At a glance, few would guess that Hillcrest’s newest pizzeria and sandwich shop belongs to a corporate chain sprouting 60 other locations around the country. While I don’t normally embrace these kind of pre-fabricated franchises, I decided to give Me-N-Ed’s a try simply because it’s a first in San Diego. And when an obscure name supplants an all-too-familiar one, such as Rubio’s in this case, I figure it’s worth a few sniffs and bites.

If there is a downfall awaiting these new kids on the block it will likely stem from bad service. For starters, a small clearance at the counter serves as the only outlet where customers order, pay and pick up their food. It’s also where the staff fumbles over themselves plating or bagging the meals while making awkward attempts at corking and pouring wine.

In my second visit on a quiet evening, I stood endlessly behind a couple who merely ordered a slice of pizza and two glasses of Pinot Grigio. As the counter clerk bumbled around looking for a corkscrew, the customers’ pizza burnt, and my take-out package fell into a deep sleep on top of the pizza oven. The availability of wine is a pleasant surprise here, although if you can’t open it, don’t offer it. And there is something about the cash registers that seems to befuddle every employee who touches them.

Calling in my order was another fiasco fraught with confusion. The guy who answered the phone took an inordinate amount of time to quote me a price for an order of Hot Wings. He then left me hanging again (without hitting the hold button) when I asked for an Antipasto. After listening to about five minutes worth of poop in the background about the staff’s weekend escapes, I was told that the kitchen didn’t yet have the ingredients to make antipasto. Needless to say, my food was tagged under another person’s name when I arrived.

If you can withstand the amateur service and long waits, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Pizza lovers will savor the restaurant’s original thin-crust recipe, which bursts with a yeasty beer flavor that I found unique and enjoyable. Conversely, a few friends of mine who visited beforehand claimed that their pizza was bland and tasteless. I suspect they ended up with a New York-style pizza since the menu doesn’t distinguish too clearly between the two crust options.

From the signature pizza series, you’ll find tasty clues that point to the company’s Fresno roots — Garlic Chicken, Valley Veggie and Spicy Southwestern, to name a few. All are made with the original crust and cooked in brick ovens. My dining cohort and I, however, opted for a basic cheese and sausage topping. So good, we polished off the entire 12-inch pizza in one gluttonous sitting.

Another standout item is Stromboli — baked pizza dough stuffed with cheese, pepperoni and tangy wax peppers. It is one of my favorite Italian specialties that I don’t normally find on restaurant menus. The Me-N-Ed’s version scored well with us, as did a meatball sandwich topped with sautéed bell peppers, provolone cheese and a prudent amount of tomato sauce.

About those above-mentioned Hot Wings — I could have probably won a tennis match using them as balls. Rubbery and pale in color, my request for “extra crispy” apparently didn’t sink in with the employee who took the phone order.

Other menu offerings include turkey, chicken and Italian sandwiches made with fresh chiabatta bread, various pasta dishes and calzones. A so-so salad bar is available either ala Carte or with daily lunch specials.

Perhaps with a little more time and foot traffic the seemingly inexperienced staff will live up to the eatery’s colorful bistro-like interior, which, for now, cries out for full wait-service and better customer flow at the order counter.