A burrito from Asada Tacos & Beer , a fast-casual version of Asada that opened in north Laguna in 2016 |
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TOP LEFT : BOB HODSON PHOTOGRAPHY ; RIGHT : COURTESY OF ASADA TACOS & BEER ; BOTTOM : COURTESY OF ZPIZZA |
the slice to entice broke college students . “ It became a hit and we had lines around the place ,” he says , adding that lines would extend all the way to the movie theater during big blockbusters .
Eventually , Fanarof was approached by someone who wanted to franchise the business . They inked a deal and it expanded to more than 100 stores across the country . Fanarof remained owner
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of the 10 local shops and oversaw food development for the company . But it didn ’ t work out , having restaurants so far away and in markets that weren ’ t healthconscious like Laguna .
“ It wasn ’ t sustainable ,” Fanarof says . “ You can ’ t … [ go that ] far away from home . You don ’ t have the control . You can ’ t buy the products . I rolled out a carnitas pizza and I couldn ’ t find the salsa on the East Coast .
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I couldn ’ t even get carnitas out there , you know . And it was much more expensive .”
And then the pandemic happened and the restaurant landscape changed . “ The whole world is now about pressing a button [ for food delivery ] and that ’ s how people eat , you know , and whoever has the greatest presence online , those are the winners today ,” he says .
Fanarof , now 80 , remains owner of the zpizza stores in Laguna ( started in 1986 ) and Crystal Cove Shopping Center and is no longer involved with the company , which has more than a dozen locations across California and one in Arizona . And he ’ s still innovating . In recent months , he stumbled across a vegan cheese made from the protein in melon seeds , now used on the vegan pizzas as well as plant-based pepperoni and sausage options . “ I think our vegan pizzas … are incredible ,” he says . “ We ’ ve had a lot of people coming for those .”
One piece of advice he shares to wouldbe local restaurateurs is to cater to the residents . “ If you want to be successful , you have to be successful with Laguna , not with tourists ,” who are only in town for a few months of the year . “ Today , in Laguna ,” he says , “ we have the grandchildren of original customers being customers and there are also employees who are grandchildren of original employees working in our store .” /
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LAGUNA BEACH MAGAZINE 51 |