Italian Restaurant & Market in San Diego

An established, award-winning Italian restaurant and retail market in a premier San Diego open-air center, generating roughly $1.9 million in 2025 sales with seller’s discretionary earnings of $433,189 and three consecutive years of top-line growth. Under one roof the business runs a dine-in cucina, a curated Italian retail market, and a beer and wine program for both on- and off-premise sale. The operation is offered at $865,000 for all assets, and the single most valuable part of that price is a protected, long-term lease that would be difficult and expensive to replace.

Three Straight Years of Growth

Performance has moved in one direction across the reporting period. Gross sales rose from roughly $1.44 million in 2023 to $1.71 million in 2024 and $1.9 million in 2025, an increase of about 31 percent in two years, while seller’s discretionary earnings climbed alongside revenue to $433,189 on a healthy 23 percent margin. The earnings are built on a clean add-back schedule led by owner compensation, so the path from reported numbers to true owner benefit is short and straightforward to underwrite. A buyer steps into an operating business with rising sales rather than a turnaround or an unproven concept.

The Lease Is the Asset

The location sits in one of San Diego’s premier open-air lifestyle centers, surrounded by dense residential, office, and retail traffic and anchored by national brands, with a licensed patio that expands seating beyond the interior footprint. The lease that comes with it is the rare part. CAM is fixed at $4.00 per square foot and is not reconciled, which removes the annual true-up exposure most centers carry, and minimum rent sits near $144,000 per year with predictable 3 percent escalations. The tenant also holds a concept exclusive against competing Italian market and fast-casual Italian pizza concepts in the buildings, and percentage rent does not begin until sales pass a breakpoint near $2.4 million, well above today’s $1.9 million. Quality space in a center like this rarely turns over, and almost never on terms like these.

Two Revenue Channels Under One Roof

The dine-in cucina is the core of the business at roughly 75 percent of sales, built on a full Italian menu of house pastas, pizza, risotto, and antipasti prepared in a full commercial kitchen. A curated Italian retail market runs alongside it, carrying imported pantry goods, a deli case, cheeses, and gift baskets as a distinct second channel. The beer and wine program supports both sides of the operation, with on- and off-premise sale and a retail selection of natural, biodynamic, and organic wines that regular retailers do not carry. Off-premise catering and third-party delivery extend the revenue beyond the dining room.

Upside for the Next Operator

Several growth levers remain lightly used, starting with the retail market, which is a small share of revenue today and the most underleveraged channel in the building, with room to expand imported pantry, deli, and gift-basket sales under an already recognized brand. Catering and corporate gift baskets are a natural off-premise line with high incremental margin, and third-party delivery currently runs near 1 percent of sales, leaving direct and third-party ordering largely untapped. Deepening the wine programming and private events builds on the highest-margin category and the patio’s capacity, all without changing the concept or the footprint.

Buyer Requirements

Assignment of the lease is subject to landlord consent. The landlord’s terms set a minimum qualification bar for the incoming operator, and a buyer should be prepared to meet the following before an assignment moves forward.

• Minimum $1,000,000 in tangible net worth
• Five years of experience operating at least two restaurants
• A qualified replacement guarantor

Ideal Buyer Profile

The opportunity fits an owner-operator who wants an established, profitable Italian concept with clean books and a protected lease in a premier center, or an experienced group adding a proven brand and a second revenue channel to an existing portfolio. The fixed occupancy cost and the headroom below the percentage-rent breakpoint also make this attractive to a buyer who wants to grow sales while occupancy economics stay predictable. Location, financials, and the full operating picture are available upon request with a signed NDA.