Round Table Pizza opens in Oakland's troubled Hegenberger corridor
OAKLAND – Some good news finally for the troubled Hegenberger business corridor near the Oakland airport. A Round Table Pizza restaurant recently opened in the Hegenberger Plaza. It is believed to be the first restaurant or retail business to open along the corridor since 2023.
Many businesses there have shut down in the last 18 months, citing rampant crime. They include In-N-Out, Denny's, Black Bear Diner, Starbucks, Subway and a large Hilton hotel.
The popular Raising Cane's and a nearby Taco Bell shut down their dining rooms to prevent car break-ins and robberies. They only offer drive-thru service.
The Round Table Pizza restaurant opened about a month ago by franchisee Anjam Singh in the space that was previously occupied by the Raider Image. The Raider Image closed in 2019, right before the Raiders moved to Las Vegas in 2020.
Singh said it was not an easy decision to open in the Hegenberger Plaza and a lot of people questioned him.
"Family, friends, yes, [they asked,] 'Why would you want to do it?' But each business you open up, it is a risk and higher the risk, higher the reward," Singh said.
Singh said he saw an opportunity and a need for the area given the lack of food choices there.
"This is the right spot where we can actually serve almost half of Oakland from this site, and also cater to the airport and the hotels and their customers," Singh said.
Unlike the big corporations, Singh said as a franchisee, he is small, nimble, and can make quick changes.
He believes his business model will help him thrive in the area.
"Right now, we are not doing dine-in but it is ready for it. When we'd like to start, we can," Singh said.
It's delivery and take-out only. Also, they don't accept cash.
"No cash accepted, so we only take card payments. We don't have any cash drawers," Singh said.
He said the soft opening has been better than expected with a lot of happy customers in the first month of business. He said someone did cut a hole in the roof and break in within the first couple of weeks. But nothing was taken since they were cashless.
"I think it's a good thing that they're investing in Oakland. They're going to [need] plenty of security," said customer Katrina Banks.
Many customers and neighbors support the restaurant and appreciate a new food option.
"Everybody likes pizza, so Round Table is a good option to me," Banks said.
"We welcome any establishment that's willing to come here with open arms. I didn't expect it," said customer Mel Luckett of East Oakland resident.
Mayor Sheng Thao said Oakland police have been stepping up patrols in the Hegenberger area and crime is down.
"Once we get that corridor back to where it needs to be, we're going to see a whole different space there, including more businesses, more hotels, more people," said Mayor Thao.
Singh admitted the area was a work in progress but believed his restaurant could ignite a new beginning for the area.
"We really hope that folks, like other business folks, can use us as an example that 'hey, they did it, why not the other folks can do it'?" Singh said.
Singh will hold a grand opening celebration at the store on Thursday around 4 pm. He said all pizzas will be 50% off this entire grand opening week. Singh said people ordering online can use the discount code "OAKGRAND50".
