BUSINESS NEWS
4 • May 2020
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Coast River Business Journal
Streetside Pizza opens to hot demand
Food stand receiving more than 150 orders daily after late-April opening
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Story and Photos by Luke Whittaker
Coast River Business Journal
lwhittaker@crbizjournal.com
OCEAN PARK — Dave Allen wasn’t sure what
to expect when he opened his Ocean Park pizza
stand in late April. However, all his questions were
answered after his first few hours of business.
“It’s been absolutely nuts,” Allen, 56, said in
between preparing pizzas Wednesday, April 29 at
Streetside Pizza in Ocean Park.
“We’ve been getting more calls than we can
handle.”
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Their first official day was Wednesday, April
22, and by Friday (April 24) the pizza stand was
receiving more than 150 orders daily on their sole
phone line.
Allen figured sales would be slow the first few
days, especially opening midweek.
“We tried to do as soft opening as we could but
it just blew up on Facebook,” Allen said.
“The newness and the covid-19 outbreak has a
lot to do with how busy we are.”
Allen said the stand — with a separate building
holding the pizza oven — can churn out about
100 pizzas a day. A majority of the orders have
occurred Friday and Saturday.
“Friday and Saturday we had six pizzas in the
oven at a time,” said cook David Dinsmore.
It takes about 10 minutes to cook a pizza in
the 550-degree oven, with Dinsmore manually
rotating each pizza during the process.
Insulated bags, formerly used to deliver BBQ,
are used to keep the pizzas hot while waiting for
pickup.
The Beachcomber Combo (sausage, bacon,
pepperoni, salami, red onion, mushroom, green
pepper and olives) and The Carnivore (pepperoni,
salami, Canadian bacon, Italian sausage and
bacon) have emerged as early favorites.
Prices range from $14.99 for a medium 14”
1-topping pizza to $25.99 for a 16” signature
pizza. Take and bake pizzas are also available
at a $3 discount. Homemade ice cream ($4) is
available for dessert.
Allen encourages customers to call ahead and
keep trying if the line is busy, as they rely on one
line to handle all orders.
Covid-19 closures allow Allen
to focus on pizza
Allen has built a following for his BBQ and
taco restaurants in downtown Long Beach over
the past few years, but like many has since
temporarily closed the businesses amid the
covid-19 crisis, which relegated restaurants to
carryout or delivery. He is tentatively planning to
reopen both businesses in June, he said.
Streetside Pizza is located at 1910 Bay Ave. in Ocean Park offering carry out and take-and-bake pizza.
Streetside Pizza cook David Dinsmore pulls a
pizza from the oven. Dinsmore can cook up
to six pizzas at a time, each taking about 10
minutes in the 550-degree oven.
Dave Allen has built a following for his BBQ and
taco businesses in downtown Long Beach, but
has since temporarily closed them amid the
covid-19 crisis, which has relegated restaurants
to carryout or delivery.
Difference is in the dough
Streetside Pizza
Dave Allen, owner
1910 Bay Ave., Ocean Park
360-777-3300
“Since we closed the other two restaurants
because of the pandemic, we took that time to
get this ready,” Allen said, adding that he used to
make pizza years ago. “It’s a little easier to come
up with new things with YouTube now. I can talk
to other professionals.”
“It took quite a bit because it’s a totally different
pizza for takeout,” Allen said. “It has to travel
well and we formulated our dough to do that. We
put a little olive oil on the crust so the moisture
doesn’t soak in and use state-of-the-art box liners
to keep it from getting soggy or greasy.”
The dough is made fresh daily, about 80
pounds, he said, adding that he hasn’t had any
issues obtaining ingredients, including flour.
The business eventually plans to expand the
menu, including adding pasta and potentially
stromboli.