Pizza Guys, a Sacramento-based pizza restaurant that specializes in fresh, high quality food, is further expanding its Bay Area presence by opening its newest location in Berkeley. This will be the 19th location for Pizza Guys in the Bay Area, and will be its first in the city of Berkeley. The new location will be located at 1109 University Avenue and will be owned by Ali Vahdat. It is slated to open in early March. This is the first of two Pizza Guys locations that Ali is committed to opening in the area over the next several years.
This is not Vahdat’s first experience as a business owner. He has experience owning and operating a used car dealership, and prior to that, he was involved in real estate. After seeing the success of the Pizza Guys model throughout Covid-19, he knew it was a concept he wanted to be part of.
“Pizza Guys’ model helped it thrive throughout the pandemic,” says Vahdat. “With the delivery and takeout pizza industry continuing to face demand, Pizza Guys is the perfect brand to bring to the Berkeley area.”
As a takeout and delivery concept, when the pandemic struck, Pizza Guys already had the infrastructure in place to provide service to customers when stay-at-home orders were implemented. The brand also already had the operations and processes in place to continue to get people their food through delivery and takeout. In order to ensure the safety of both team members and customers, Pizza Guys implemented tamper-proof packaging, contactless delivery, cashless payments and has put up sneeze guards in stores as well.
“After learning more about the corporate involvement in the franchising process, I know that Pizza Guys was going to be a great fit for me,” adds Vahdat. “The brand has a track record of success in helping franchisees navigate the opening process, and has provided guidance throughout Covid-19, and I’m excited to join the Pizza Guys family and help grow the brand.”
Throughout the pandemic Pizza Guys’ loyal customers have stuck with the brand, and an increase in demand for delivery and takeout has led to incredible growth and success. To keep up with increased demand, Pizza Guys hired over 300 new team members across the system, providing jobs to those whose employment had been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Pizza Guys has always put community first including donating thousands of pizzas to healthcare workers since the start of the pandemic and giving team members free pizzas to take home after each shift.
“Pizza Guys has continued to prove its resiliency throughout the pandemic,” says Pizza Guys CEO and founder Shahpour Nejad. “Experienced franchise partners like Ali who share our passion for providing our communities with high quality pizzas are what help us continue to expand and serve new customers. We look forward to the positive impact Ali’s new location will have on the Berkeley community and can’t wait for him to open his doors.”