Company

SAMI LADEKI

Owner & Chief Executive Officer, Ladeki Restaurant Group

Following a passion and natural aptitude for the hospitality industry, Sami Ladeki attended the College of Hotel and Restaurant Management near Munich, Germany. After graduation, he spent a year at London’s Westbury Hotel and was then recruited by the Sonesta resort chain, which assigned him to the Royal Sonesta Hotel in New Orleans’ French Quarter. After nearly a decade of management service at the 500-room property, Ladeki joined Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to work as Food & Beverage Manager. After Las Vegas, he subsequently took on those responsibilities at the world-renowned Princess Hotel in Bermuda.


In 1983, Ladeki opened La Cave de Rois, an upscale restaurant and nightclub in Houston, a hit among the fashionable elite. From Houston, Ladeki’s career took him to Atlanta as Food & Beverage manager for the Renaissance Hotel, followed by Stouffer Hotel in Los Angeles. After falling in love with San Diego on several visits, Ladeki was destined to make his mark in Southern California, particularly the ocean-side community of La Jolla. In 1989, the enterprising hospitality specialist opened his first Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza in La Jolla, introducing San Diegans to the joy of pizza cooked in a wood-burning oven. The concept was an instant success and Sammy’s continues to grow throughout California and Nevada. In the mid-90s, Ladeki opened two Sammy’s outlets in Tokyo, a decision that contributed to his interest in the Pacific Rim cuisine he would debut at his Roppongi concept several years later.