Oath Craft Pizza Softly Opens in South Station

Oath Craft Pizza’s Dougie, Provided

About two dozen people queued up inside the South Station train terminal food court during lunch hour today to try cracker-crisp pizza from a minuscule new shop. Oath Craft Pizza debuted its unique pie in Boston today. It will softly open for lunch all week while the staff is training, before fully launching on Monday, October 26.

By the spring, the greater Boston area will be more familiar with Oath’s gourmet pies: The venture capital-funded outfit plans to open a sit-down pizzeria in Davis Square in March, CEO John Burns said. Expect two other restaurants in high-traffic areas around that time, too—he hasn’t inked those leases yet, so he didn’t divulge the locations— and eventually eight to 10 Boston-area stores by the end of 2016.

The 11-inch pies cook in 90 seconds or less in compact, electric convection ovens. Oath cofounder Doug Ferriman brought his olive oil-infused crust and idea for unique flavor combinations to the Boston brand capital firm Breakaway, and instead of just funding it, Breakaway is all in, said Burns, who was donning a “Crust Fund Baby” T-shirt during this afternoon’s launch. His dayjob is as Breakaway’s chief investment officer, and he said the company’s goal is to build great brands by building solid companies. The pizzeria’s other cofounder, Max Seel, is a Harvard MBA who was working with Breakaway at the time, and he now manages the day-to-day as Oath’s chief operating and financial officer.

Oath opened its first shop on Straight Wharf in Nantucket earlier this spring, a location currently shuttered for the cold months. The brand always had plans to grow, Burns said. It previewed a prototype breakfast pizza during its final week on island, and Burns is excited to further test that menu section at South Station starting on Monday. On Ferriman’s proprietary crust, there will be a French toast-inspired ricotta, cinnamon flake, and maple syrup-topped pizza, and one with egg whites, sausage, and Sriracha drizzle.

For lunch, combinations include the Dougie, a roasted potato and smoked bacon pie drizzled with ranch; the Spicy Mother Clucker, with Sriracha chicken, rosé-pickled red onion, and a sweet and piquant Sriracha drizzle; and the Bella, with roasted cherry tomato and garlic, ricotta, and a balsamic drizzle. There are make-you-own options (“The Selfie”), salads, and a triple chocolate cookie pizza for dessert.

To drink, there are a handful of flavors of organic Tractor Soda Co. on draft—blood orange, cucumber, Tractor cola. The South Station Oath is the first East Coast account for the Idaho-based company.

Beyond its product, Oath is striving to be an employee-focused company; six of the staff that helped open the South Station kiosk were involved on Nantucket. The company also gives its employees the opportunity to direct charity projects: On Nantucket, it partnered with the Boys & Girls Club and Autism Speaks. “By giving employees the opportunity to be part of something important to them in their community, it makes Oath a bigger part of their lives,” Burns said. He’s looking forward to seeing how the Boston crew wants to be involved.

Oath Craft Pizza is celebrating its grand opening at South Station on November 9. Burns expects to begin construction on its Elm Street space in Davis Square early next yearfor the anticipated March debut.

Oath Craft Pizza, South Station, 700 Atlantic Ave., Boston; 857-305-6222, oathpizza.com.