"Kids can relate to pizza, and they get to see what a job is," Hammers said.

The Willow Glen store opened four years ago and has been offering tours ever since.

"When I was a kid, I remember going to the Nestle factory," Hammers said. "But now schools don't have budgets for field trips, so it's a way to give back."

Hammers said that 1,000 children a year go behind the counters of his 10 stores.

River Glen Elementary School first-grade teacher Susan Butler-Graham brought her class to a tour at Pizza My Heart in Willow Glen on Oct. 5. Her pupils at the Spanish-immersion school listened to the bilingual manager Emilio Lopez, who works in the Palo Alto store, explain how the store operates.

Lopez introduced the students to the business by explaining that the surfboards and guitars on the wall commemorated the first Pizza My Heart, which started on the beach in Capitola 25 years ago. To go behind the counter, each child was given a "uniform"—a Pizza My Heart T-shirt—before continuing the orientation.

Lopez walked the children into the restaurant's freezer room to explain how refrigeration keeps food from spoiling. He also talked about sanitation standards and instructed the students to wash their hands before entering the kitchen.

"He's doing a great job making it very educational," said parent chaperone Rebecca Turner.

Lopez discussed how yeast makes the dough rise. "Oohs" and "ahhs" accompanied Lopez's pizza spinning as he flung the dough above students' heads. When he added condiments to the pizza, Lopez drew a smiley face with the sauce.

"He's making it fun, and he seems to genuinely enjoy teaching the children," said another parent chaperone, Dom Kool.

Kool said his daughter, Emily, was already a fan of the store because it served her favorite—clam pizza.

Later the children decorated their own personal pizzas with sauce, cheese and toppings.

Butler-Graham said that the field trip fit in with her science unit on the five senses because it allowed the students to use their sense of taste.

"I like how they teach about science," she said. "And they gear it toward kids."

She prolonged the educational value of the trip by taking digital photos so the children could later write a story about their experience on the computer.

"They won't forget this," she said.

Butler-Graham said she also appreciated how Pizza My Heart was so nearby that her class could walk.

"It's wonderful for the schools to build more community with the local businesses," she said.

Hammers thinks the tour is a "win-win situation" because they're free to the schools and children bring their parents back as customers.

"We want to be the family pizza place that's part of the neighborhood," Hammers said.

He added that of all his restaurants, Willow Glen has the most neighborhood feel.

"We see the same customers," he said. "It's neat how the neighborhood supports Lincoln Avenue."