D’Sign Pizza Planned For Clarke Square
New restaurant near Mitchell Park would offer pizza and gourmet burgers.
D’Sign Pizza. Photo taken Oct. 4, 2022 by Sophie Bolich
A new restaurant planned for the Clarke Square neighborhood would offer fast, convenient meals with a focus on fresh ingredients.
D’Sign Pizza would open at 2138 W. National Ave. in a building that also houses Garden of Eden Kingdom Living, a sauce and seasoning brand.
“My goal is to do three main items, and do them well,” said owner David Samuel in an interview. In the interest of variety, each of the main menu items would be customizable: pizzas would come in one size with a flat price for unlimited toppings, and wings would be available in 10 different flavors. Side options would include french fries, onion rings, milkshakes and soda.
In addition to its simple, straightforward menu, the restaurant would focus on using “good quality, fresh food as much as possible,” Samuel said.
Samuel said he hopes to have a soft opening by the end of the month, adding that the business is just one step in his long-term plan to revitalize the neighborhood’s food scene.
“I’m trying to lift it up a little bit,” he said.
Samuel owns several properties throughout the city, including the D’Sign Pizza building and several neighboring buildings near National Avenue and 22nd Street. One of the buildings houses Midwest Food Service Inc., which Samuel said would supply most of the ingredients for the new restaurant.
Once D’Sign is up and running, Samuel said his next project would be to open a kitchen incubator to give new restaurants a boost. The operation would offer a different menu every day for lunch pick-up and delivery.
“My focus is to make the whole area, the whole block, into a food area,” he said.
Samuel said he spent the past three years fixing up the D’Sign Pizza building, which was originally built in 1890. Formerly an Ace Hardware store, Samuel said he stripped the two-story building down to “pretty much bare bones.” City records indicate that he completed about $22,000 worth of alterations. Stephen Robert Sharpe was the architect for the project.
The 1,500-square-foot, fast-casual restaurant would focus mainly on carryout, but there may be limited indoor and outdoor seating. Samuel said he will make a final decision after his first couple months in business.
