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A popular chain restaurant that combines traditional Indian flavors with pizza traces its roots to 51�ԹϺ��� Davis.

When Tejinder “TJ” Singh ’16 was still a student, he turned to his parents for their vast knowledge of Indian spices to add distinctive seasoning to his pizzas.

“There were a lot of trials and errors. It was like a pizza night every day; sometimes even lunch was pizza time,” TJ said, describing turning his kitchen into a laboratory. “[Since] we finalized our menu, it hasn’t changed.”

Originally from Castro Valley, TJ was a third-year transfer student studying communication. His pizza-making hobby helped set the foundation for what is now a national pizza franchise, . 

When a local pizzeria closed, TJ’s pizza became an opportunity. With his family’s support, TJ founded the first Tandoori Pizza location in Dublin, California, in 2015 after years of iterating original dough and sauce recipes with his family during college. 

“We blend our spices. They're not off-shelf spices,” TJ explained, describing his weekly sourcing of whole spices that are grinded and milled into unique powders. In addition to the spices, Tandoori Pizza’s original in-house sauces began with a curry sauce and now also include a makhni sauce and an eggless garlic sauce. “We still do it the same way, how we started originally.”

While Tandoori Pizza has a line of “the classics” pizzas with red tomato sauce, it also offers pizzas with marinated paneer, a thicker cottage cheese mixed with spices. Unlike frozen, mass-produced doughs, Tandoori Pizza uses a fresh dough with an original recipe that produces pies with a “bubbly, crunchier flavor,” TJ explained.

“From the texture, adding yeast, salt and water to the dough, it has to be a correct measurement at correct temperatures,” TJ said, “It's a step-by-step process that my stores do every day.”

Currently, Tandoori Pizza has over 20 active locations in California, New York and Philadelphia, and is looking to expand across five additional states, including Arizona, Ohio and Texas.

New Locations Near 51�ԹϺ��� Davis

Two of the newest Tandoori Pizza locations are located within a quick drive from 51�ԹϺ��� Davis: Elk Grove and downtown Sacramento. Both locations are managed by Brandon Boparai ’20. Originally from Elk Grove, Brandon graduated 51�ԹϺ��� Davis with a degree in economics and a minor in biological sciences. 

“I always wanted to attend 51�ԹϺ��� Davis, stay close to home and be able to see my parents on the weekends,” Brandon said. He found community through the , a student-lead clinic, and the . 

As a student, Brandon met the manager of Tandoori Pizza’s Tracy franchise, Amrit Singh, through mutual friends. When driving to the Bay Area, Brandon and his friends made a point to stop by the Tracy location for pizza and wings. Eventually, Amrit approached Brandon about opening a Tandoori Pizza location in Elk Grove. 

The idea seemed like a good fit, Brandon said. “I loved cooking at home, helping my parents in the kitchen.

“Elk Grove is a great community,” he added. “Everyone's very tightknit, welcoming and friendly.”

The Elk Grove Tandoori Pizza location opened in March 2025. 

Brandon would quickly expand from Elk Grove to the heart of Sacramento’s downtown when he and Amrit opened a location in Downtown Commons, known as DoCo, adjacent to the Golden1 Center, home of the Sacramento Kings. The professional basketball team helped seed the idea of a downtown Tandoori Pizza location after a successful 2024 pop-up.

“We ended up having a long line during halftime,” Singh explained. By the time the 15-minute halftime break concluded, “all of our food was sold out.”

Previous lessons from his time at Davis informed Brandon’s decisions to expand the franchise in the Sacramento region. 

“When you're running a small business, you have to know everything in and out — the gross net sales, the cash flow, the profit margin — and my time at 51�ԹϺ��� Davis taught me very well,” Brandon said. “The faculty and staff were amazing. All the classes I took taught me everything I needed to know for the future.”