Since the early 90s, Burger King's been touting they do burgers "your way right away," but it wasn't until the relatively more recent popularity of the likes of Subway and Chipotle that diners could actually oversee their food being made, requesting which toppings—and how much of them—to include.
Now, in addition to locations in Northridge and Studio City, Woodland Hills diners can add pizza to the list of foods they can make to order in that fashion. PizzaRev opens today in the Nordstrom Rack/Staples/24 Hour Fitness shopping center at Canoga Avenue and Victory Boulevard.
Nestled between Jamba Juice on one side and Gaucho Grill on the other, the 2,400-square-foot restaurant serves 11-inch pizzas with your choice of sauces and more than 30 toppings for just under $8. Or, if they'd rather, diners can order one of the restaurant's "Our Way Pizzas" such as the Rev'd Up Meat & Peppers—which has olive oil, mozzarella, Italian sausage, crumbled beef meatballs and jalepenos—or the Skinny Margherita, which comes with reduced-fat mozzarella.
The restaurant is one of three in the chain, with the others in Northridge and Studio City, and is the brain child of Nicholas Eckerman and Jeff Zuckerman and their fathers, Irv Zuckerman and Rodney Eckerman.
Jeff Zuckerman said it's fun getting to work with his and Nicholas' father and see how they make their decisions.
"They have the benefit of having been linked in to a younger generation" by virtue of their previous career as co-CEOs of Clear Channel Music.
Perhaps it was this connection that lent itself to the modern, slightly industrial wood, glass and stainless steel atmosphere of the restaurant.
Patrons are first met with a big red dough press and a friendly pizza crafter on the far side of a glass divider. As they make their way along the counter, crafters add whatever—and as many–toppings diners request. The thin-crust pizza takes only three minutes to bake in PizzaRev's state-of-the-art, open flame, stone-bed oven, which can reach up to nearly 1,000 degrees.
Jeff Zuckerman said the owners believe this type of food customization is a trend we'll see more of, but for them, it's more.
"It's a whole 'craft-your-own' slogan, but it's also an ethos. At the end of the day, yes, there are a lot of pizza options, but for us to be able to put our own twist on it was exciting," he said. "We allow you to have a more adventurous experience."
Overall, though, he said it comes down to the food.
"If you don't enjoy the taste of the pizza, it ends right there," Zuckerman said.
Because they don't have control over which toppings diners choose, they have to make sure to provide quality toppings across the board. As well, Zuckerman touted PizzaRev's trademark crust, which he described as having a "crunch with a chewy consistency."
In addition to pizza, salads with any of the toppings are also available. Both craft-your-own salads and pizzas are $7.95. A one-cheese pizza is available for $5.95. Beverages, side salads, dessert pizzas and chocolate chip cookies are also available.
PizzaRev, located at 6439 Canoga Ave., Woodland Hills, is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The restaurant accepts all major credit cards.
The Northridge location is 9420 Reseda Blvd. The Studio City PizzaRev is at 12103 Ventura Blvd.
