Frank Bell has been in the pizza business his whole adult life, building pizzerias as a contractor and running the restaurants as a manager. Now, Bell has invested his life savings betting that Old Sacramento needs another pizza parlor.

Frankie’s Pizza opened last month at 200 K St in the 4,000-square-feet space that was formally the 2 Grand Saloon. He owns the restaurant with his daughter Marissa Bell, 27, a Los Angeles actress.

“Basically all pizza comes down to three things,” Frank Bell told The Bee during an interview in his new restaurant. “It’s the dough, the cheese and the size. That’s what makes a pizza different from one another, no matter how you slice it.”

It’s the cheese

Bell’s secret weapon is the cheese. He said he pays $4 a pound instead of the standard $2.20 a pound for a much higher-quality cheese than is normally used in a pizza restaurant.

“I was fortunate enough to find a supplier that provides the best cheese on the market and it’s very expensive,” he said. “But me starting out and competing with the big dogs out here, I had no choice but to get this cheese.”

In Old Sacramento, Bell competes with the Round Table pizza chain and The Slice Of Old Sacramento pizza parlor, along with countless other pizza restaurants in the Sacramento metro area.

Bell’s specialty is thin-crust pizza. He plans to introduce deep-dish in the next several months, but said he is still experimenting with developing the product and wants to get it just right.

Gov. Newsom, you’re invited

Frankie’s is the first new restaurant in Old Sacramento in several years, except for several establishments that changed concepts. Old Sacramento, which is heavily dependent on tourists, was one of the hardest hit areas during the peak of the pandemic.

Bell said he feels that now is a good time to open a restaurant because more people feel comfortable traveling and eating out.

In addition to pizza, the restaurant’s menu features deep-fried wings, calzones, deep-fried pickles and zucchini salads.

Bell plans a grand opening later this month at a yet-to-be-specified date.

He notes that the historic Fairr building, which houses his restaurant, was the site of a California governor’s ball at the turn-of-the century. Given that history, he said he plans to invite California Gov. Gavin Newsom to his restaurant’s opening ceremony.

This story was originally published September 6, 2022 at 10:00 AM.