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Sharky’s has what sharks like

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Alicia Robinson

They don’t serve their namesake at Sharky’s Woodfired Mexican Grill,

but you can order a taco filled with mahi-mahi, shrimp or the catch

of the day.

Fish tacos are just part of the menu that company President Doug

Wright expects to appeal to the locals in Newport Coast, where the

chain’s 14th restaurant opens today.

When Wright’s partner Steve Paperno founded the business in 1991,

“the Mexican segment [of the restaurant market] was not nearly as

crowded as it is today,” Wright said. “When the concept began,

healthy Mexican food was all the rave.”

Now, Sharky’s competes against Mexican fast-food restaurants such

as Baja Fresh and Chipotle, but using fresh, all-natural ingredients

is what sets his restaurants apart, Wright said. And you won’t find

hormones or genetically modified ingredients in the meat, vegetables

and grains that Sharky’s uses, he added.

“I think there’s most definitely a percentage of the population

that’s very aware and concerned about the effects that those have on

them,” he said.

The look of the restaurant is also designed to set it apart,

Wright said. The kitchen is open, with low counters so customers can

see their food being prepared, and much of the cooking is done in a

wood-fired oven.

The menu includes thin-crust pizzas and salads as well as more

traditional Mexican fare.

Roberto Avila, manager of the Newport Coast restaurant, has worked

for the company since 1992 and most recently ran the Sharky’s in

Hollywood.

While Newport Coast will be a little different than Hollywood,

Avila said, he can use what he learned up north to make the new

restaurant a big hit.

“That’s our goal, for people to fall in love with Sharky’s,” he

said.

Wright expects his restaurant to fit in well with the Newport

Coast community, where people are interested in healthy food and are

willing to spend money for quality, he said.

For people who don’t live near the new location in the Newport

Coast Shopping Center, Wright may be bringing Sharky’s to them. He

has commitments for 49 new restaurants in California and Nevada over

the next six to seven years.

Sharky’s opens at 11 a.m. today at 21119 Newport Coast Drive.

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