ZACHARY'S CHICAGO PIZZA fans are in heaven after the opening of the East Bay phenomenon here in San Ramon.
The Crow Canyon Place location, the third for husband-and-wife founders Zach Zachowski and Barbara Gabel, has been filled to its 75-seat capacity since its Sept. 13 opening, with phone lines ringing continuously and waits averaging 40 minutes to an hour. But no one complains when the reward for patience is Zachary's deep-dish, stuffed, specialty pie, winner of more than 100 best-pizza awards.
...A consistently good product, a hard-working crew and a wonderful working environment seem to be the ingredients for success for this chef and former model who came to California for the weather from their native Wisconsin and never looked back.
They opened their 900-square-foot College Avenue restaurant in Oakland in 1983 and a year later, "to take the pressure off the Oakland location," opened their Berkeley restaurant on Solano Avenue. Customers' award-winning artwork decorates the walls at all three locations.
"We come in humble," said Gabel who with Leandra Schuler, assistant general manager, orchestrated the frantic pace of the lunchtime crowd last week. Gabel acknowledged the "overwhelming, positive, warm and enthusiastic welcome" they have received in the suburbs. After looking for a location from Napa to Palo Alto, "San Ramon felt right. ... San Ramon has a really nice hometown feeling."
..."We do a good product that is difficult to do consistently and the key word is 'consistently,'" Gabel said. She cites their wonderful 165-member crew throughout the three locations, as well. "We hire good heart and good work ethic and that sense pervades the environment," she said as she pointed to the 15-plus pizzamakers in the kitchen. "We like each other. We work well together and we do care about what we do."
That's why it is frustrating to Gabel when demand is so high and customers get nothing but a busy signal when they try to call in an order or have to wait up to an hour for a table. An extra phone line would not help, she said, because, "you can't make pizza any faster. It's not about the quantity, but about quality."
Customers have to allow about 40 minutes for a Zachary's stuffed pizza to be prepared because it has to bake for about 26 minutes in the oven. Thin-crust pizza takes about 25 minutes. Zachary's does offer half-baked pizzas for take out. Just finish baking at home. You can also "order as you wait." By the time your table is ready and you are being seated, your pizza is already in the oven.
"We're happy to be here," said J.P. La Russa, hired as a dishwasher at age 17 and now chief operating officer and vice president. "The community has been incredibly receptive."
"We are truly honored that people choose to eat at Zachary's," the restaurant's brochure reads. Their goal? "To live up to people's expectations," said Gabel. "We take it very seriously."
Zachary's Chicago Pizza is located at 3110 Crow Canyon Place. You can call an order in at 925-244-1222 or place a "delay order" in advance for pick up any time during business hours any day of the week.... |
