Mad Munch Grilled Cheezer Co.

Follow the story below of Mad Munch: It's long strange trip from the prairies of Illinois to the sunny shores of Ocean Beach, San Diego....

30 January 2025

From the Dorms to the Coast

If you told me in 2003, when I was busy delivering two for $1 grilled cheeses to dorm rooms at Lincoln College, that one day I'd be selling Cheezers on Highway 101 on the California coast, out of a tent, for $6 a pop, I would have thought you were crazy.  

But, there we were, Kate & I serving hot sandwiches to the public on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in November at the Encinitas Fall Festival.

We paid $475 ahead of time to reserve a spot.  With groceries, gas & disposables we forked over close to $800 to be there.  Living in the dorms, a sophomore in college, I don't think I'd seen that much money at once in my whole twenty years of life to that point.

For how far Mad Munch had come, this turned out to be the last one-day street fair that we set up at.  It certainly wasn't the pinnacle of our career in California, but more of a stepping stone to the future.  

The money & new customers that we earned from these all-day setups wasn't worth all of the effort or our time.  Kate & I both agreed that the street fair scene was no longer the best option for Mad Munch.  

Going forward, in 2015, we were aiming to take on more brewery tasting rooms after establishing success at Belching Beaver in North Park.  It felt as if we unlocked a whole new market of customers who enjoyed a nice craft beer or two & wanted a hot & cheesy snack to keep them afloat.

Also, Ocean Beach had welcomed it's first tasting room that fall.  Culture Brewing Company had opened it's doors on Newport Avenue & was attracting a new crowd of singles, parents & dog-owners.  

Kate secured a few Friday night dates there after work, giving us another setup a few blocks from home with customers that could relate to us.

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