Wood-fired pizza & self-pour taps. New Warner Robins restaurant announces opening

Get ready for wood-fired pizza and a self-pour tap wall when Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza & Taproom opens Thursday in Warner Robins.

The new spot at 1012 Ga. 96, Suite 700 and 800, is the first restaurant in Middle Georgia for this Florida-based restaurant brand.

Darshil Patel and Nimesh Patel of Warner Robins, Jigar Patel of Macon and Divyansh Prajapati of McDonough formed Elite Quad Group LLC to open the franchise restaurant. Nimesh Patel later left the partnership.

“Smokin’ Oak Pizza combines everything we value: great food, an amazing environment, and genuine hospitality,” co-owner Darshil Patel said in a news release announcing the opening date. “We’ve known each other for more than 10 years, we’ve grown up here, built our lives here, and now we’re excited to give back with a restaurant that brings something new and fun to the area.”

What’s on the menu at Smokin’ Oak?

Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza & Taproom offers 12 signature pizzas, or customers may build their own from more than 30 cheese, vegetable and meat toppings.

The pizza dough and sauce are made in-house with meats and veggies that are sliced fresh daily. The meats are roasted in the wood-fired oven to infuse a smoky flavor.

Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza & Taproom uses aged oak wood to heat up its oven to about 900 degrees, allowing pizzas to be baked in about two minutes.

The open kitchen design allows customers to see their pizza being made and baked.

The restaurant also offers appetizers, salads and desserts.

Smokin’ Oak uses RFID enabled bracelets to track purchases of customers at the taproom wall. Customers can get a bracelet after a driver’s license check at the counter when they come into the restaurant.

The Warner Robins location is expected to have 30 taps for craft and domestic beer, wine, cider and mixed cocktails.

“Smokin’ Oak Wood-Fired Pizza & Taproom is proud to support passionate, community-minded entrepreneurs like Darshil and his team,” CEO Matt Mongoven said in the news release. “Their energy, passion, and commitment to excellence perfectly reflect the values of our brand, and we’re excited to see the Warner Robins community embrace this new location.”

Darshil Patel, who will manage the new restaurant, previously operated Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin’ locations, according to the news release.

Jigar Patel and Divyansh Prajapati co-own two gas stations and several retail shops, the release said.

The men are first and second-generation immigrants, according to the release.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The number is 478-336-1625.

This story was originally published October 10, 2025 at 10:29 AM.