The Real Story Behind Bar Pie Guys, and Why It's Coming Back to Palo Alto on July 31
Bar Pie Guys is popping up at Square Pie Guys Palo Alto for one night on Friday, July 31. Here's the story behind it.
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How Bar Pie Guys Was Born
In 2024, Square Pie Guys was already operating out of several ghost kitchens. Founder Marc Schechter started asking a different question: what if instead of running Square Pie Guys through those spaces, we built something new? That became Bar Pie Guys, a separate sub-brand built around thin, bar-style pies and a completely different way of operating.
The team kept Square Pie Guys as the focus, but the concept gave Marc a reason to get back to something personal. He grew up in New York, on Long Island, where thin bar-style pizza wasn't a specialty. It was just pizza. Getting back to that style, and doing it through pop-ups at smaller local spots like Snakker, reconnected him with the intimate format Square Pie Guys originally came from.
The Pop-Up Chapter
With the ghost kitchen model set aside, Bar Pie Guys became a pop-up concept. Small crowds, intimate setups, a focused menu. A handful of events ran. They worked. Then Square Pie Guys opened Campbell, Palo Alto, and Walnut Creek all in 2025, three locations in one year, and the pop-up format quietly went on pause while the team kept everything else running.
Why Palo Alto, Why Now
The Palo Alto location at 369 California Ave is one of the newest in the portfolio. Bringing Bar Pie Guys back there for one night felt like the right fit. New energy for the room, a concept with a proven track record, and a real test of whether it has a home as something recurring.
What July 31 Looks Like
One night, full transformation. Checkered tablecloths, candles on the tables, staff in bow ties. The atmosphere is deliberately over the top for bar pizza. That's kind of the whole point. Thin, crispy bar-style pies à la carte, same as it always was. If the room fills up and it feels right, Bar Pie Guys becomes a regular thing at Palo Alto.
Come find out.