Mark Thompson’s love of Northern California helped inspire 600 Degrees Pizzeria & Drafthouse’s menu.[/caption]

Last May, Mark Thompson opened a restaurant with his family at which he planned to unite San Francisco-style pizza with craft beer.

A year later, 600 Degrees Pizzeria & Drafthouse is serving so many customers that it has outgrown its location, but has not lost sight of what is important—the pizza, Thompson said.

“We’re crazy about the quality of pie that we put out,” he said. “We’re not money-focused here—we’re making a living, not a killing.”

At the family-owned and -operated restaurant, customers can choose from 25 signature 14-inch pizzas, which are named after areas throughout California, such as the North Beach and the Haight & Ashbury pizzas.

The restaurant also offers single slices of a 24-inch pizza that is cut into six pieces. Customers can build their own slice or choose an option on the signature pizza menu.

Each slice is served with a pickle spear, which Thompson said helps refresh the palate and enhance the pizza’s flavors.

Although Thompson said attention to detail is a priority throughout the process, a particular amount of emphasis is put on two things: the crust and the sauce.

The restaurant uses a sourdough crust, which is prepared the night before it is served to allow time for fermentation. The sauce takes 22 hours to prepare and comes from a secret Thompson family recipe, he said.

“The recipe has been in our family a long time,” Thompson said. “We call it a Brooklyn recipe on steroids. My sons and I will come in at 4 a.m. to do [the] sauce. Only my sons and I can do it because no one else is allowed to touch the recipe.”

Although the Bay Area plays a large part in the restaurant’s concept, Thompson said that he is happy to be in Georgetown.

“We love it here or else we wouldn’t be here,” he said. “We’re proud of the flavor profile and the culture we bring from San Francisco, but we want to let people know we’re not unhappy to be here.”

When its doors opened May 12, Thompson said the restaurant experienced two months of unfortunate events.

“You know things go wrong when you first open,” he said. “We had big-ticket items blowing up or breaking that would happen every day. Our first night I ordered the wrong flour. I had to throw [away] 300 dough balls and 80 quarts of sauce. It was horrifying. We got past it, thank God, but it took a lot to hold our game face.”

The restaurant, which often has a line out the door on weekends, has worked out the kinks everywhere except with space, Thompson said.

“Our space is a problem,” Thompson said. “We either sacrifice space for less seating or grin and bear it until we can expand.”

He said in mid-April he plans to begin conversations with the city and hopes to open for business in the space next door as soon as possible.

In addition to expanding the business, Thompson said he plans to expand the menu, which will include a kebab burger.

“It’s like a rectangle on ciabatta [bread] with Italian peppers and some seasonings,” he said. “It’s a crazy burger that you will go nuts on. It’s going to give the pizza a run for its money.”