.

Practical takeaway: Business partners should confirm which transactions are covered by the decision and the schedule for their own payments, rather than treating the restart as a complete lifting of all restrictions.