Liberty Station will become the newest location of Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza on Monday, Nov. 19.
The store will be the 14th in the chain.
Owned and operated by Ladeki Restaurant Group, Sammy’s opened its first restaurant in La Jolla in 1989 when owner and CEO Sami Ladeki introduced the concept of wood-fired pizza to the San Diego area.
That baking process is one of the secrets of the gourmet pizzas for which the restaurant is known.
The company’s home office is also in La Jolla.
The company selected the new Point Loma location for its “classy and historical” aspects, said Ladeki Group Vice President Tom Penn.
The Point Loma Sammy’s will be the ninth in San Diego. Others include one restaurant in Palm Desert, one in Redondo Beach and three in Las Vegas.
Sammy’s prides itself as the restaurant “where the locals go,” Penn said. Since it is also a brand name, it is a destination as well, he said.
At least one Point Loma resident is eager for the new Sammy’s to open.
“I’ve worked for Sammy’s for three and a half years, but I live in Point Loma,” marketing director Erika Rahlson said. “None of our other locations are as convenient for me as this will be.”
Rahlson pointed out that, unlike many San Diego communities, Point Loma has no central downtown area. She believes Liberty Station could help provide that focal point with its upscale businesses and the arts and cultural groups based there.
“I think all of this will enhance the whole Point Loma neighborhood and define the area more,” she said.
Penn said the new restaurant will boast about 3,500 square feet, including a large patio. The interior will feature sails suspended from the ceiling, appropriate for the former Naval Training Center location.
The Liberty Station restaurant has cost more than $1 million to build, about the average cost for one of Sammy’s eateries.
New menu items will roll out with the Point Loma opening and also will be available at Sammy’s locations throughout San Diego.
For the first time, Sammy’s will introduce artisan thin-crust pizza with exotic toppings, such as truffle oil Brie cheese, smoked Rofumo Kashcaval sheep’s milk cheese, Dorothea aged goat cheese and Shaft blue cheese.
Not only do these offer an alternative to the menu’s already-popular pizzas; they are also vegetarian.
In addition to the new thin-crust pizzas, Sammy’s is also introducing a new salad, steak satay and a new dessert, cotton candy, joining the chain’s ever-popular messy sundae.
Asked about his own favorite menu selection, Penn insisted he had none. Although he eats many meals at Sammy’s, he said, “I always rotate through the menu to keep a constant check on our quality.”
Sammy’s is listed annually among “America’s Top Restaurants” in the Zagat Survey.
As part of Ladeki’s continued fine-tuning of the Ladeki Restaurant Group, Sammy’s recently concluded a companywide renovation, which included dramatic new interior and exterior design elements and a full menu enhancement.
More than 20 tapas were added to extend the options of items to mix, sample and share.
The primary ingredient that has not changed over the years is the commitment to serve a unique menu of tasty, fresh and moderately priced selections in an inviting and upscale casual setting, Penn said.
San Diegans who sign up at Sammyspizza.com can receive such goodies as recipes, event information and occasional coupons. Once at the website, a patron may click on “join tasty bytes.” Signing up for the e-mail newsletter also entitles patrons to a free messy sundae.
The Liberty Station location of Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza will hold its grand opening Monday, Nov. 19 at 2401 Truxtun Road, off Rosecrans Street.
The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner.