Mountain’s Mike’s Pizza is opening a new franchise location at 154 South B Street in San Mateo. A lease for a 2,025 square-foot retail space was signed in July 2021 and implies that the fast-casual pizza parlor is set for opening in early 2022.
Home of the infamous crispy, curly pepperoni, Mountain Mike’s Pizza is a family-friendly restaurant that, prior to the pandemic, was known for its lunch buffet and salad bar. Still, Mountain Mike’s sales have skyrocketed as new franchise locations have been popping up over the last two years. In addition to their classic, specialty, and custom pizzas, Mountain Mikes dishes out delectable wings, oven-baked sandwiches, and a variety of sides and desserts.
Thomas Van Buskirk founded Mountain Mike’s Pizza in 1978. Several years later into the 1980s, Stanford students Chris Britt and Ed St. Geme would visit the very first Mountain Mike’s Pizza in Palo Alto before going on to acquire the company decades later in 2017, according to a previous report. Now headquartered in Newport Beach, Mountain Mike’s boasts over 240 franchise locations throughout four West Coast states, though primarily concentrated in Northern California.
Mountain Mike’s is taking over a space in Downtown San Mateo that was built in 1987 and was formerly neighbored by Downtown Tiki Lounge and Vault 164 Restaurant and Bar. This isn’t to say, however, that the beloved pizza parlor will not see a lot of foot traffic. Mountain Mike’s is still in good company, including nearby Koja Kitchen and Dahlia Mexican Grill.
