Now in its soft opening phase in the space that last housed Flame Broiler in San Diego's Pacific Beach is PB Food Court, a multi-concept virtual restaurant offering a multitude of dining options.
PB Food Court is the product of Jessica Cook, who became experienced with the online-exclusive, delivery-only model during the pandemic. When the owner of Flame Broiler wanted out, Cook decided to take over the quaint space and bring her concept to life in San Diego's oceanfront Pacific Beach community.
"The concept was hatched from my work during the shutdown," explained Cook. "I worked through the entire pandemic with my boyfriend doing just online delivery. We take care of my mom who is in her late 80’s and has every pre-existing condition there is so I was not taking part in any face-to-face interaction with people. That restriction gave us unexpected flexibility with our menu. We could try whatever we wanted with a few clicks and 86 the idea just as fast if it didn’t work. We offered customers many different types of food but just the hits in each type. For example, we offered BBQ but just ribs and pulled pork plus some easy variations. Same with sandwiches, burgers, chicken wings etc."
Being PB Food Court is in its early days of inception, Cook is testing out concepts and menu items to offer from her eatery. Customers can currently access several dining options through online delivery applications, including South Philly Cheesesteaks, Krazy Kate's Vegetarian, Mad Buddha Bowls, SD Soup & Salad Station, Fantastic Desserts, The Wing Man, and The Scoop Ice Cream Spot.
"The concept doesn’t rely on walk up customers and the space is perfect, so I completed the deal to take over right away," continued Cook. "The staff is primarily the amazingly hardworking and very understanding people from the former Flame Broiler."
PB Food Court is located at 1088 Garnet Avenue in San Diego's Pacific Beach. Check out the concept on Grubhub to see the current menus.
