"He Was There Every Weekend and Would Eat Like Nine Pizzas"
"He Was There Every Weekend and Would Eat Like Nine Pizzas"
The Time Hollywood Took Over Deep End Pizza (And We Didn't Even Realize It)
Posted by Hostess Kate | Deep End Pizza
Okay, so. I need to tell you about the most surreal five months of our lives at Deep End Pizza.
You know how sometimes you see someone and think "I swear I know that guy from somewhere"? That's exactly what happened when this friendly American walked in one evening. Familiar face, good energy, ordered some pizzas. I did what I always do with American guests—asked where he was from, chatted about the States, made him feel at home.
Normal Tuesday in Fitzroy, right?
Wrong.
Week One: Wait, Have I Seen You Before?
The next week, he came back. But this time he brought a friend.
That friend was Michael Peña.
MICHAEL. PEÑA.
And that's when I realized: Oh my god. That "regular" from last week was Jake Lacy. From The White Lotus. And I'd just casually asked him where in America he was from like we were making small talk at a BBQ.
I felt like a complete idiot. Chef Paul & the team laughed at me for days.
Week Two: Okay, This Is Getting Interesting
Jake and Michael became regulars. They'd come in, order a bunch of pizzas, clearly just happy to have somewhere low-key to hang out. We treated them like any other guests because, honestly, what else are you supposed to do? They're just people who want good pizza and a break from whatever intense thing they're filming.
Then Jake started bringing more friends. Jay Ellis one week. Then a few more.
Week Three: The Full Hollywood Takeover
And THEN.
One night, Jake Lacy, Sarah Snook, Dakota Fanning, Michael Peña, Jay Ellis, Abby Elliott, and Sophia Lillis all walked in together.
The entire cast of All Her Fault—this massive Peacock series they were filming in Melbourne—just casually showed up for dinner.
Paul and I exchanged this look across the restaurant like "...is this real life?"
Here's the thing though. These people were spending five months away from their families, filming a psychological thriller about a missing child. Emotionally exhausting work. The last thing they needed was us freaking out or treating them like zoo animals.
So we didn't.
We served them great pizza, gave them space to breathe, and let them be normal humans on their night off. No selfie requests. No special treatment. Just the same hospitality we give everyone who walks through our door.
Apparently, that made all the difference.
The Instagram Tag That Changed Everything
Fast forward eight months. The cast has wrapped and gone home. We're back to normal life, serving our regular Fitzroy crowd, making pizzas, doing our thing.
Then Jake Lacy tags us on Instagram.
My phone goes off and I'm like "...wait, what?"
I slide into his DMs (professionally, obviously) and he responds:
"We out here reppin' Deep End in legit EVERY interview! Oh man I love it there. I keep telling people 'they say they can do all four types of pizza! Most places can't even do ONE right! But these crush every style! It's unreal!'"
I literally had to read it three times.
They were talking about us. On press junkets. In interviews with major publications. And we had no idea.
The Press Tour Receipts
Once we knew to look, we found them EVERYWHERE:
Jake Lacy to Bustle Magazine: "There was a pizza place called Deep End that I scouted out because I love pizza — and shout out to Deep End, we would go there once a week. First it was Michael Peña and Jay and I, and then we were like, 'We really should get other people involved.'"
Sarah Snook to news.com.au: When talking about Jake discovering Deep End Pizza on his own: "He was there every weekend and would eat like nine pizzas."
NINE. PIZZAS.
Sarah Snook—Emmy-winning, Tony-winning, absolute legend Sarah Snook—was watching Jake Lacy's Deep End Pizza consumption with amused fascination and reporting it to the media.
I don't know whether to be honored or concerned for Jake's stomach capacity.
(Okay, I'm definitely honored.)
Article Reference from news.com.au
To Jake, Sarah, Dakota, Michael, Jay, Abby, Sophia, and the Whole Cast
Thank you for trusting us with your time off. Thank you for the incredibly kind words. Thank you for eating nine pizzas. (Jake, seriously, how?)
And thank you for reminding us why we do this: to create a space where everyone—whether you're a Hollywood star or a Fitzroy local—can sit down, eat authentic pizza, and feel at home.