Pinky's Pizza to Open a New 'Social Network' on North Broadway

Tom Beisheim is tickled by the networking frenzy of social media because, he said, networking was what defined Pinky's Pizza.

And now, with the announcement that Pinky's would reopen (albeit from the south edge of downtown to the north edge), the Pinky's Pizza Facebook page is "blowing up." Many comments are ideas for a grand, grand opening for the Pinky's across North Broadway from the post office.

"I think a Grand Re-Opening Weekend is in order... SOOO many people wanna be there... May stay open 72 hours or sumthin'….," says Dawna Rogers Johnson.

"Tom, when do you think you will be opening? I think only 2 of my kids were able to see the old Pinky's, so I guess that means I will have to load up all 3, plus my husband and drive down to CA, so they can ALL experience Pinky's Pizza!!!!!" Amy Peddecord Oerline writes.

The Facebook page was created by Mark Trapani of Walnut Creek, "one of my ex-bartenders," said Beisheim.

In his social networking, Beisheim on Tuesday exchanged phone calls and emails with two couples who met at Pinky's and are now married. 

"So many people have connected through me and Pinky's," said Beisheim. "It's a great feeling."

In "social networking" of the day, Beisheim and his wait staff knew the neighborhood regulars by name plus what kind of pie they wanted. And, Beisheim added, social networking of the day was Pinky's hats, shorts and pens that have popped up in travels around the world.

Pinky's old location on South California Boulevard (across the street from what is now Trader Joe's) was a hangout for generations of Las Lomas High students, including a kid named Tom Beisheim, who started working there in 1969 part time as a janitor. By 1974, he was an owner.

The new Pinky's on North Broadway, in the spot occupied until March by East Coast Pizza Bar & Grill, will be owned by Beisheim's friend, Dan Lilly, another Las Lomas/Pinky's veteran. Beisheim will be a front man. 

"I have lots of ideas but I don't want to do the heavy lifting any more," he said. "I'm pushing 60 but I still have the energy I had when I was 25."

He added, "We will re-create exactly what we had in a nicer environment."

Beisheim said the restaurant would reopen with the basic menu of pizza, salad and sandwiches from the old menu, but would have the capacity to expand the menu with a greater variety of ovens and grills. 

Unlike the South California Boulevard restaurant, this one will deliver. There are more than 1,000 condo units within a half-mile, said Beisheim.

The reopening date has not been set. Details to work out include an alcohol license, permits and nailing down the name. Fifteen years ago, Beisheim said, he wrote a letter giving the Petaluma owner permission to use the "Pinky's Pizza" name. Now he's seeking a similar letter with permission for the Walnut Creek eatery to use "the corporate name that I gave up."

Walnut Creek blogger Martha Ross (and founding editor of Walnut Creek Patch) wrote, "Pinky's provided my lifelong standard for pizza. I grew up living in the neighborhood near Pinky's and even went to school with a brother of Tom Beisheim. So, that's where my family would go out or from where we would order pizza. I still compare every pizza I eat — even when I was traveling in Italy — to what I used to get at Pinky's — especially to the Pinky's everything-you-can-throw-on-it combination pizza." 

In the 1980s, Beisheim owned Pinky's Pizzas in Walnut Creek, Livermore and San Rafael. 

When the new Pinky's opens, Beisheim said, "I'm going to send the old landlord and her lawyer a note saying, 'How is that higher rent working out for you?' She can't rent that building now."