Photograph by George Sakkestad
Papa Murphy's owner Bill Burnett sends pizzas home raw.
BY KATHERINE PETERSEN
No worries about the take-and-bake pizzas from Papa Murphy's getting cold on the way home, since customers pop them in the oven 15 minutes before they're ready to eat.
After 18 years as a banker, Bill Burnett and his brother, Bob, opened their pizza franchise on El Camino Real in October 1995. The former assistant vice president at Comerica Bank in Scotts Valley wanted a change.
"The whole atmosphere of banking had changed, and I wanted to try something different," he said.
Making pizza dough, chopping vegetables and grating cheese are a far cry from the banking business, and Burnett is having a ball.
"We liked the product. We'd tasted it at another store and thought it would be a fun thing to do," Burnett said. Bill runs the store six days a week, and Bob, who is also holding down a full-time job, works on Sundays and during evenings if he's needed.
Burnett spends most of the morning and early afternoon doing prep work, such as grating a mixture of Provolone, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses and chopping mushrooms, artichoke hearts, spinach and other toppings.
"There's a lot of prep involved before you make a pizza," he said. The busiest times at Papa Murphy's are weekends and Thursday evenings, Burnett said.
"Business has really been picking up, but I'd say the majority of people who come in are repeat customers," he said. "I get to meet and get to know a lot of people."
Customers can watch while their pizzas are made. The dough is rolled out and spread with either white or red sauce, then cheese and toppings are piled on. Some of Papa Murphy's pizzas are topped by an herb and cheese blend made on the premises. Pizzas are placed on paper trays that go straight into the oven for easy cleanup. Cooking directions are tucked under the plastic wrap.
Prices for large pizzas range from $7.99 to $11.99; medium and small sizes are less expensive.
"I always have some pizzas on sale. People who come in a lot will call and ask for the specials before they order," he said.
Burnett also makes bread sticks, calzones and lasagne to be baked at home. And not to leave his customers without dessert, he sells tubs of chocolate chip cookie dough that he makes 41 pounds of about twice a week.
"The recipe starts with 8 pounds of butter," he said.
Papa Murphy's, 939 W. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale. Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, March 26, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.