Photograph by Dai Sugano
Stephen Crooks has been manager of Jake's Pizza in Saratoga for eight years.
Fresh and flavorful pizzas are the specialty at Jake's
Corporations have become the most recent market
By Suzanne Cristallo
In Silicon Valley, the sight of five unmarked trucks converging upon a high-tech company in the late morning might not stir much interest. But when the drivers begin carrying stacks of insulated red bags emblazoned with "Jake's of Saratoga" into the building, those in the know will probably imagine they smell cheese and garlic.
Jake's is the pizza place at Saratoga-Sunnyvale and Prospect roads. It's been there for 18 years, long enough to be part of the teen memories of many Saratogans who knew it as the spot to watch sporting events while aiming long strings of cheese into their mouths. Today, its reputation has expanded to include the billing of "corporate pizza specialists" by delivering up to 200 pizzas at a time to the corporate hungry.
"Besides the trucks, we also have a 'company Camaro'," jokes manager Stephen Crooks, referring to the use of his own car for quick local deliveries. No, he doesn't use a cute antenna decoration, but he does promise delivery within an average of 45 minutes.
Crooks has been manager for eight years but has been 20 years with the parent company, Tougas Enterprises of Sunnyvale. The company is owned by Saratogans Bernie and Doris Tougas and comprises six stores specializing in hamburgers and pizza under various names, including its original store, the Garret in Campbell, where Crooks, 39, began as a bus boy. Besides Jake's of Saratoga, which opened in 1981 as the first of the Tougas stores to serve pizza, there is another Jake's in Sunnyvale and a third opening in Willow Glen in September.
Jake's is busiest on Friday nights, when all 100 seats are filled. "It's standing room only then," Crooks says. "Customers wait with pizza in hand for the next available table." A crew of four split duties between being pizza-makers who do cutting and serving and being "oven guys." A big-screen TV provides sports action while video games, sticker machines and a crane machine keep small fry happy. "It's definitely a family atmosphere," Crooks says.
Among the specialty pizzas are the Gilroy--which blends garlicky, ranch-style sauce with pepperoni, mushrooms, green onions, chives, fresh tomatoes and sausage. The Golden Greek has Jake's original sauce (yes, it's a secret), feta cheese, pepperoncini, onions, olives and sausage. The Pesto Romano has a hint of garlic with smoked ham, green onions and cooked tomatoes. Most of the pizzas, which run from $12 for a small to $22 for a large, are covered with four cheeses: mozzarella, parmesan, romano and jack. The corporate young and upwardly mobile professionals tend to prefer veggie combos, with chicken garlic pies enjoying a big upswing, according to Crooks. Philly cheese steak and Jake's Deluxe Burger are the best selling sandwich items.
"When I started, I never expected it would become my career," Crooks reflects. It became more than that. The job was where he met his wife, Lee, who worked in the kitchen at the time. "That was well before the age of sexual harassment," he explains, laughing. "Besides, fraternization got you someplace sometimes," he notes, pointing to his marriage two years later and their present houseful of kids ages 16, 13 and 8.
Jake's of Saratoga, 12175 Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road, Saratoga. Open daily 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. 257-5858.
Saratoga, California Since 1975
