RETAIL : O! Deli to Open Its 1st Southland Franchise for Meals at the Office

Sure, industrial parks and the office complexes can be attractive, high-tech centers that foster greater efficiency and productivity. But what about lunch?

The choices are limited. A few developers have built ritzy restaurants or fast-food outlets into their projects. But all too often, the lack of options forces the lunch bunch to pile into the BMW for a quick trip to fast-food row.

Enter O! Deli Inc. Started in 1985, the San Francisco-based franchiser of “nouveau delis” is opening the first of what it hopes will be 10 to 15 stores in Orange County and about 50 in the greater Los Angeles area.

O! Deli is taking aim at the breakfast and lunch crowd at its new location in the Pacific Mutual Center in Fountain Valley.

“We realized that no franchised chain catered to working people during working hours,” said company President Joe Sanfellipo.

The restaurants, which also offer soups and salads, try to appeal to busy working types by offering fast service at relatively inexpensive prices. The average O! Deli customer will spend about $5 for lunch, including beverage, Sanfellipo said.

As an incentive to building managers, they are designed to operate without grills or special ventilation that can be difficult to install in an office tower, Sanfellipo said. They also provide a solution for building managers who are having trouble finding someone to operate a food-service outlet.

Besides fast food, O! Deli offers “fax food.” Customers can send their lunch orders via fax machine for pickup later. “We go into areas where we are primarily patronized by people within a five-minute walk,” Sanfellipo said.