‘World-class’ sandwich shop opens second location in SLO County — with a twist
A local sandwich shop serving up hearty hot and cold specialty subs has opened a second location in San Luis Obispo County.
Gilligan’s Sandwich Shop & Twisted Sodas, 671 West Tefft, Suite No. 11, in Nipomo, soft-launched in early January with a grand opening celebration planned for Saturday, Jan. 24, co-owners Andy and Shannon Zepeda told The Tribune.
At its new Nipomo location, Gilligan’s is putting a fizzy spin on its original concept by offering twisted sodas. The bubbly drinks zhush up name-brand sodas with more than 30 different flavor combinations, the Zepedas said.
“We love the sodas, and we thought, ‘Oh, we just got to marry this with Gilligan’s, it’ll go great together,’ ” Shannon Zepeda said.
The Nipomo restaurant also sells a variety of hand-crafted sandwiches built with fresh-baked bread and high-quality meats and cheeses, similar to the menu at Gilligan’s original Morro Bay location.
The married co-owners said they are thrilled to bring their sandwiches to South County.
“We really love the Nipomo people,” Shannon Zepeda said. “They are showing us a whole bunch of love, and it’s just really making us feel good about making this our second home.”
Gilligan’s Sandwich Shop opens second SLO County location
The Zepedas used to own and operate Papa Bear Farms in San Luis Obispo, one of the first licensed cannabis businesses in SLO County.
However, they decided to sell the company after the daily grind of marijuana delivery, manufacturing and distribution began to wear on them, the couple said.
“We didn’t love the business, and so we thought, ‘Well, what else do we want to do?’” Shannon Zepeda recalled. “We were sitting in Morro Bay, and we thought, ‘This place needs a sandwich shop.’”
She and her husband came out of “semi-retirement” to open up the first Gilligan’s sandwich shop at 480 Morro Bay Blvd. in Morro Bay in January 2022.
“We opened it, and we found out that we love the sandwich business,” Zepeda said. “We love the people. We love making sandwiches, and so maybe that’s part of the success, is that we put a lot of love into it.”
The Zepedas decided to expand to a second location so they could eventually pass on a spot each to their two grown sons.
They were searching for a new storefront when they came across Twisted Sodas — a mix-and-match soda shop for sale in Nipomo.
Originally, the Zepedas were planning to convert the space into a second identical sandwich location.
However, after sipping on a couple of sodas during a secret shopping trip to Twisted Sodas, the couple quickly fell for the sugary, fun flavor combinations.
Nipomo residents have already been lining up for their sandwiches and sodas, Shannon said.
“They like the hot food, and they like it stacked high, and that’s what we do,” Andy said. “So we’re happy to be here.”
What sandwiches, sodas are on the menu at Gilligan’s?
Gilligan’s offers a dozen different hot and cold specialty sandwiches, along with build-your-own options that allow customers to choose their own breads, meats, cheese, veggies and condiments.
“We get very high-quality meats, high-quality cheeses,” Andy Zepeda said. “And our bread is fresh-baked daily.”
The Zepedas lovingly call their eats “world-famous sandwiches” after repeat customers from around the globe have tried — and gushed — about their Morro Bay shop.
Andy Zepeda said first-time visitors to Gilligan’s Sandwich Shop in Nipomo should try the “Killer Pastrami” with hot pastrami, pepper jack cheese, pickles and pepperoncinis, or the Italian sub with ham, salami, provolone cheese, lettuce, red onion, pepperoncini and tomatoes.
“We really work hard to make sure that the accountability of our sandwich makers, the portions of our meats, how we weigh everything, how we layer it is consistent,” he said.
The Nipomo restaurant also has deep-dish personal pizzas, soups, salads and desserts.
There are seven signature twisted sodas and 30 different flavor combinations to choose from.
How to visit new Nipomo sandwich shop
Gilligan’s Sandwich Shop is open from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.
At its grand opening on Saturday, Jan. 24, Gilligan’s will offer visitors a host of special food and drink discounts.
The first 50 customers get a chance to spin a wheel and win an assortment of prizes, including T-shirts, bumper stickers and shop deals, the Zepedas said.
