News

Straw Hat Pizza spreads through the Golden State

January 2, 2011

Straw Hat Pizza will open several new units in California in the first quarter of 2011.

The locations, all franchised, will be developed in Alameda, Chatsworth, Livermore, Sacramento, San Jose, San Pablo and Vallejo.

The Alameda Straw Hat Pizza will be operated by franchisees Varun and Mitul Limbachiya. Gary and Harminder Toor will open a location in Chatsworth, and Prem Dhoot, a franchisee who recently opened Straw Hat Pizza Walnut Creek, will open a new location in Livermore.

Straw Hat Pizza's corporate location will open in Sacramento, and franchisee Sanjay Agarwal will open a unit in San Jose.

Finally, franchisees Raj and Pradeep Pal will operate the San Pablo Straw Hat Pizza restaurant, and franchisee Navin Patel will operate the Vallejo location.

"We are excited about the rapid growth of our 50-year-old Straw Hat Pizza brand," said Jonathan Fornaci, president of Straw Hat Pizza. "Our new locations will feature the newest look and we are thrilled to debut the new generation of Straw Hat in several markets."

The new units will all feature Straw Hat's redesign, with colorful wall murals depicting the brand's history and its California heritage. 

Straw Hat Pizza's objective is to have a 150-restaurant presence within the next two years. The chain has recently expanded beyond the California market into Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Montana, New Jersey, New York and Texas.