Pizza News
Wood-fired pizza chain with cool pour-your-own taproom smokes into Frisco
A new pizza concept is making its Texas debut: Called Smokin' Oak Wood-Fired Pizza & Taproom, it's a fast-casual chain founded in Minnesota endowing Frisco with a location in a 5,000-square-foot space at the Stonebriar Mall. According to a release, it'll open in fall 2022.
Smokin' Oak specializes in pizza, with dough made in house. Their ovens reach about 900 degrees to produce pizzas in about two minutes.
But their other signature is their self-pour tap wall, with beer, wine, and cider. Diners get an RFID (radio-frequency identification) bracelet with a built-in chip that identifies the wearer. You tap your wristband against the drink of your choice to activate the tap. Pour size ranges from one to 16 ounces, allowing the opportunity to try different beverages.
According toFranchising Magazine, this self-serve model is convenient for customers who don't like waiting for refills, with up to 20 percent of their guests coming just to have a drink.
Another plus is flexibility: You can be in and out in 15 minutes or linger at the self-pour taproom as long as you like.
Their culinary profile has only the mildest hint of gourmet, with a heavy emphasis on meat. For example, their "Classic" pizza has sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, red onion, and mozzarella. Five of their 13 options have bacon.
Other pizza options include:
- San Marino: prosciutto, goat cheese, mozzarella, spinach, garlic, crushed red pepper, crushed tomato sauce
- Smokey Dokey: BBQ sauce, chicken, applewood bacon, red onion, cilantro, mozzarella
- Buffalo Chicken: chicken, buffalo sauce, banana pepper, mozzarella, green onion, bleu cheese dressing, raspberry sauce
There are a couple of sandwiches and salads, and two "starters": stuffed cheese bread or garlic cheese bread.
The chain currently has five locations open, with five more in the works, including Austin, which will open in early fall, and another penciled in for Dallas, location still TBD.
