Sandman enters restaurant scene again, this time with pizza

Rich Rores wasn’t about to let his business be another coronavirus casualty even though it was desperately close.

Last March, as COVID-19 infections were rapidly spreading, Rores closed his two stores – Sandman Gourmet on Polaris Parkway and Sandman Express Downtown. (A Sandman Deli continued to operate in the OhioHealth Westerville Medical Campus.)

Rores, who started the Sandman Gourmet company with his wife, Dawn, did not sit idle while the pandemic was raging.

He began to reorient his menu away from breakfast food, salads and wraps to a pizzeria concept, with two types of dough, salads, subs and pasta dishes. A cauliflower option also is available.

Sandman Pizza reopened Aug. 8 in the ground floor of an office building at 440 Polaris Parkway. There is some seating inside and on a patio.

“I really sat back and analyzed what there was available to us and how to sell it,” he said. “It’s a sweeping change. It’s huge. It’s culturally different.”

And, it’s pizza – one America’s most favorite foods. His pies are open to all, as Sandman has a separate entrance on the east side of the building.

As the coronavirus lingered, most employees cleared out of his current building and nearby JPMorgan Chase, a client base on which his restaurant relied. It was the same deal Downtown at the Continental Plaza, 180 E. Broad St. Most employees were sent to work from home.

His corporate catering business also took a massive hit.

Yet, Rores was still tied to his objective: delicious food with the broadest appeal and served quickly.

Pizza, he said, fit the bill. In this climate, customers want hot meals that have minimal contact with other people, he said.

“That’s really why we went in that direction,” he said.

Trained at the Johnson & Wales University Providence campus, and later cooking in Paris, Rores said he spent much time in the kitchen. He then entered the hotel business but food was his real passion.

The pizza place uses San Marzano tomatoes mixed with a house blend of herbs and spices. Grande Cheese Co. supplies the cheese, pepperoni from locally based Ezzo Sausage Co. and fresh-cut vegetables.

Customers have a choice of three crusts – a hand-tossed East Coast style, a thinner one preferred by many central Ohioans and a gluten-free cauliflower option.

Pizzas are served on 12- to 18-inch crusts, with some pre-made and a build-your-own options. The house favorite ($17 and $28) combines red and white sauces, pepperoni, sausage, meatballs, caramelized shallots and garlic, cheese and a dusting of oregano.

Sandwiches are of the hearty variety – Italian, meatball and Italian sausage with peppers, to name a few – served on toasty Italian buns. They are in the $10 range.

There are few unusual bonuses on Sandman’s menu. One is the Sicilian torpedo – a sausage link cooked in dough and served with the house red sauce.

Another is wings and pork smoked on-premises over applewood. Rores said it’s a 20-year tradition that dates to his first store, in an office building across Cleveland Avenue from his current spot.

Rores said he sees some struggles ahead. It's almost impossible to see the restaurant from a major roadway and he’s going after an entirely new market outside the confines of office buildings. (He has applied for a beer license.)

“It’s a huge challenge for us,” he said. “We were never going after the social market.”

In addition, added Sandman controller Wade Soltesz, “We’re having trouble hiring people just like everybody else.”

But R

ores also believes Sandman is positioned well.

“We like where we’re at,” he said. “We’re in an ideal location for pickup and delivery. And once people find us I think the people will be coming back.”

An opening date for the Downtown location has not been determined.

“Downtown is big question mark right now,” said Rores, who also once owned Sandman’s Cheesesteak in the Arena District, which has been taken over by Wario’s Beef and Pork.

“We’re hoping to be down there in a couple of months.”

Rores called it “Sandman Pizza and then some.”

“We’re going to be in a similar situation where we’re going to have a larger, expanded menu but stick with pizzas,” he said.

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