Craving a sandwich at the beach? New shop in SLO County has all the fixings

A large sandwich paired with an ice-cold drink and chips is sometimes best enjoyed on the beach while watching the waves.

For residents and visitors in Pismo Beach, the perfect place to grab that cold cut sandwich with all the fixings is now open.

Swell Sandwich Shop opened on Pomeroy Avenue on April 23, with owner Geneva Franciskovich at the helm.

“It’s been really fun. It’s been great, and I’ve had a fun time running it,” Franciskovich told The Tribune. “I’ve been all by myself, but it’s been great and it’s gotten a little bit of a local following, which I love.”

Franciskovich has been working in restaurants like Rosa’s Italian Restaurant, Ember and Giuseppe’s Cucina Italiana as a hostess, buser and in the kitchen since she was 16. Now at 22 years old, it was time for her to start her own business.

The dream? A cold cut sandwich spot that did not previously exist in Pismo, she said.

“I was just shocked, like, where’s the sandwich shop?” she said. “I do love the restaurant scene in Pismo, but it is all geared towards tourists, and there’s no real chill lunch spot where you can go grab something and take it to the beach.”

From her savings, Franciskovich invested approximately $115,000 into Swell Sandwich and signed the lease at 231 B Pomeroy Ave. in mid-January.

“It was this very quick turnaround where I had to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and follow through with it,” she said. “I just knew, if I’m going to do this, I have to do it now and commit.”

Despite Pismo Beach being “notoriously” difficult to open a restaurant or shop, Franciskovich said she made it work, spending three months getting permits, purchasing ingredients and outfitting the space for a “coastal” ambience.

“Especially when you have money on the line, you want to start making it back and open your business,” she said. “It was just a crazy process and it’s been an interesting time. I finally feel like I can catch my breath and be like, ‘OK, we’re good, everything’s good, we’re open.”

What’s on the menu at new sandwich shop in Pismo Beach?

Swell Sandwich Shop, as the name implies, serves cold cut sandwich specials like the Swell Sandwich with “everything on it” including three meats, the Pismo Classic turkey sandwich, and the 805, with salami, ham and pepperoncinis.

The shop also has a build-your-own option, but the fan-favorite by far is the Swell Sandwich, Franciskovich said.

“I wanted to keep it as true to a classic small deli as I could,” she said. “I definitely wanted it to resemble like when you walk into a small shop and there’s limited options, but everything is done really well.”

All the sandwiches cost $10 and are served on a classic deli red-and-white checkered paper. Bags of chips are $3, and a canned soda goes for $2. The shop’s famous dessert is the Beach Freeze, a red and blue swirled slushy topped with whipped cream and edible glitter for $5.

“I definitely thought about the menu a lot, where there’s a lot of different directions you can go,” Franciskovich said. “I feel like I could have had more offers, but I intentionally decided to scale it back to make it easier for the customers to decide.”

For more information

Swell Sandwich Shop at 231 B Pomeroy Ave. is open every day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit its Instagram.

This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 5:00 AM.