Hey All – my name is Becki. My Zachary’s Pizza business card has the title ‘People Person’. That is really a just a fun way to say—Human Resources with a dash of customer interaction! Since I am the one in the office the most—I check our company emails and help facilitate responses.  Once in a while I come across an opportunity where I can do something fun… and that’s exactly what happened a few months back.

I opened an email from an incredibly loyal customer (Angie) based in Southern California. Long story short, her husband’s (Michael) 50th birthday was coming up and she wanted to know if there was any way to get Zachary’s pizza to the party.  After a quick back and forth on some options that didn’t pan out—I took a shot in the dark. I asked her when her husband’s birthday was. See-I had a pre-planned vacation (with my fella and his daughter-Alex) in Southern California in just a few weeks. Maybe—just maybe—timing would work out.

As you might imagine—timing worked out (hence—the blog post title—Timing is Everything!).  I was driving down to So. Cal the day after his big surprise party.  It was so perfect I couldn’t believe it myself.  I coordinated with Angie to arrive around 1p or so and I would ring the doorbell with a Zachary’s shirt on and of course-2 LARGE Spinach and Mushrooms Half-Bakes.  We exchanged numbers and texted back and forth on the drive down-honestly it was the fastest drive I’ve ever had down I-5!  Alex was so excited about surprising someone that the trip was filled was questions and musings on how he would react.

I was nervous when I rang the doorbell—surprises are nerve wracking in the best way possible! Michael answered the door-and when I said-“Hi I’m Becki from Zachary’s and someone said that you might want Zachary’s for your birthday”-he looked confused and happy! Angie came over and we explained the whole surprise. It was really great….and perfect timing again because he was hungry!  We said goodbye and after we had driven away—Alex said-“Didn’t you want to take a picture?”. Oh yeah—so I quickly texted Angie to please take a picture and pass it back to me! I wanted to keep that one in the Zachary’s memory books.

A few days later—I got a great email of thanks from Michael (and he enclosed the attached pictures!). Come to find out he has been eating Zachary’s since 1987 and even rented a car from San Jose airport just to pick up a pizza!!  Now-that’s loyalty—and that’s what we are the most proud of and thankful for at Zachary’s. Loyal customers are gold and are directly related to our long term success—BIG THANKS!

PS–Thanks again to Angie and Michael! It was a super fun.

Back by demand, Aria’s Enchi-Holla Enchilada Pizza is our weekly special! This pizza was a double winner in our employee pizza contest.  The Enchi-Holla won awards for “Most Popular” and “Most Creative.” A customer fell in love with this pizza the last time we had it on the menu and requested that we bring it back… so we did! Try it this week!

This delicious pizza has our free range chicken breast marinated in a green enchilada sauce, corn, black olives, cilantro, and jack and cheddar cheese. When the thin version comes out of the oven, we put some crunchy corn tortilla chips right on top. The stuffed pizza has a layer of corn tortillas inside. Both pizzas are topped off with a cool swirl of sour cream. Yum!

Over the past two decades, our artists have been inspired by a wide range of topics. History? Fictional characters? Popular Culture? Pizza (duh!)? You name it. One theme that consistently shows up in the contests every year is our artists’ love of animals.

Our first example of animal-inspired art is this piece by Lisa Hayle. Hayle has been inspired by her dog Harry for years. Lisa writes, “I heard about Zachary’s Pizza through friends who also mentioned the awesome annual poster contest, which they had won in the past with an entry featuring their two adorable poodles. Soon after, I tasted the deep-dish yumminess for the first time…. I first saw Harry in 2002, while working briefly at the East Bay SPCA in Oakland. It was love at first sight.”

Another canine-inspired piece is “Dog Years” by artist Ian Ransley has submitted eleven winning pieces in Zachary’s art contests over the years. In addition to putting animals front and center, this piece celebrated our 30th anniversary!

If cats are your furry friend of choice, you have something in common with artist Nikola Bachman. Bachman writes about her winning piece, “I’m a cat lover at heart therefore the kitty in the painting that I drew for Zachary’s was inspired by my own cat Jackson.”

And don’t think that creature-inspired art stops at cats and dogs! Our artists have been inspired by reptiles (Amy Neil, 2005 winner) and insects (Emma Ruth 2012) too!

Animals make their way into the art in big and small ways. We will leave you with several more animal-inspired pieces. The deadline for submissions this year is May 16! Pick up your paper canvas at any Zachary’s location today!

The Zachary’s Pizza Art Contest is happening right now!

See our online art gallery for more details!

We are very lucky to be situated in the ever-changing and consistently beautiful San Francisco Bay Area. Over the years, the winners of the Zachary’s Pizza Art Contest have been inspired by beautiful and celebrated Bay Area landmarks.

EAST BAY:

OUR ICONIC BRIDGES:

SAN FRANCISCO SKYLINE:

BEYOND THE BAY:

We love original pieces that showcase the hundreds of awe-inspiring scenes of the Bay Area (and beyond!). Visit any of our four East Bay locations to get a paper canvas and get started on your winning pizza art today! The deadline for this contest is Saturday, May 16th!

Since the 1980s, Zachary’s has proudly hosted a pizza art contest. The winning entries decorate the walls of the restaurants in Oakland, Berkeley, San Ramon and Pleasant Hill.

The initial idea to host an art contest came from Zachary’s founder, Barbara Gabel. Shortly after Barbara, and co-founder Zach Zachowski, opened the Solano Avenue Zachary’s in 1984, Barbara considered ways to “create a fun ambiance” and “honor local artists” all while changing the art periodically. Thus, the Zachary’s Pizza Art Contest was born!

According to Barbara, “I wanted local artisans to have a place to show their talent and to have it reflect our company. I also knew that in order for customers to truly see and appreciate the art it had to be huge so I chose to require all entries to be 3′ x 4′.”

As everyone can see as soon as they enter Zachary’s, many local artists have contributed lots of amazing pieces. According to Barbara, “I am always humbled by the time and talent the artists devote to each piece. It’s a reflection of how much they respect Zachary’s.” Please visit our online art gallery to see some examples!

The pizza art contest creates an excited buzz around Zachary’s. Customers routinely share their ideas for a winning piece. The Zachary’s crew members try to sneak a peak of each submission that comes through the doors. Little ones, who have been working so hard on their entries, eagerly hand in their artwork and proudly share their creations with the crew. It’s a special time at Zachary’s.

“A final thing I want to mention is how attached we are to each piece (especially when one of us has the opportunity to meet the artist face-to-face)… There is such a wealth of talent in our area… We deeply appreciate the artists, all of whom are our beloved customers,” writes Barbara. “I never come into the restaurants without scanning the art and smiling at the joy behind it.”

Are your students in a club they love? Are you a part of a local non-profit or community organization? Are you an individual looking to finance a worthwhile cause? Get your friends to eat at Zachary’s and we will donate a percentage of our sales to your school or organization!

We would love to support your cause with a full day of fundraising at one of our four locations (Oakland, Berkeley, San Ramon or Pleasant Hill). We’ve hosted many preschools, middle schools and high schools in the past couple of years. Fundraiser nights are a fun community event as well as an easy way to raise a few extra dollars.

Raising money is as easy as eating a spinach and mushroom pizza. To apply or for more information about fundraising at Zachary’s click here!

Did you ever wonder how the walls of Zachary’s became home to so many fun, pizza-inspired pieces of art? All of the art at each of our four locations is a winner from one of our past art contests!

Now is your chance to contribute your original Zachary’s Pizza Art!

The deadline for this year’s art contest is Saturday, May 16th, 2015. Each Zachary’s location will have paper canvas and entry forms. You must submit your artwork on the paper canvas provided and we cannot accept any artwork without the entry form. It is very important that you read all of the rules carefully before beginning work on your art.

In the past, Zachary’s artists have used a myriad of sources for inspiration. Please visit our online art gallery to see some of the past winners. Of course, the best source of inspiration is probably eating some of your favorite pizza while surrounded by lots of amazing pizza art!

Back by popular demand, the Zachary’s Roasted Pepper Special is now available at all four Zachary’s locations! This pizza has red, green and yellow bell peppers, pasillas, Anaheim chiles, and onion. It comes with jack and cheddar cheese. It’s available Stuffed or Thin!

This is a customer and crew favorite! Try it just like it comes or add some pepperoni for a meatier version.

The walls of our restaurants are filled with one-of-a-kind Zachary’s Pizza Art. We held our first art contest in the late 1980′s and the tradition has continued every couple of years to this day. We love our art and the artists! 

Now 90 years fantastic, Marvin Ehrlich knows great pizza and he knows great art. We adore Marvin’s winning piece “The Joy of Eating Zachary’s is Why We Come Back Again and Again”! When we reached out to Marvin, he responded with a heart-warming, handwritten letter.

Thank YOU, Marvin! You are the best!

We just made hosting a fundraising for your school or local organization easier! To check out our new fundraising page click here!

We can arrange a fundraising day at Zachary’s North Berkeley (Solano Ave), Pleasant Hill or San Ramon.

We’ll donate a percentage of revenues from participants of your local school or non-profit community building organization.

Check out this awesome video from the Berkeley High School fundraiser in April 2014!