Cult-favorite Zalat Pizza has grown to 30 locations in Dallas/Fort-Worth, Houston, and Austin
Zalat Pizza, the late-night, cult-favorite, Texas-based pizza concept where all frontline employees receive stock options, announced the opening of their 2nd Austin location at The Shops of Arbor Walk.
Founder and CEO Khanh Nguyen, who goes by the Call Sign Morpheus at Zalat (where employees adopt superhero identities as their professional monikers), shared, “Austin’s welcome to us has been incredible. Just three months since our West Campus location launched, it has risen to become one of our top 5 performing stores brand-wide.”
The new Zalat in Austin is situated at The Shops at Arbor Walk, 10515 MoPac Expressway, right across from Home Depot. The West Campus store can be found at 2222 Rio Grande Street, on the ground floor of the Quarters West Campus Phase 2 building.
Zalat shares the wealth with all frontline workers. Its focus on its employees has been revolutionary in the restaurant space, with stock options granted to all hourly employees. Nguyen explains, “We need our Zealots, the company’s name for their employees, to be completely committed to making the best pizzas in the universe. In return, we’re completely committed to sharing the wealth with them through stock option ownership.” He continues, “We want all our Zealots to have a piece of the pie.”
Nguyen has a deep love for the city of Austin, having graduated from law school at the University of Texas in 1994, and spent multiple years living in the city. “Our brand could be described as superior quality with a casual vibe,” Nguyen continues. “We know how casual Austin is, but the local standard of excellent food is still a high benchmark. We encompass these values by serving awesome food without pretense.”
Zalat Pizza prides itself on making luxury pizzas for the masses. Zalat is known for its irreverent and delicious takes on traditional pizza flavors such as their Pho Shizzle, Pineapple Express, Loaded Notato, and Elote pizzas, while also offering staples like the Pepperoni Masterclass and Zealot Supreme.
The company has gained a reputation for their devout use of 100% all beef pepperoni, their late night hours (up to 4am at many locations), the Reaper Roulette Challenge where one unmarked pizza slice is insanely hot, and for serving the best tasting cheese they can find. In fact, the concept pays more for cheese than they do in rent each month!
Zalat’s signature SiRANCHa dipping sauce – a combination of Sriracha and ranch dressing– is notorious for its crave-ability and has gained a cult-like following of its own.
The first Zalat opened on Fitzhugh Avenue in 2015 and quickly became a favorite late-night pizzeria in Dallas. The concept was embraced by both customers and critics and quickly grew to 30 locations across Dallas/Fort-Worth, Houston, and Austin. The corporate-owned chain was named Top 100 Restaurants by the Dallas Observer, Top 40/40 Concepts by QSR magazine, and chosen for the prestigious Nation’s Restaurant News’ Hot Concepts Award in 2021, presented to growth stage restaurant brands that are predicted to “become household names.”
For more information, please visit https://zalatpizza.com.
