It used to be that eating on the beach in Surf City meant hot dogs, pizza by the slice and nachos. But Alicia Cox, CEO of Prjkt Restaurant Group, made it  so much more when she opened SeaLegs at the Beach years ago. Her latest restaurant, Sahara Sandbar & Pizza will open Saturday, April 23 with ocean views and roller skating servers. Here’s a first look at her latest beach restaurant based on the big reveal at a press conference held on Tuesday, April 19.

Background: Sahara Sandbar & Pizza is one of three eateries that Prjkt Restaurant Group planned with California State Parks along a 3.5-mile stretch of Huntington State Beach as part of a long-term partnership to elevate beachfront dining and recreational experiences. Huntington Beach House opened in July and California Fork and Spoon is slated to open in 2023.

The look: This restaurant was inspired by Cox’s daughter Sahara Whitney. “The fun fact about this particular location of Huntington State Beach is that it happens to be the widest gap of sand on the Western hemisphere,” said Cox in remarks at the press conference. “So, while I was trying to figure out what to name this location, I was listening to my little girl tell me about her day of volleyball on the beach. And it came to me. You see, I named her after the most mysterious gap of sand in the world, the Sahara Desert. And when I was looking at her, it made me realize I should name this location Sahara. … She is my inspiration for everything.”

Sahara Whitney loves volleyball and this restaurant is near the courts. It will have an octagon tunnel entrance and palm trees decked out in LED lights. An all-black backdrop will highlight the lighting and the logo is a retro saguaro cactus in colorful lines.  A 120-foot seated counter provides ocean-facing seating for 100, and there’s room for about 400 more diners.

The food: The restaurant will be helmed  by chef Tessa Ludwick and will dish up pizza ($27), prepared only in a large size with eight slices. Individual pizza slices will be sold at a walk up window for $7 or $5 for local students. Dough will be made fresh daily and topped with house made sauces. “I would say it’s California/New York,” said Cox of the style. The crust will have Cal Ital puffy edges but the middle will be more New York and you’ll be able to fold it if that’s how you like to devour your slice. Pepperoni and other meat toppings will be from Boar’s Head.

The restaurant will also serve spicy buffalo chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, cheese bread and antipasto salad. A signature breakfast/dessert item will be ooey gooey oversize cinnamon rolls — “as big as your head,” said Cox.

The drinks: There will be soft drinks for the kids, grownups can order wines by the glass, soju cocktails and craft beers on tap from Riip Beer Co, Four Sons Brewing, Golden Road Brewing and Brewery X.

Sahara gives back: For every pizza sold — about 600 or more per day — the restaurant will give $1 to Families Forward, a local nonprofit fighting homelessness. “We were floored,” said Madelynn Hirneise, CEO of Families Forward of how grateful she is for a gift that shines a spotlight on the dire issue of homelessness among families.

“They are invisible because they’re not on the street corners and panhandling or on a park bench, but it impacts so many. We have families that camp at O’Neill Park, telling their kids it’s a vacation. We have families staying in vehicles, but on a safe residential street where they have a friend. Some are sleeping in garages; it’s not a place to raise a child in a garage with a mat on the floor. So this is creating awareness for families specifically, there’s not enough awareness out there,” she said.

The namesake: Whitney has grown up in the hospitality business and it showed as she immediately offered to serve everyone she greeted on Tuesday a cup of coffee, carefully noting how they take it. What’s it like for an 11-year-old fifth-grader to see her name on a restaurant? Confident and congenial as she is, it still blew her away.

“It’s overwhelming!” Whitney said. “I didn’t know how to feel at first, but today I realized how important this is to me and my mom and how much this will change our lives,” she said of belonging to a family business, especially one that will have a charitable component. “My mom is a great person in general,” she said. “So it just gives me great pride and joy to have her as my mom.”

Info: 21601 Pacific Coast Highway #B, Huntington Beach, 714-616-2880,  prjktgroup.com.

Open: Noon-9:30 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday beginning Saturday, April 23, more hours will be added later.

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