Last month, Ed Sammon made the difficult choice to close the doors at San Francisco Stir Fry, the independently owned, fast-casual Asian-American fusion eatery located at 7271 Center St. in Mentor.
During the process, however, the owner/operator already had a new plan gestating in his head — “Sidewinders Snack Shack.”
The “mix-and-match, grab-and-go” grub spot (seating is available), which recently opened in the same space, features chicken wings and tenders (with an array of sauces), salads, wraps, fried veggies and eight kinds of potatoes, in addition to several fried appetizers and desserts.
The two-month venture benefited from several “breaks,” too, as Sammon was able to bring Sidewinders to light with minimal renovation and remodeling.
The $70,000 enterprise was also conceived with another approach.
“Sidewinders was put together to operate efficiently, and streamlined in both the ordering and food-preparation processes,” Sammon said, “with almost exclusively digital/computerized ordering systems.
“The business will need some, but fewer employees (about eight) than a typical restaurant,” he added. “And because of the new market factors, particularly higher food and labor costs, and decreased labor availability, I believe a successful food-service operation must have built-in operational efficiencies and processes to be able to thrive going forward.”
The restaurant’s name, attributed to the score of side dishes, also pays homage to “side-slinging” quarterbacks and pitchers.
Sammon, who continues to operate Froyo Twist Soft Serve and Bubble Tea, just two doors down, also has a “grand plan” to construct a miniature golf course in the vacant patch adjacent to Sidewinders, which, he noted, is already in the preliminary design phase, though a date has yet to be determined.
“Things are going well there,” he said, adding Froyo hasn’t encountered the same degree of food-cost or labor-shortage issues that San Francisco Stir Fry experienced.
“Froyo needs fewer people on staff for it to operate effectively, and, historically, we’ve received a lot of people interested in working there,” Sammon added. “That hasn’t changed, as it remains an anomaly, in that regard, compared to the broader restaurant industry.
“Ultimately, the entire thing would have great synergy, with putt-putt, Snack Shack and Froyo all there, available in one area,” he said. “I think that would be quite the trifecta.
“It’s been a little sad saying goodbye to San Francisco Stir Fry, and it was necessary due to the impact of economic factors and unique operational logistics, but it’s always fun to create a new business,” Sammon added. “And in that way, it’s been a fortunate reality.”
Sidewinders Snack Shack is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Call 440-290-7170 or visit sidewindersmentor.com for more information.
