Chow down at Sandtown Munchies

SANDUSKY — John Ferguson's charitable spirit blends with his business acumen. "To me, I'm all about community," said Ferguson, a longtime Sandusky resident who, through the years, has organized many fundraisers benefiting lesser-fortunate locals. "And I understand when you have a big family, eating out can be very expensive," added Ferguson, a father to seven children. He's also married to his wife, Terryn. "So I'm taking that community-minded approach with my new restaurant." About a month ago, Ferguson debuted Sandtown Munchies at 1109 Warren St. (U.S. 6) in Sandusky. It's a space previously home to Derrick's Diner and All-Ways Pizza. Ferguson boasts many years in the restaurant industry, most recently serving as a manager for Chet and Matt's Pizza in Perkins Township. He calls the former owners, brothers Chet and Matt Leser, his "idols." "They ran a very successful business with great pizza at affordable prices, and that is something I wanted to do, too," Ferguson said. Enter Sandtown Munchies, which places a heavy emphasis on freshly made specialty pizzas. They can double as foldovers or calzones. Some of the more popular types include the dill pickle, taco and chicken bacon ranch. "I can promise you it's the best pizza you will ever taste," Ferguson said. "Our pizzas are made in-house with our own sauces with a good amount of toppings at reasonable prices." Sandtown also offers wings, either bone-in or boneless, subs, salads and desserts. Customers can sit in or order delivery service six days a week: noon to 10 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; noon to 2:30 a.m. Fridays into Saturdays and Saturdays into Sundays; and noon to 7 p.m. on Sundays. "There is nowhere in the city that is open that late (until 2:30 a.m.) where you can come in and sit down after the bar is closed," Ferguson said. "This will be a place where you can go to get a meal and come with friends, family, your significant other or whoever else." So far, many people have enjoyed eating out at Sandtown. "It's the best and most creative pizza joint ever," KaDeem Pate wrote online. "It's nothing but love and positivity. Everything (is) hot and fresh and made to your liking." Playing off his charitable spirit, each week, Ferguson chooses a small business at random to support. He supplies the given company's workers lunch or dinner at no cost. "As a small business owner, I know how hard it is to show employees appreciation during a downtime," Ferguson said. "And this is something that can uplift them and, in a way, me, too."