...In the Beginning

Tomato Jake’s Pizzeria’s humble beginnings go all the way back to 2004. Two best friends were chatting about what they wanted their next move in life to be. One was working for a big pizza chain in the Boston area and the other was a numbers cruncher. A career in the circus was out, so they decided to open a pizza place…

So the two buddies decided to work on a menu and concept for their venture…keeping in mind they had no name and no location. They first started looking around the Boston suburbs and on Cape Cod. Unfortunately, prices for commercial real estate were crazy; this is after all Boston where a cup of clam chowder costs $9. So the numbers cruncher said, “Let’s go south”. Little did they realize south meant 700 miles to North Carolina. So they made several trips to NC, visiting Chapel Hill, Charlotte and Durham. They really liked the triangle and wanted to be near colleges, so Durham seemed like a good central location. South Point Mall is the main shopping hub for the area, so they decided to try and be there, so the lease was signed, and the rest is history!
Tomato Jake’s opened on Tuesday December 13th. 2005. At first people didn’t know what to make of the very funky looking restaurant with menu items that had crazy names like “Mafia Meats”, “Chubby Clubby” & “Holy Moly Ravioli”…but they gave us a chance, and business was great since day one!! Tomato Jake’s is proud to be a part of the culture of the area and the boys are thrilled and humbled that so many people like what they do.

In March 2012 Tomato Jake’s purchased Franklin Street Pizza & pasta on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. So “Jake’s #2” was born and they are so excited to be on the historic and famous Franklin Street.

Thanks to all of Jake’s loyal, fun and diverse customers. We love you all and we look forward to “Tossing Dough & Rolling Meatballs” for years to come… -Jake-