Ike's Place proprietor and namesake Ike Shehadeh is no longer satisfied putting mozzarella sticks on sandwiches. He wants to put them on pizza, too.
Specifically, he'd like to do that on Mission St. between 19th and 20th Streets, where Inside Scoop reports he's nearly finalized a deal. An opening is expected by year's end.
With its (whopping) 18th and largest location opening in Emeryville in the Hollis@Powell development, perhaps Ike's is due for a changeup. After all, the chain has pushed the limit with sandwiches, right?
"I have a passion for pizza and we used to sell burgers and ice cream when we first opened, so I'm sort of going back to my roots," Shehadeh told Inside Scoop. "Plus, I think it would be a nice affordable option for that neighborhood—everything in the $8-$12 range."
Shehadeh, who was once homeless, has seen some tremendous success. Ike's hasn't met a "best of" sandwich list it couldn't top (except maybe this one). Shehadeh is, incidentally, a Star Wars fanatic who even had an R2D2 Ace of Cakes wedding cake. And, moving at light-speed, his business is considering an expansion outside the Bay Area to cities like Austin and Seattle.
