Students flip for free food with Westwood eatery’s weekly promotion
By Sharifah Williams
Jan. 8, 2004 9:00 p.m.
Skew’s: Beyond Teriyaki, an Asian restaurant in Westwood
with a California twist, attracts students with a promotion called
“flip for your free food Friday” and a health-centered
menu.
The Broxton Avenue restaurant fuses Asian food with elements of
California cuisine, producing menu selections such as “Thai
Tacos.”
Customers can get the fusion meals without having to pay during
“flip for your free food Friday” which allows customers
to come in on Fridays and toss a coin for a free meal. If a
customer correctly guesses what side the coin lands on, the meal is
free.
If the guess is incorrect, however, the customer pays the normal
price for the food.
The promotion began when the restaurant was established in
Westwood last May.
Skew’s owner Mario Del Pero got the idea after learning
about a coin-flipping system called a “Tijuana toss”
used in bars during the 1950s and 1960s, where customers would flip
for a free drink, he said.
When Del Pero implemented the plan during the first week the
restaurant opened, he did not promote the event and approximately
25 people came to flip for their food.
These days, around 100 customers make their way to Skew’s
to try their luck with the coin toss each Friday, Del Pero
said.
“Even if we give (the meal) to them free, they’ll
come back,” he said.
Del Pero believes the quality ingredients give customers a
reason to return during the rest of the week.
Though Skew’s offers choice cuts of meat and fresh
ingredients, the price remains around the $5-$7 range because of
the “fast casual” dining atmosphere.
Del Pero describes fast casual dining as a quickly growing
restaurant concept that allows customers to get quality food at a
lower price because of the absence of waiters and expensive
dinnerware which would raise costs.
Quality ingredients are a staple at Skew’s where the menu
was created with the advice of a nutritionist.
Health-conscious fast food may be an oxymoron, but Del Pero
makes nutrition a major concern at his restaurant.
Skew’s was rated “one of the healthiest restaurants
in Southern California,” by the Health Dining Guide in Los
Angeles.
Nutritional information for each meal is available on the menu
and on a large billboard above the exhibition kitchen.
Customers also have the choice of substituting the meat in their
meal with tofu steak at no additional cost.
Del Pero said having a nutritionist go over the menu did not
negatively affect the flavor of the food.
“We don’t have to mask unhealthy ingredients with
sauces,” he said.
Selections like Skew’s “Maui Chicken” and
“Teriyaki Steak” are marinated, but if customers want
extra sauce they can add their favorites at the sauce bar.
Customers’ opinions are important and if they need to
specialize a meal to work with their health needs, the Skew’s
staff will try to cater to them, said Mario’s wife, Ellen,
who helps him run the business.
Skew’s extends its customer base with a catering service.
The Del Peros have catered to groups that range from UCLA
departments to the sets of television shows, “The
Practice” and “Ally McBeal.”
Del Pero owns another Skew’s in downtown Los Angeles, but
he considers the Westwood restaurant his model for future
stores.
