Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza has permanently closed its Scripps Ranch restaurant, a rebranded version named Sammy's Food & Wine, located within Scripps Ranch Marketplace at 10785 Scripps Poway Parkway in San Diego. A sign now posted on the restaurant’s entrance confirms the closure and directs customers to the company’s remaining locations in La Jolla, San Marcos and Imperial Beach, as well as affiliated Toasted Gastrobrunch restaurants in Del Mar and Oceanside.
The closure marks yet another setback for restaurateur Sami Ladeki and the restaurant group he built into one of San Diego’s most recognizable casual dining brands during the 1990s and early 2000s. Inspired in part by the success of California Pizza Kitchen and his time working for the brand, Ladeki launched the first Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza in La Jolla in 1989, helping popularize California-style gourmet pizza concepts featuring woodfired ovens, globally inspired toppings, salads, pastas and an upscale-casual atmosphere.
At its peak, Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza operated more than 20 locations spanning San Diego County, Orange County, Los Angeles, Nevada and beyond. Over the past decade, however, the company has steadily downsized amid shifting dining habits, rising labor and operating costs, increasing competition and changing consumer preferences favoring smaller fast-casual concepts and independently driven restaurant experiences.
The Scripps Ranch closure follows the 2024 shutdown of Sammy’s longtime Mission Valley location after more than two decades in business. At the time, sources indicated the restaurant was unable to reach terms on a lease renewal with the property owner. Several former Sammy’s locations have since been converted into Ladeki’s newer Toasted Gastrobrunch concept, a daytime-focused brunch brand emphasizing breakfast cocktails, pancakes, egg dishes and social-media-friendly brunch culture.
The contraction of the Sammy’s footprint comes during a turbulent period for many legacy casual dining brands across California, particularly chains that expanded heavily during the late 1990s and 2000s. Restaurant operators throughout the state continue facing mounting pressures from inflation, insurance costs, labor mandates, occupancy expenses and evolving customer expectations.
The closure also arrives only months after Ladeki revived another one of his once-prominent San Diego hospitality concepts, Roppongi Restaurant & Lounge in La Jolla, nearly a decade after that restaurant originally shuttered in 2015. The reopened Asian-inspired restaurant recently drew online attention over its point-of-sale tipping setup during happy hour service, highlighting the heightened scrutiny restaurants now face over pricing and gratuity transparency in the digital payment era.
Despite the continued downsizing, Sammy’s still maintains a degree of nostalgia and brand recognition among longtime San Diegans who remember the company as one of the city’s defining upscale casual dining success stories during the chain restaurant boom of the late 20th century.
Remaining Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza locations continue operating in La Jolla, San Marcos and Imperial Beach. For more information, visit sammyspizza.com.
The contraction of the Sammy’s footprint comes during a turbulent period for many legacy casual dining brands across California, particularly chains that expanded heavily during the late 1990s and 2000s. Restaurant operators throughout the state continue facing mounting pressures from inflation, insurance costs, labor mandates, occupancy expenses and evolving customer expectations.
The closure also arrives only months after Ladeki revived another one of his once-prominent San Diego hospitality concepts, Roppongi Restaurant & Lounge in La Jolla, nearly a decade after that restaurant originally shuttered in 2015. The reopened Asian-inspired restaurant recently drew online attention over its point-of-sale tipping setup during happy hour service, highlighting the heightened scrutiny restaurants now face over pricing and gratuity transparency in the digital payment era.
Despite the continued downsizing, Sammy’s still maintains a degree of nostalgia and brand recognition among longtime San Diegans who remember the company as one of the city’s defining upscale casual dining success stories during the chain restaurant boom of the late 20th century.
Remaining Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza locations continue operating in La Jolla, San Marcos and Imperial Beach. For more information, visit sammyspizza.com.
Originally published on May 14, 2026.
