A pizza concept built by a 13-time world champion is set to open its doors in Tracy on November 21, bringing Slice House to a corner of San Joaquin County that's rapidly filling up with new rooftops. Slice House will occupy a spot inside the Ellis Village Center retail development in South Tracy.
The planned Tracy opening was reported by WhatNow. The Tracy location is part of the Slice House chain associated with Tony Gemignani, the San Francisco-based pizzaiolo who became the first American and non-Neapolitan to win the World Champion Pizza Maker title at the 2007 World Pizza Cup in Naples, Italy, according to World Pizza Champions. He has since collected 13 world pizza championship titles across multiple culinary categories.
A Multi-Style Menu Lands in a Booming Retail Corridor
Slice House distinguishes itself from single-style pizza chains by serving multiple pizza styles and whole pies cooked in specialized ovens under one roof, according to the WhatNow report and 1851 Franchise. WhatNow's reporting also covers the planned Tracy opening. Slice House is described as a growing franchise, with expansion continuing beyond its existing footprint.
The Tracy store is landing inside a retail hub built specifically to serve a wave of new residents. Ellis Village Center is a 49,000-square-foot outdoor development constructed by Regency Centers to serve the 2,500-home Ellis master-planned community and more than 10,000 planned homes in the surrounding trade area, according to Bisnow. Specialty grocer Sprouts Farmers Market celebrated its own grand opening in September as the 23,000-square-foot anchor of Ellis Village Center South, joining a fully committed tenant roster that includes Slice House, Chipotle, Paris Baguette, and Wingstop, Bisnow reported in an earlier piece.
Why National Chains Are Circling South Tracy
The demographics behind the development help explain the interest from national brands. Regency Centers' own retail data shows the three-mile trade area around Ellis Village Center holds roughly 69,000 residents with an average household income exceeding $169,000, according to a sponsored report from Axios. The report also discusses housing growth and a mix of local and national tenants.
Tracy's growth is not incidental. The city is executing its General Plan Update 2050, according to the City of Tracy. Slice House is not the only Northern California pizza brand in the regional conversation — broader coverage has examined the sector's growth.
Gemignani's Brand Keeps Scaling Beyond the Bay
Gemignani's flagship San Francisco pizzeria, Tony's Pizza Napoletana, is part of the restaurant portfolio associated with Gemignani, underscoring the track record behind the fast-casual spinoff now arriving in Tracy. In February, Slice House was named to 1851 Franchise's list of the Fastest Growing Emerging Franchises of 2026 as it continued to grow.
The Tracy opening also lands just ahead of another Northern California debut. Slice House has announced a location at The Streets of Brentwood in Contra Costa County, scheduled to open in October and expected to bring approximately 30 full- and part-time jobs to that region, according to Contra Costa News. Exact staffing figures for the Tracy store have not been disclosed for comparison, and the construction timeline for the remainder of Ellis Village Center South's buildout remains unclear.
