“Working In The City” is The San Diego Sun’s feature Q&A series with downtown San Diego business operators. It’s a way to get to know the city by meeting the people who work here. This is the fifth in an ongoing series.
Company Name: MAKE pizza+salad
Location: 699 Park Boulevard (SE corner of Park & G Street in East Village)
Owner/Manager: Terry McCleary, owner
What we do: MAKE is a casual restaurant specializing in pizzas, salads, pastas and small bites. We serve a range of beer and wine.
Specialties: Chef Zorka (my wife) developed the menu and makes the house-made dough and red sauce for pizzas from scratch. She prides herself on making as much as she can fresh-to-order. This requires well-timed prep. Lately, we’ve been getting a bunch of positive feedback on our gluten-free pizzas, especially the cauliflower crust option.
Heart-warming downtown work memory: Walking into the restaurant a few years ago to find a kitten sitting on our range. We aren’t sure how it got in. One of the residents in an apartment next door adopted the cat that day.
Employees: 2.
Start-up story: Zorka studied hospitality management in college back in Europe, and brought her passion for cooking to this business. She’s been known to cook all day at the restaurant then unwind at home by cooking or baking more (I’m a lucky guy!). I studied accounting and business administration in college and started in the restaurant’s back office. I’ve picked up a few culinary and hospitality skills along the way and try to pull my weight with dishwashing and cleaning.
Commute: I think of my commute in golf terms, as the length of a par 4. It’s a four-block walk that takes 5 minutes.
Tenure: Zorka and I have lived in East Village for just over 10 years after living in the Los Angeles suburbs and the Bay Area. Make has been open since 2018.
Best aspect of working downtown: Putting smiles on people’s faces in the hustle and bustle of an urban environment.
Worst aspect of working downtown: The urban grittiness.
Staffing: Since the pandemic, finding reliable staff has been a challenge for us. Most business owners we know tend to agree.
Company motto: Make it a great day!
Pets: We welcome our guests to bring their furry friends to our dog-friendly sidewalk patio.
Parking: When we opened in 2018, there were no short-term parking spots on our block. We reached out to the city for some 30-minute parking spots, and for a commercial parking zone for our vendors. It was a bit of paperwork, but we had it all figured out in a couple months.
Most surprising part of working downtown: All of the empty retail spaces and empty office buildings.
Scariest downtown work memory: We helped SDPD capture a suspect that was fleeing the scene of a murder two blocks away. Detectives wanted to know if our surveillance cameras caught anything suspicious. The cameras did help locate the suspect.
Homelessness: This is a serious problem that the city needs to address with urgency and dedicated resources. We all deserve better, including those who are living on the streets!
On a scale of 1 (easiest) to 10 (hardest), how is working with the city: It’s been a while since we’ve dealt with any city permits. Whatever you budget, it does seem like it takes double the time and double the money of what one would imagine.
How can the city be more business friendly: Make walking downtown safer at night by fixing street lamps that are out. Provide more security personnel presence so folks can feel safe being out and about without having to look over their shoulders. Keep the sidewalks and streets cleaner; there’s a ton of trash and debris.
If this business was made into a movie, it would be called: Made It. It would definitely star my wife.
Favorite downtown business that isn’t yours: Shoutout to Randy and Ingrid over at Jai Jus in East Village. They are a locally-owned juice and smoothie bar with unbelievably delicious bowls, baked goods and desserts.
Best insider business tip: Expect the unexpected! SDSun
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