Surfside Pizza

What Surfside Pizza does

Surfside Pizza is a single-location, family-owned pizzeria operating at 216 Avenida Vaquero in San Clemente, California, owned by restaurateur Pietro (Peter) Cimino as part of the broader Cimino family restaurant legacy dating to 1977. The business serves handcrafted pizzas, Italian favorites (salads, pasta, sandwiches), appetizers, desserts (cookies, gelato), and beverages through dine-in service, takeout, and online ordering, with the physical storefront operating daily from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm. The restaurant features outdoor patio seating with a coastal-Italian theme, checkered tablecloths, and surf-themed decor targeting both local residents and coastal visitors.

The underlying technology infrastructure is built on the Popmenu SaaS platform, which powers the company's website, online ordering system, menu management, customer review program, and digital marketing tools. Accessibility compliance is supported through a partnership with Level Access. The company also maintains a free VIP loyalty membership program offering exclusive events, secret menus, special offers, and discounts, alongside a review incentive program with monthly prize drawings to drive digital word-of-mouth.

The revenue model is based on direct food and beverage sales through dine-in and takeout, supplemented by quote-based catering services for corporate events, private parties, and community gatherings. Pricing is unit-based for menu items and inquiry-based for catering, with no publicly disclosed price points. Primary customer segments are local San Clemente residents and coastal visitors seeking casual Italian dining, with a secondary catering segment for groups and organizations. The business is privately held with no external investment or parent company structure beyond individual founder ownership, and operates with a lean team of approximately 7 employees.

Name

Surfside Pizza

Website

https://surfsidepizzeria.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Surfside Pizza is a family-owned, single-location pizzeria in San Clemente, California, owned by Pietro Cimino. It serves handcrafted pizzas, Italian favorites, and desserts via dine-in, takeout, online ordering, and catering for local residents and coastal visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pizzeria / Casual Italian Dining Restaurant

NAICS

Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251), Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAFABAB

Pizza Fast Casual

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Fast Casual Restaurants

SECONDARYTHAFACAI

Brasseries, Bistros & Trattorias

Travel & Hospitality/Foodservice & Beverage (Restaurants, Cafes, Bars)/Full-Service Restaurants (Casual & Fine Dining)

Keywords

• Handcrafted pizza
• Italian dining
• Pizzeria restaurant
• Pizza takeout
• Catering services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Clemente

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Food and Beverage Sales: Direct food sales including handcrafted pizzas, Italian favorites, appetizers, salads, pasta, desserts, gelato, and beverages for dine-in, takeout, and delivery orders
2. Catering Services: Catering inquiries for events with customizable menu options based on number of servings and event requirements

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Surfside Pizza is a single-location pizzeria in San Clemente, California that serves handcrafted pizzas, Italian favorites (salads, pasta, sandwiches), appetizers, desserts, and beverages. The restaurant offers dine-in service with outdoor patio seating, takeout and online ordering through the Popmenu-powered website, and catering services for events. The business is family-owned and operates as a traditional neighborhood pizzeria rooted in the Cimino family restaurant legacy since 1977.

Product overview

Surfside Pizza is a local pizzeria offering a single-location restaurant with handcrafted pizzas, Italian favorites (salads, pasta, sandwiches), appetizers, desserts (cookies, gelato, ice cream), and beverages. The business operates primarily as a traditional dine-in and takeout restaurant with an online ordering system, catering services for events, and a VIP loyalty membership program. All products and services are offered through a single physical location in San Clemente, CA, with no modular platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pizzas Handcrafted pizzas featuring various toppings including pepperoni, cheese, and vegetarian options, with golden crusts and melted mozzarella. Served for dine-in, takeout, online ordering, and catering to local San Clemente residents and visitors.
• Salads and Pasta Italian-style salads and pasta dishes complementing the pizza offerings on the Surfside Pizza menu.
• Appetizers Starters including mozzarella sticks and other Italian-style appetizers served at the San Clemente pizzeria.
• Sandwiches Italian-style sandwiches offered as an alternative to pizza on the Surfside Pizza menu.
• Cookies and Gelato Dessert items including cookies and Italian-style gelato offered on the Surfside Pizza menu.
• Fruit Smoothies Fresh fruit smoothies served as a beverage option alongside other drinks on the Surfside Pizza menu.
• Catering Services Catering services for events with customizable menu options and serving sizes, offered to groups and organizations for corporate events, private parties, and community gatherings. Pricing is quote-based on desired date, pickup time, and number of servings.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• PopmenucoreTechnology or IntegrationPopmenu provides the website platform powering Surfside Pizza's online presence, including menu management, online ordering capabilities, customer review system, and marketing tools. The partnership enables the pizzeria to offer digital ordering and customer engagement features.
• Level AccesssupportingTechnology or IntegrationLevel Access partners with Popmenu to provide accessibility solutions for Surfside Pizza's website, ensuring compliance with accessibility standards for users with disabilities.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Round Table Pizza: Long-standing California pizza chain with dine-in family restaurant format. Competes in the same casual dine-in pizza category as Surfside Pizza across the Western US, with comparable menu breadth and family-friendly positioning.
• Mountain Mike's Pizza: California-headquartered pizza chain with locations across the West Coast, including Southern California coastal markets. Directly comparable as a casual dine-in/takeout pizza operator targeting similar family and casual dining occasions.
• Pieology Pizzeria: California-based fast-casual pizza chain emphasizing customizable pizzas. Targets the same casual pizza occasion as Surfside Pizza but with a counter-service, assembly-line format—representing a key competitive alternative in the same geography.
• Mama Cimino's: Another Cimino-family concept operated by the same owner in Las Vegas. Same operator, same Italian family-style cuisine orientation, comparable dine-in casual format—relevant for benchmarking unit economics and brand transferability.
• Pizza Bar: Sibling concept also owned by Pietro Cimino in Laguna Beach, CA. Operates as an Italian pizzeria with dine-in, takeout, and coastal positioning—same operator, same cuisine family, same business model as Surfside Pizza.

Broad incumbents

• California Pizza Kitchen: Larger California-based casual dining chain known for inventive pizzas and broader Italian menu. Comparable in offering handcrafted pizzas plus salads, pasta, and appetizers in a full-service casual setting, but at significantly greater scale.
• MOD Pizza: National fast-casual pizza chain operating in Southern California. Competes for the same customizable pizza occasion as Surfside Pizza, but with a standardized counter-service model and substantially broader footprint.
• Blaze Pizza: Fast-casual pizza chain with strong Southern California presence and customizable assembly-line format. Represents a scaled competitive alternative targeting similar dine-in and takeout pizza occasions.
• Domino's Pizza: Largest US pizza chain, dominant in delivery and digital ordering. Competes for takeout and delivery pizza occasions in Surfside Pizza's trade area and has invested heavily in the same Popmenu-style digital ordering capabilities.

Regional players

• Pizza Port: Southern California craft pizza and brewpub chain with locations across San Diego and Orange County coastal markets. Closest comparable in combining a craft/handcrafted pizza positioning with a casual dine-in coastal community atmosphere.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/surfside-pizza

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Surfside Pizza