Watch Out, Domino's: This California-Born Pizza Chain Is Growing Fast

We could sit for hours and debate all sorts of topics about pizza. Is Chicago-style deep-dish or New York-style floppy pizza better? Does Pizza Hut or Domino's make the tastier breadsticks? Has pineapple truly earned its place as an acceptable pizza topping? While it's easy to mess around in petty arguments about this and that, exaggerating the truth to argue that Blaze Pizza really does deserve a seat at the pizza debate table, the one thing that can't be exaggerated is sales. Pizza Guys, a California-based chain with nearly 40 years of cheesy history, is on its way to encroaching on Domino's limelight.

In October, Pizza Guys officially opened its 100th location with the debut of its first restaurant in the state of Texas, while the 99 other locations operate out of its home state of California and the neighboring state of Nevada. While it may have just celebrated reaching 100 restaurants, the successful chain has even grander plans, which include another 149 locations in Texas, spread throughout various cities such as Houston and San Antonio. This expansion comes on the back of record accomplishments for the Pizza Guys franchise, including a number two spot on Yelp's 2025 Top 25 Pizza Chains in America and a $1.2 million average unit volume, according to the company's Facebook. With those kinds of accolades, we're fairly certain Pizza Guys won't be following all of the other pizza chains filing for bankruptcy in the last few years.

Pizza Guys opened its first location in Sacramento, California, in 1986. Shahpour Nejad, the founder, spent years working at a local pizzeria before partnering with the then-owner to bring his dream of starting his own business to life. Within seven years, Pizza Guys expanded to seven locations, and by 2003, the business reached its 50th storefront. In 2006, the chain migrated into Nevada for the first time, continuing to grow and thrive throughout the years, even through the pandemic. Pizza Guys earned accolade after accolade, including recent mentions on the Sacramento Favorites 2024 list and the Franchise Times' Top 400 franchises list.

Through the years, Pizza Guys hasn't been afraid to experiment with its menu, though the business does boast the use of local and clean ingredients. Today, there are dozens of various pizzas to choose from, everything from classics like cheese or pepperoni to outside-the-box options like the beef taco pizza or the Tuscan garlic chicken pizza. There are even stuffed-crust options, because, no, Pizza Hut did not invent stuffed-crust in the '90s. Beyond pies, Pizza Guys offers flatbreads, wings, calzones, garlic rolls, pastas, and more.

Public opinions on Pizza Guys may be positive, with several users on Reddit gushing about the restaurant's "great flavors and quality." But considering that America's number-one pizza chain in terms of sales is Domino's, Pizza Guys still has its work cut out.