That whole San Antonio complex is a disaster to visit. It is a glorified strip mall and extremely unfriendly to pedestrians, bicycles, and transit riders, even though a large community lives nearby. I don't even feel comfortable walking from the Safeway to this pizza shop.

Sad for them but I'm not terribly surprised.

We agree with the previous comment. The massive parking lots and discontinuous sidewalks make this shopping center very hazardous for pedestrians. Maybe it is OK if you are visiting just one store or restaurant, but trying to walk from store to store is too dangerous for our family. How did this monstrosity ever get approved and built? We're not surprised that family-oriented small businesses are failing.

I agree that the parking lot there was a mess but I was always able to park in the garage and safely cross the streets to go to Pizza Studio. Lots of other people must have been able to as well because it was generally full, as the original post states. I am sad that it is closed but discovered there is one in Palo Alto on Cal Ave so I will have to head over there for my pizza studio fix.

I avoid that center entirely. If I have to go into the SA Canter to get something, it's a deal breaker, I'll go elsewhere, and I know I'm not alone in that thought. That will continue to make it a struggle for many businesses in that center. It's sad.
This is what happens when you let developers run crazy.

I second the gripe about the lousy layout of the new San Antonio Center for pedestrians. It's ironic. It was supposed to be encouraging of mass transit use. Yeah, right.

As for Pizza Studio, here's hoping the location they opened nearby is truly doing better than the San Antonio Center location. That location has been a series of fast food restaurants opening since the old KFC there closed years ago. The World Wraps place was nice but didn't get enough business. The Wahoo's Fish Taco's place before that, ditto. It says something that they prefer this location to San Antonio Center!

I agree with the comments above. Despite all the stress on "walkability" by the city council that approved the design, the SA complex is a disaster. Pizza Studio was a bright spot and now it's gone. And I agree that the parking lot is dangerous if you are trying to get around on foot to the sotre on the periphery. In the end it's a car centric disaster.

I have also found that the novelty of Pacific Catch has faded. Paul Martins is still able to perform.

My understanding is that the Cal Ave. Pizza Studio abruptly shuttered as well.

If the whole chain shuttered, I guess they can't compete with Pieology.

@ No Pizza For You

That's right - the Palo Alto Pizza Studio is also closed, as of this Monday. There's a note on the front door thanking customers but giving no explanation.

It's funny, just last week they were packed to the brim with lunchtime customers for a $5 pizza deal. Maybe they were clearing out their inventory for the closure?

The corporate website no longer lists any local locations. They apparently still exist in So Cal and other states. I don't see any news section on their site where they might mention closing down Bay Area locations.

The San Antonio Center is a disaster. Worst part is the stoplight on San Antonio for Fayette Dr crossing. Hundreds of cars backed up in both directions on San Antonio and these idiots have put in a two minute stoplight at Fayette so that 2 cars and a pedestrian can cross San Antonio. Traffic engineering at its finest!

It seems all the francished Pizza Studios in the bay area are closed on the same day. A quick listing in yelp confirms it. They are also no longer listed on the corporate website as locations. The francisee is Studio 37, LLC. I have no idea what happened. But it seems the San Antionio Shopping Center design cannot be blamed for it.

I've actually driven into the SA Center with the intention of checking things out, but the parking lot was such a psycho mess I just drove right out.
I've come to realize there is nothing in that center that, if needed, I can't get somewhere else. It's a nuclear dead zone for me. Glad I don't have to regularly negotiate that area.

Funny that people complain that they don't go there bc the place is too crowded. I guess other people don't share that view...as they are the ones making it crowded!

I do agree that it is a poor layout for pedestrians.

Agreed, it is always jammed up, but poor design will cause that even without maximized patronage. Part of the mess is just getting into the place from the surrounding area then once you get in...elch.

It's not a major thing, it's not like I even really think about it until someone brings it up. When I lived in SF there were parts of town I avoided as well. It's the same sort of thing here where the locals who don't like crowds and clogs just learn where the better areas are and avoid the clogged up areas altogether.

My guess is that the Palo Alto and Mountain View stores were operated by the same franchisee who was not breaking even, thus both operations were halted.

It's probable that this brand is dead for the foreseeable near future in the South Peninsula. This does not preclude the possibility of this brand opening in other parts of the SF Bay Area (like the East Bay), but such an endeavor would probably be operated by a different franchisee.

Yeah, the parking lot is crowded but most of those people are going to Safeway, Starbucks, or The Counter. Maybe Paul Martin's on Thu, Fr, Sat evenings. I don't think any of the other businesses in that center are doing well.

Pedestrian Woes, I believe you are confusing Studio Pizza with Pieology which currently resides in the location that had the string of fast food places you mentioned.

My friend went there every month to eat pizza. But two years ago, I went with him on his birthday to eat pizza. He got a free pizza. But for me this eatery did not appeal to me, and I never went back. So I am not surprised that it closed. But these series of buildings where the eateries are, are very hard to access due to the way the parking is laid out, along with the walkways. Just walking from my car to the front entrance of Safeway is a hazard as cars are going every which way they can. This center is not pedestrian friendly, to say the least!

Veggie Grill seems to be doing well. I hope they stay, they are my new favorite restaurant for lunch (and I'm not even vegetarian).

What a shame that they had to close. I definitely supported their business. Although I loved their pizza, I dreaded the shopping center and would only go there during off-times. Heaven forbid if I actually had to go there at 'Lunch time'. Good luck finding parking and getting out of there before your lunch time is over! Why do the bay area cities allow all of this new construction and only supply two parking spaces? The traffic going to and circling around the parking lots is literally a turn-off. Businesses may be doing well there, but they could be doing even better if the layout of the center was better planned.

I disagree with hard. The whole San Antonio complex was even more of a disaster to visit in recent years. That was before the complex was redeveloped. It was difficult not to mention it wasn't pedestrian friendly walking from Kohl's over to both Ross and Walmart.

I'm glad that it has been much improved and is a shopping center worth visiting.

Whiners and cry babies.

There's a sea of parking on top of the Safeway right there. I've never had a problem parking. Heaven forbid you have to walk more than 20 steps!

My kids loved the Pizza Studio. Looks like they're going out of business.. or at least downsizing significantly. Lots of locations closed recently.

Parking headaches try London and you would only know pain. The place is new, more businesses and restaurants on that corner compared to only the Burger King being pre phase one.

Safeway is large, fancy and new, people love having the extras instead of the old California Street Safeway.

The idea of Pizza Studio sounded it great but I guess expansion into Northern California didn't work out that well. Look what happened to Fresh and Easy and Fresh Market in Palo Alto.

With all the business going out of business, it is a direct result.

Crowded? Sure. does that make it bad? For some. Look at Berkeley Bowl. Well known for over 10 years for a parking lot nightmare and CRAZY drivers vying for parking spots...yet (some) people still love it. Others don't. Depends on what you want.

I've only been to San Antonio complex a couple of times since it opened; to go to Safeway. The place is a total cluster. Even though a simple "strip mall" is ugly by comparison they are way easier to navigate. I usually bike there but no matter what mode of transport I use there are way too many random traffic patterns and most drivers haven't a clue. I guess they're trying to make it feel like a cozy European city with residential over commercial but it's not working, especially with American drivers. Perhaps they could tear it all down and start over?

You have to sell a LOT of pizza to pay Silicon Valley rents, probably did not pencil out. Aside from that, the 'new' San Antonio has been a huge disappointment so far. Federal Realty developer of Santana Row, purchased 33 acres for 60M, have no idea how that will pan out. Merlone Geier has done a lousy job IMO, their anchor store is a Safeway? That's a real draw.

Our family regularly patronized both the Palo Alto and Mountain View Pizza Studios. They were cheap, fast, reasonably good, and individually customizable. When you have one extremely picky eater in the family (on the autistic spectrum, where narrow food preferences are very common), you cherish every affordable restaurant you all agree on. We tried the Pieology at El Camino and Cambridge once, which is the same sort of place, but we didn't think it was nearly as good as Pizza Studio.

We actually tried to go to the one in MV on the very night it closed, and its sudden closure made me wonder if either the whole company went under, or it pulled out of the Bay Area market, maybe due to the high overhead. Internet research yielded no comment from the company at all, but there was one comment from another patron on the Facebook page of the MV location:

"Sad! Bay area locations are closed as of yesterday! I went to MountainView and Palo Alto to find the same note. A friend visited Los Gatos and it was the same. Sent an email to address on the door and was told they didn't sell enough pizza. Guessing it was the same franchise owner at all local locations. The nearest location is southern California."

The Pizza Studio Locations page indeed now lists no northern California locations. I hope the company makes it back here one of these years.

While the SA plaza could do with some parking and walkability improvements, it's as if no one remembers the acres of unwelcoming blacktop that ringed the now-departed Sears like a moat. And the Walmart side of the plaza doesn't even pretend to facilitate walking from your car to the store, much less from another store.

In the words of the late, great Yogi Berra..."Nobody goes there anymore, cause it's too crowded".

Update - There is a new sign on the door which says "Temporarily closed -- Merlone Geier". Wonder what that means.

One more thing. Why is every parking space outside that whole row of businesses limited to 15 minutes?

It's a good point that a lot of people do visit the center. But as others pointed out, a lot more people would visit if the center were more accessible to pedestrians and bikers, since the area has become quite a center of high-density housing.

I think MG could improve the center with a small amount of investment, but I don't think we will ever see that investment made.

Too bad, I didn't know about Pizza Studio in MV closing. I went today and saw the sign. Since it mentions "closed temporarily" maybe corporate will take over the location or is trying to find another franchisee?

It was decent lunch at a decent price. I hope they do reopen.

Just wanted to share that Pizza Studio has reopened. Pizza fans rejoice!

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