Popular pizza place in Queen Anne gains new owners

After serving as Zeeks Pizza corporate’s test store for a number of years, the popular Queen Anne restaurant location has been taken over by two Queen Anne residents.

Ben Barker, a frequent customer and vice president at CBRE, and Josh Snider, the longtime manager of Queen Anne Zeeks, bought the business from Zeeks corporate as a franchise in late September.

Barker said his decision to launch the business venture with Snider as his partner is in part an emotional one as he loves the pizza shop, and his family has spent many pleasant hours at the establishment (1915 Queen Anne Ave. N., across from Trader Joe’s).

“My son asks for pizza all the time. My wife loves it there. I love it there,” Barker said. “We spend a ton of time there.”

Barker said he also saw the purchase as an opportunity to make some changes in how the restaurant functions in the community.

“I think from a business perspective [Zeeks corporate] could have done a better job in some stuff as far as running the store up here,” he said, such as helping children’s sports teams raise money, expanding the wine selection to include options not made in the Northwest and adding breakfast options to the menu.

Although Barker said his learning curve is pretty steep — he’s never owned a restaurant before or dealt with a point-of-sale system, baked a pizza or poured a beer professionally.

Luckily, he has Snider to help him learn.

Snider has worked at Zeeks in some fashion for the better part of 18 years. He put himself through college working as a server, bartender and then manager at the Queen Anne establishment, before taking a position in Zeeks corporate and then returning to the Queen Anne restaurant location.

When he had first heard customers discussing the possibility of buying the restaurant from Zeeks and running it as a franchise, Snider said he was a little taken aback because he thought they were joking. After Barker pitched the idea that they buy the restaurant and run it as partners as a serious proposal, Snider said he thought it made sense and was something he had thought about for a long time.

“I know 90 percent of our customers,” Snider said. “It’s a real cool community up here. It’s a really special spot.”

Snider compares the Zeeks restaurant on upper Queen Anne to an English pub, with a focus on community, where parents can take their children for pizza or meet up with friends for a beer after work.

“Not to ‘Cheers’ it up, but it really is a place where people know your name, know your order, know your family,” Snider said. 

As a franchisee, Snider said he and Barker have freedom to make changes and additions while still operating under the Zeeks Pizza name and franchise.

Barker said, as the franchiser, Zeeks corporate supports the Queen Anne restaurant and bar, buys advertising, provides the generalized point sale system, distributes the dough for the shops and more.

But Barker and Snider have more leeway to add their stamp to the popular restaurant.

“Obviously, there are some certain things we have to pass by HQ, but I still feel like we’re part of the Zeeks family,” Snider said. “We want to maintain the brand, obviously. It’s something I care deeply about.”

Now that Barker and Snider have finalized all the business details, the pair are considering what additions they want to make at the restaurant.

Currently, they are considering adding a trivia night, expanding outside seating options and adding brunch options.

Snider said Zeeks corporate tested breakfast pizza at the Queen Anne shop in the past, but even though the food was really good, customers were not sold on the idea.

“I think, at the time, people had a hard time crossing the bridge between pizza and breakfast,” Snider said.

He is confident, however, that presented with the right situation, perhaps in the form of a party or special occasion, people will realize how delicious breakfast pizza can be.

“I think getting people in the door for a party and getting people to taste it is the biggest hurdle,” Snider said.

Barker and Snider have ideas for future stores, as well.

Barker said, after they solidify their plans at the Queen Anne store and secure a business loan, he would like to expand Zeeks by opening a store or two in the Kitsap County foothills, specifically in Cle Elum, Roslyn or Suncadia, where Barker owns a house. The area needs a good pizza business, Barker said. First, however, he wants to make sure he and Snider can run a successful operation in their own neighborhood.