Board & Brew, a sandwich shop chain that got its start in Del Mar in 1979 and is known for its “secret sauce,” will be coming to Encinitas.
The city’s Planning Commission unanimously approved permits Thursday that will allow Board & Brew to take over an old dentist office in the Trader Joe’s/Ralphs shopping center on the northeast corner of El Camino Real and Encinitas Boulevard.
“We’re really excited to be a part of the community and look forward to serving you some sandwiches,” franchise owner Clayton Wheeler told the planning commissioners.
Wheeler and his business partner Craig Applegate currently hold 10 Board & Brew franchises. The Encinitas operation will be their 11th and “the one I’m most excited for,” Wheeler said, mentioning that he was born and raised in Encinitas.
In recent years, Board & Brew has spread far beyond its original location in Del Mar, but it’s kept its surfy vibe and its menu still includes the famed “Turkado” sandwich. A company web site indicates there are 26 in Southern California and one in Tempe, Ariz. Two more California locations — Cypress and Torrance — plus the Encinitas shop are “coming soon,” the web site states.
Planning commissioners said Thursday they thought Board & Brew would be a great addition to the busy Trader Joe’s shopping center, but had a few questions about noise, hours of operation and alcohol service. Noise was also an issue raised by neighbors who sent letters to the city asking how busy the place would be at night.
“Noise is really my only concern,” Commission Chairm Kevin Doyle told Wheeler, adding he felt Board & Brew was a good fit for the shopping center.
Commissioner Robert Prendergast asked a series of questions about the shop’s proposed outdoor patio area, alcohol-serving hours and the overall amount of restaurant space that’s allowed within the shopping mall area. Would turning a dentist office into a restaurant impact this situation, he asked.
City associate planner Rachael Lindebrekke told Prendergast that the shopping center is permitted to have up to 20 percent of its space set aside for restaurants and with the addition of this shop, it still will be below that figure.
Wheeler told the commissioners that he’s seeking permission to allow the sandwich shop to sell alcohol from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, but Board & Brew typically is a lunch business with most of the activity occurring between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Usually, his franchises close by 9 p.m. in the summer and 8 p.m. in the winter, he said.
Though “brew” is part of the name and selling locally produced beer sets them apart from the competition, alcohol sales only make up about 7 percent of their business, he said.
Commissioner Susan Sherod, who lives near the proposed shop location, said she didn’t think the place was going to be all that noisy given its occupant limits.
Plans call for the indoor dining area to have 10 tables with a total of 20 seats, while the outdoor dining patio is proposed to contain 12 tables with a total of 28 seats, city planning documents state.
