Fact Sheet

WHO: Manager Melvin Johnson, 38, award-winning local chef and one of America’s rising culinary stars, steps up to the plate to announce the recent opening of Batter Up! ‘fun fast food’ restaurant.  The double entendre concept (baseball and batter-dipped cuisine) was created by the San Diego native, who returns to his home turf to share his passion for cooking and love of sports with the neighborhood of his youth and his future. Chef Melvin has worked alongside the best, including celebrity chef Bobby Flay, and his career spans successful stints at Baker’s Café in Atlanta, The Grant Grill in San Diego and the Juke Joint Café in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter.

WHAT: Batter Up! is where big league flavor meets all-star appetites. Made-to-order faster than a fast-pitch and healthy fresh, Batter Up! specializes in delivering your favorite game day flavors along with tastes that can’t be found anywhere else in town. Customers dig into mouth-watering batter-fried fish, chicken and shrimp baskets, home-run burgers and sandwiches and signature salads featuring creative flavors and unique combinations. In a fun, family-friendly atmosphere, Batter Up! matches high-quality ingredients and fast inside-the-park service.  With seating for 18 inside and alfresco dining available on the patio, Batter Up! has approximately 1,070 square feet. Phone ahead for take-out or dining in: 619-262-3333.

WHEN: Opened last month, the casual fun-fast-food restaurant has a sports/baseball theme complete with a batter’s box ordering area and on-deck circle, authentic fold-down stadium seats and four plasma screens perfect for catching the day’s best sports action. Open daily for lunch and dinner, Batter Up! hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.

WHERE: Batter Up! is located at 342 Euclid Ave., Suite 312, in San Diego.  Phone: 619-262-3333. It is one of 11 businesses in Market Creek Plaza, an innovative commercial and cultural center developed and built by teams of community residents. Market Creek Plaza lies in the heart of what is known as San Diego’s Diamond Neighborhoods, so named for its diamond-shaped business improvement district.  The Diamond includes the communities of Valencia Park, Lincoln Park, Webster, Emerald Hills, Chollas View, Mountain View, Mount Hope, North Encanto, Oak Park, and South Encanto.

WHY: Batter Up! is geared to be a destination for fresh, delicious food made-to-order in an inviting, fun, sports-themed atmosphere. It is part of a pioneering, resident-fueled community development effort at Market Creek Plaza, www.marketcreek.org. The program is supported by the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation (www.jacobscenter.org). JCNI is an operating arm of the Jacobs Family Foundation, created by Dr. Joseph Jacobs Jr., Violet Jacobs and their family.

CONTACT: Jan Percival, Scribe Communications (858) 452-8958,
Tracey Bryan, Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation (619) 660-5555