First of all, I’m not actually qualified to tell you what makes a good sandwich shop, other than being a consumer. I may have renovated a few!! In actual fact, I’m a painter and decorator.
However, I do eat food from sandwich shops 5 or 6 days a week and have done for a number of years (excluding maybe Christmas week). I’m quite good at assessing what I love, which is food. So I’m going to explain what I think makes a good sandwich shop. Make of it what you will.
Should a Sandwich Shop be Cheap and Fast, or Slow and Good?
Each successful sandwich shop can be split into one of two categories, except the odd niche one that is. You’ve got the cheap shops where the food is ok but nothing special, most of the hot food will already be out under heaters and you will be served quickly. These rely on numbers!! They need a large amount of customers through the shop in order to make enough profit through the day.
Then you’ve got the slower shops with better food. These will cook your food from scratch after you order it and serve a lot slower than the cheaper shops (painfully slow at times).
I like both types of shop by the way, I’m in no way slating the cheaper one. As I said in my opening paragraph, I eat at these places every day. I need to be in and out and I hate spending a fortune on my lunch!! Each shop has it’s place.
The Best Breakfast Sandwiches
These are a staple for most tradesmen and something I eat a lot of. The bacon needs to be thick, cheap sausages are horrible and black pudding needs to be rich. Contrary to what I’ve already said, some of the best breakfast sandwiches are not made from scratch to order. The quality of the meat is far more important than it being straight off the fryer. Just give me proper sausages with plenty of seasoning from a butcher!! Is that too much to ask?? Every good sandwich shop needs to be able to make a good breakfast butty.
The Best Pies and Pasties
If you’re a sandwich shop owner and you’re reading this, please for the love of God don’t skimp on the pies!! Forget your Gregg’s and your pound shop bakery, nobody wants to bite into dry pastry and gristle!! We want rich boozy steak and ale, or creamy and smooth cheese and onion. A nice traditional and satisfying Cornish pasty with dense knots of pastry on top and loads of seasoned fresh filling. Nothing ground or processed, everything freash!!
A good quality Cornish pasty will fill you up and see you though until teatime. If that is the difference between paying £2.00 and £3.50 for a pie then fine!! I can’t believe how hit or miss pies actually are from shop to shop. There is a bakery up by us called Lathom’s. They’re well known for locally for the quality of their pies, which by the way are both delicious and expensive. The shop is always full of customers and sells pies hot, cold or frozen. They must go through thousands of pies a day and the owners will be raking it in!! A good pie is what makes a good sandwich shop!!
Something sweet
Cakes and pastries time!! I love the old-fashioned bakery type shop with their homemade cakes. Even something simple like a jam slice is a real treat when it’s homemade. Just the thought of it being baked that very morning and carried 100 foot to the display counter is brilliant. None of this pre-packaged, mass produced crap bought in from some big corporate. Viennese whirls, custard donuts, soft Victoria sponges and chocolate brownies are at the top of my list.
The only issue with this type of food, is fresh food doesn’t stay fresh for very long. I imagine there can be a lot of waste for the owner.
Lunchtime Specials
Hot food, a proper meal, home cooked and all fresh. There is nothing better than a little village sandwich shop putting on a hotpot or chicken curry at lunchtime. It can be something different, cooked in bulk every day and it will keep the regulars coming back. It needs to be proper food though. Keep your cheesy chips, give me liver, onions and gravy (maybe not everyone’s taste). Just wholesome, like the way your mum or your nan would cook.
Signature Option
A signature option really can be what makes a good sandwich shop!! Something everyone knows the shop for. There’s one close to me that does carvery batons…. Meat, onions, mash and gravy on a baton!! Absolutely delicious!! I’ve already mentioned the pie shop. There’s another one close to me with different types of sausage and different types of bacon to choose from. That last shop might not sound all that, but they put a lot of effort into making sure the breakfast experience is a talking point and it works well for them.
Final Thoughts
Can you tell I like food? If you’re reading this blog because you’re thinking about setting up your own sandwich shop, then brilliant. Just get some good pies on the go and you’ll be laughing. I wish you every bit of luck in your endeavour. It’s probably better than decorating.
If you’re reading this blog because, like me, you love sandwich shop, check your blood pressure regularly and do some cardio.
There used to be a fantastic place in Brighton when I did the new AMEX building few years ago. Always had various breads and sticks and rolls then you could choose whatever from a deli counter to cram in the bread and pickles/ mustards etc. Also had great coffee in a pot to pour out, none of this skinny capuchino bollox just proper brewed coffee With a jug of real milk.
Place was always busy with all the trades but it was fast service too. Great place.