Alex’s Brown Bag is changing its latitude from north Pacific Beach to Mother’s Saloon in Ocean Beach.
Brie Cosgrove, general manager of Mother’s, at 2228 Bacon St., said the move of Alex’s eatery from Latitude 32 on Cass Street is a fait accompli.
“Colin, the owner of Mother’s is a good friend of Jim Mullen the owner of Alex’s,” said Cosgrove, noting Mullen was looking for a new venue and her boss was “glad to brainstorm with him and they came up with the merger.”
An ex-Philadelphian, Mullen had been renting out the kitchen at Latitude 32 for some time with Alex’s, years after coming to San Diego in 1987.
“Alex’s used to be in Mister A’s in Banker’s Hill downtown, and I told Alex to let me know if he ever wanted to sell the place,” said Mullen. “He called me up in 2004 and asked if I was still interested. I was in Mr. A’s for eight years doing breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.”
Concerning his impending move, Mullen said, “We’ve wanted to get into Mother’s for awhile. It’s down the street from my house and the owner is my buddy. We finally made it work.”
Mullen talked about the Alex’s-Mother’s merger, noting it will reflect the best of both restaurants and their cuisines.
“I’ve been over there training with their staff on how to make our cheesesteaks, sauces, etc.,” Mullen said adding, “One side will be East-Coast food (Alex’s), and the other side (Mother’s) will be West-Coast food.”
Mullen added Alex’s has a large following, which he will bringing along with his cuisine to Mothers.
“Now that I will be in OB and it’s easier to get to (from the freeway), my old patrons will be able to come out once a week rather than once a month,” Mullen said.
Cosgrove of Mother’s said the new merged eateries will debut Saturday, Feb. 16.
“All the new menu items will be half price all day,” she said, adding Mother’s will continue serving its tasty menu featuring chicken wings and salads along with the addition of Alex’s delicious cheesesteaks and delectable sandwiches.
“We’ve been talking about [a merger] since the start of the year, and now we’ve set an official opening date and we’re rockin’ and rollin’,” Cosgrove said.