As the clock strikes 3 p.m. on a Tuesday, Outta Sight Pizza’s head chef, Sean Sieling, is enjoying a rare moment of calm before the expected dinner surge.
In just an hour, federal employees will flood into the restaurant as they conclude their workday, prompting Sieling to start churning out pizzas at a relentless pace until closing time five hours later.
Earlier that day, a sizeable order for 20 pies arrived via DoorDash, causing a delay of about an hour for the subsequent online orders.
“We feel a lot of responsibility for everybody that gets into line, to provide them the same experience whether they’re here at 11 o’clock when we open, or 9 o’clock when we’re saying, ‘Hey, we’re closing,’” Sieling expressed.
“Everybody deserves the same slice of pizza or the same sandwich.”
In a neighborhood still striving to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Outta Sight Pizza at 422 Larkin St. in the Tenderloin consistently garners a line of eager customers stretching out the door.
Since its opening in 2023, the establishment has garnered praise from critics and locals alike.
Emerging from a series of popups in the Mission District, the flagship restaurant’s success has propelled owners Peter Dorrance and Eric Ehler to launch a second location in Chinatown earlier this year.
Dorrance sheds light on the recipe for their success, emphasizing that there are no hidden secrets—just a commitment to delivering delicious food and being situated in bustling areas.
“When we first opened up the Tenderloin location, the common remark was, ‘Why would you open up there?’ And it would just make us so mad, like, why wouldn’t we?” Dorrance articulated.
“There’s no place in the city that is going to have that much foot traffic. We didn’t know we’d be that big, but it worked out.”
Part of their triumph can be attributed to the Tenderloin’s advantageous location, which draws foot traffic from numerous government offices, including Civic Center, University of California San Francisco Law, the library, and the Asian Art Museum.
Their new location in Chinatown at 643 Clay St. is strategically positioned near the Financial District, just a block away from the iconic Transamerica Pyramid.
Dorrance notes that large catering orders for corporate events contribute significantly to the financial stability of both locations.
With backgrounds in fine dining, including experience at the Michelin-starred restaurant Mister Jiu’s, both Dorrance and Ehler infuse their culinary expertise and workplace ethics into Outta Sight’s operations.
The restaurant’s unique pizza offerings extend beyond traditional toppings, featuring options like jerk chicken, peking duck, mapo tofu, and jalapeño poppers.
In stark contrast to the often demanding culture of fine dining, Outta Sight prioritizes a healthy work-life balance, ensuring employees from both front-of-house and back-of-house roles are treated equally—receiving the same tips and benefits.
Despite the booming business, Dorrance admits he sometimes questions if it’s enough.
While their gross sales consistently increase each year, escalating costs related to produce, insurance, and utilities, along with the occasional issue of a malfunctioning freezer, contribute to slim profit margins.
“None of us went to business school,” Dorrance remarked.
“It’s like trial and error.”
However, amidst the aromatic atmosphere redolent with crushed tomatoes, hope simmers like rising pizza dough.
“There are so many nonprofits and people in the Tenderloin and in that community that have been constantly fighting for the youth and elderly and underprivileged for 20-plus years,” Dorrance stated.
“On day one when we started building out, they’d come into the shop and say, I want to introduce myself.
There’s a sense of pride that they have down there, and you get washed in it.”
Sieling encapsulates the spirit of the restaurant, stating, “If we can make it here, we can make it anywhere, right?”
image source from：missionlocal
