It was a real leap of faith for Martin Robles and Bruno Elias, longtime Hodad’s employees, to break out on their own opening their own restaurant in the middle of the pandemic.
But two years later, they’re celebrating their anniversary at ChickenHeadz at 5026 Newport. Ave. Both credit their experience at Hodad’s for their initial success.
“The transition wasn’t too bad,” said Robles noting, “We learned so much from Hodad’s and Shane (owner). That was the best training, dealing with the biggest lines on Earth (Hodad’s). So it wasn’t that big a difference dealing with rushes over here.”
Jeremy Diem, Hodad’s president/CEO, said Robles and Elias left with their blessing.“Bruno told us, ‘Hey man, Martin and I are just trying to do our own thing.’ And for me, it was just like seeing one of your boys make it to the major leagues. It was just really cool to see them take that leap of faith, cross their fingers, and go, ‘I hope this works.’”
Added Diem, “And they did it during the craziest year in restaurant history. The only way to do it (starting your own business) is through experience. You can’t do it by reading a book. It’s just so rad to see these guys successful. They will always have our support. They are still part of our family.”
ChickenHeadz has their holiday special available throughout December, a 2 ½ to 3-pound Cornish hen, served with two classic sides, and Texas toast, on special for $15.
Robles and Bruno pride themselves on their food quality. “We have all our same menu items, but all our sides are made in-house,” he said. “For the past few months, we’ve been doing fresh, hand-cut French fries. We don’t even have a freezer. Everything is made from scratch. And we proudly serve those things.”
Would the restaurant duo advise others to take a chance in starting their own eatery? “I would,” said Elias noting, “OB is such an untapped little part of town. I would like to see someone try and bring some new tastes, more variety of things, to OB. People should give it a try.”
“Sometimes you need to take a gamble,” concluded Robles. “You don’t want to look back and have to say, ‘I should have tried it, I should have done this.’ At this point, it has worked for us. We’re doing something right. We took that little leap of faith, just gave it a shot.”
Robles and Elias were both a little surprised by the sudden inflationary cycle, which has led them to switch temporarily from lunch and dinner to dinner only. Elias noted they are also now closed on OB Farmers Market days on Wednesdays. “We weren’t expecting Wednesdays to be slow, but there is such a variety of yummy food available on the streets,” he said. “So we decided that would be our day to be closed.”
“The goal in 2023 is to be open for lunch and dinner,” added Robles pointing out ChickenHeadz has “stayed pretty true to our menu. We do have some good things (menu items) that are going to come out in time.”
ChickenHeadz features the classic bone-in chicken four- and eight-piece family meals, chicken strips, and two signature sandwiches: the yardbird, a classic fried-chicken sandwich, and a po’boy, the eatery’s take on the classic po’boy sandwich on a French roll with house-made tequila lime Cole slaw.
There are also chicken wings with buffalo ranch sauce on the menu. Other items include combo fried chicken meals with cornbread, chicken and waffles, and an array of sides and extras like mac n’ cheese, mashed potatoes with gravy, popcorn chicken, fried pickles, green beans, and the restaurant’s trademark fried mushrooms.
Robles urged folks to come out and give ChickenHeadz a try.
“We want to say thank you to the San Diego community and especially to the ‘repeat offenders’ in OB and Point Loma for supporting us,” he said. “They’ve made a big difference. We’re looking forward to seeing you guys in 2023. Do come in and pack your beaks.”
CHICKENHEADZ
Where: 5026 Newport Ave.
Contact: chickenheadzsd.com, 619-222-2449.
