Gold Dust Pizza, the family-owned Ripon shop known for its stacked pies and oversized calzones, is rolling into El Dorado Hills Town Center this spring with a fast-casual Express spinoff built for takeout, delivery and quick family dinners.
According to the Sacramento Business Journal, the El Dorado Hills spot will be Gold Dust's first Sacramento-area location and is targeting a spring opening. The move brings the longtime Central Valley brand into the greater Sacramento market and signals that regional independents are still eyeing a northward push.
What Now Sacramento reports the Express unit is taking over the space at 2201 Francisco Drive, Suite 150, with a late April or early May debut on the board. The outlet notes the new shop will seat about 50 guests and include TVs to keep game nights humming.
What To Expect
The Express prototype trims the full-service menu into a tighter, fast-casual lineup while keeping Gold Dust's scratch-made dough and signature pies front and center. The Modesto Express that opened late last year showed the formula: a smaller dining room, an emphasis on takeout and a handful of menu additions, according to reporting by the Modesto Bee via Yahoo.
Where It Will Fit In
El Dorado Hills is already thick with pizza and family-friendly options, so Gold Dust will be stepping into a competitive but loyal crowd. Delivery platforms and local listings put nearby players like Pizza Twist and Steve's Pizza in the mix, with the new Express set to join that lineup, according to Uber Eats.
"Employing young adults and teaching them core life skills is something we take to heart," co-owner Jeremiah Willey told What Now Sacramento. The family says the El Dorado Hills Express will lean on the same dough recipe and rewards app used at its other locations.
Gold Dust has not set a firm grand-opening date yet and is steering fans to its social channels and website for sneak peeks and the official ribbon-cutting details. Locals who do not want to wait can head to the Modesto Express location for a preview of what the Town Center outpost is expected to deliver.
