Mamma Mia! Another Pizza Place Comes to Town

A new Papa John’s location will soon be opening at the intersection of El Camino Real and Jefferson Avenue.

Paul Shamieh and his cousin, who own seven other Papa John’s locations on the peninsula, such as in San Mateo, Palo Alto and Mountain View, hope to open their new Redwood City location by mid-February.

Shamieh said, don’t let the fact that Papa John’s is a large corporation fool you—their stores are family-run, and very family-friendly.

“We’re just two guys who’ve grown up right here in the Bay Area,” he said. “Family is very important to us.”

Being that this location will mark their eighth store, Patch asked Shamieh what he likes so much about the Papa John’s franchise, and has made him stick with it all these years.

“Really, it’s what Papa John’s stands for—the ingredients,” he said. “The dough is fresh, and the vegetables—we cut many of them right here in the store, like the onions and bell peppers.”

Shamieh said, Papa John’s uses only the very best on their pizzas. In fact, the black olives are imported from Spain, and the pepperoncinis from Greece.

“It’s the way our pizza tastes,” he added, of what he likes best about Papa John’s. “It’s really unique—most other pizza places use frozen dough, or their vegetables come to them frozen.”

Shamieh said, he and his cousin are very excited to open their new Redwood City location soon, and that doing business with the City of Redwood City has been a very pleasant experience so far.

“This city has been one of the best cities to work with. They’re very helpful and easy to work with, from the planning to the building, and more,” he explained. “And many of our neighbors have been coming by often to say hi and ask us when we’ll be open.”

Their first day in business is planned for Feb. 18.

“We hope everybody in Redwood City comes by and gives us a chance,” Shamieh added. “I think, once you try us, you’ll be a customer for life.”

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