Pizza News

Pizza Guys from California opens first Texas restaurant in Plano

Pizza Guys pizza with pepperoni "cups".

Pizza Guys

There's a new pizza in town: Called Pizza Guys, it's a Sacramento-based chain known for gourmet pizza at a price point that meets every budget, and it's opening its first-ever Texas location in Plano at 9613 Coit Rd. #109 on Saturday, October 18.

Pizza Guys was founded in 1986 as a single location in Sacramento, then began franchising in 1994. They currently have 100 stores open across three states — California, Nevada, and now Texas.

"Reaching our 100th location and opening in Texas is a proud moment for Pizza Guys," says founder and CEO Shahpour Nejad, who built the chain brick by brick.

Each Pizza Guys pizza is made with fresh dough, whole milk mozzarella cheese, and a sauce made from fresh-packed California-grown tomatoes.

There are more than 30 pizza options, including classic cheese pizza, meat lovers, veggie, and so on. But there are also global-inspired combinations such as

Spicy Curry Pizza with a Tuscany thin crust, pesto sauce, mozzarella, curry seasoning, spinach, yellow onions, feta, jalapeño, crushed red pepper, tomatoes, and basil seasoning
Texas BBQ with mozzarella, chicken, bacon, red onions, and Cattlemens hot & spicy BBQ sauce drizzle
Serrano Chilli Pizzawith mozzarella, bacon, Canadian bacon, red onions, pineapple, Kogi Serrano Chili sauce drizzle, and cilantro

Many pizzas are topped with chicken including a Buffalo chicken, California garlic chicken — featuring their signature proprietary garlic sauce — chipotle chicken, and bacon chicken supreme. They also have a stuffed crust option.

Beyond pizzas, there are pastas, flatbreads, wings, salads, calzone, and appetizers such as a unique popper made from mashed potato, stuffed with jalapeno and cheese.

The Plano store is owned and operated by Ramandeep (Raman) Singh and Ranjeet Klair, a husband-and-wife team with extensive food industry experience and a shared passion for great food and hospitality. Together, their goal is to make Pizza Guys Plano a local favorite – a place where people can get great food and friendly service.

“When we decided to open a Pizza Guys in Plano, it wasn’t just about bringing another pizza restaurant to town,” said Ranjeet Klair. “It was about becoming part of a community that values quality, hospitality, and family—just like we do.”

pizza openings

State Fair Fare

State Fair of Texas reveals 4 winners of 2026 Big Tex Choice Awards

Photo courtesy of State Fair of Texas

Berry Me in Matcha cheesecake, winner for Most Creative at the 2026 Big Tex Choice Awards.

After a lengthy session on August 18 involving about 30 celebrity judges, the State Fair of Texas has officially unveiled the winners of its 22nd annual Big Tex Choice Awards.

The judges (include CultureMap's Alex Bentley) tasted and evaluated sample sizes of 15 finalists, five each from the categories of "Savory," "Sweet," and "Sipper." Each of the winners were evaluated on four criteria: Taste, Value for the Price, Presentation, and Creativity.

Without further delay, here are the big winners, with photos, descriptions, and prices of each creation to help you make your Fair food plan:

Best Taste - Savory: Burger Chop Tater Tacos by Tom Grace

Burger Chop Tater Tacos, winner of the Savory category at the 2026 Big Tex Choice Awards.Photo courtesy of State Fair of Texas

The tacos feature a shell of cheddar cheese and tater tots that are mashed together and fried. It is then filled with a fresh burger patty chopped and combined with sautéed onions and jalapeños, and topped by buffalo buttermilk ranch coleslaw and garlic parmesan buffalo sauce.

The Burger Chop Tater Tacos will be available for $16 for fairgoers.

Best Taste - Sweet: Fletcher's Chocolate Corny Dog by Beck Fletcher

Fletcher's Chocolate Corny Dog, winner of the Sweet category at the 2026 Big Tex Choice AwardsPhoto courtesy of State Fair of Texas

The Fletcher’s Chocolate Corny Dog consists of milk chocolate fudge hand dipped in Fletcher’s famous Original Corny Dog batter and deep fried until golden perfection. It is topped with a drizzle of yellow vanilla icing (meant to mimic mustard) and served with raspberry compote (meant to mimic ketchup).

The Fletcher's Chocolate Corny Dog will be the deal among the winners, priced at only $7.

Best Taste - Sipper: Tropical Coco Fresca by Fruteria Cano

Tropical Coca Fresca, winner of the Sippers category at the 2026 Big Tex Choice AwardsPhoto courtesy of State Fair of Texas

The Tropical Coco Fresca is a layered pineapple-watermelon agua fresca with chamoy lava Tajin rim, paired with a scoop of icy coconut snow that melts into a creamy tropical explosion of flavors. The drink will go for $12.

Most Creative: Berry Me in Matcha by Stephen El Gidi (pictured, above).

The sweet treat features a New York-style cheesecake hand-dipped in Belgian white chocolate, rolled in crushed matcha cookies, drizzled with white chocolate and sweet strawberry jam, and finished with a fresh strawberry slice on top.

Priced at a relatively expensive $15, it may be the sweet indulgence that fairgoers choose to share.

The State Fair of Texas will run September 25-October 18, giving people plenty of time to try out these winners and the multitude of other food options the event has to offer.

state fair of texas desserts drinks food-drink