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Second-year students Joe Simpson and Jennifer Cabrera watch Ellen Chen flip a coin for free food

Skew’s: Beyond Teriyaki, an Asian restaurant in Westwood with a California twist, attracts students with a promotion called “flip for your free food Friday” and a health-centered menu.

The Broxton Avenue restaurant fuses Asian food with elements of California cuisine, producing menu selections such as “Thai Tacos.”

Customers can get the fusion meals without having to pay during “flip for your free food Friday” which allows customers to come in on Fridays and toss a coin for a free meal. If a customer correctly guesses what side the coin lands on, the meal is free.

If the guess is incorrect, however, the customer pays the normal price for the food.

The promotion began when the restaurant was established in Westwood last May.

Skew’s owner Mario Del Pero got the idea after learning about a coin-flipping system called a “Tijuana toss” used in bars during the 1950s and 1960s, where customers would flip for a free drink, he said.

When Del Pero implemented the plan during the first week the restaurant opened, he did not promote the event and approximately 25 people came to flip for their food.

These days, around 100 customers make their way to Skew’s to try their luck with the coin toss each Friday, Del Pero said.

“Even if we give (the meal) to them free, they’ll come back,” he said.

Del Pero believes the quality ingredients give customers a reason to return during the rest of the week.

Though Skew’s offers choice cuts of meat and fresh ingredients, the price remains around the $5-$7 range because of the “fast casual” dining atmosphere.

Del Pero describes fast casual dining as a quickly growing restaurant concept that allows customers to get quality food at a lower price because of the absence of waiters and expensive dinnerware which would raise costs.

Quality ingredients are a staple at Skew’s where the menu was created with the advice of a nutritionist.

Health-conscious fast food may be an oxymoron, but Del Pero makes nutrition a major concern at his restaurant.

Skew’s was rated “one of the healthiest restaurants in Southern California,” by the Health Dining Guide in Los Angeles.

Nutritional information for each meal is available on the menu and on a large billboard above the exhibition kitchen.

Customers also have the choice of substituting the meat in their meal with tofu steak at no additional cost.

Del Pero said having a nutritionist go over the menu did not negatively affect the flavor of the food.

“We don’t have to mask unhealthy ingredients with sauces,” he said.

Selections like Skew’s “Maui Chicken” and “Teriyaki Steak” are marinated, but if customers want extra sauce they can add their favorites at the sauce bar.

Customers’ opinions are important and if they need to specialize a meal to work with their health needs, the Skew’s staff will try to cater to them, said Mario’s wife, Ellen, who helps him run the business.

Skew’s extends its customer base with a catering service. The Del Peros have catered to groups that range from UCLA departments to the sets of television shows, “The Practice” and “Ally McBeal.”

Del Pero owns another Skew’s in downtown Los Angeles, but he considers the Westwood restaurant his model for future stores.