sandwichking

Thank you very much for having me on, it’s been my pleasure. I look forward to reading, answering questions and being part of future conversations on e-gullet.

As you can probably figure out, we have a lot of foodies that come in to Starwich and usually target these lux ingredients. Overall, however, these ingredients tend to do very well with foodies and non-foodies as well. For instance, I was really surprised on the amount of truffles we sold last month. Many of the people coming had never had truffles before and wanted to try them for the first time. Plenty of these customers had never had an outlet available to them to try such items, but at Starwich we have become that outlet for them. I think we will always continue to introduce new lux ingredients to our guests. On a side note we have had a Foie sandwich in the past that sold exceptionally well.

No plans yet for JFK or LGA; hopefully soon, the problem with places like JFK and LGA is that spaces rarely become available...or at least good ones. Woo-hoo!!! That's good news, indeed. Any plans to expand to LGA or JFK? Those are my usual ports of call, so I sure hope so! ←

Hi Matthew, We’re very excited to be a part of the new airline food trend that’s growing. Currently as many of you know, most national flights don’t offer food, and the food options at airports haven’t grown with the trend of how people are eating. People are eating better and paying more attention to what they eat. As a result, higher-quality restaurant chains have started to pop up, but airport food options haven’t changed with the times. I’ve been in lots of airports where you can’t find a quality meal. If you’re like me, you either get some fruit, fly home hungry, or get something that you’re not completely satisfied with. Starwich will fill that void for travelers who want to eat healthy, quality food on board or in the airport. Currently, we don’t plan to increase pricing at airports. It’ll remain the same as at our retail outlets.

Hi Ron, We feel our pricing is generous for the quality that our customers receive. We’re very competitive with restaurants that charge a similar price but don’t serve as high-quality a product. We’re very satisfied with our growth and the consumer response. I think the growth proves that we can make a go of it charging only $8.95.

Hi Allister, One key to having a multi-unit operation is to have centralized purchasing to track and control costs. We set aside between 20-25% of each store for storage and prep. We have a separate facility where we can order bulk amounts of certain supplies (such as paper goods) that can be stored in a central location. Because we buy very-high quality ingredients, and lots of organic ingredients, we’re a little higher in food costs than your typical QSR. However, they aren’t as high as a restaurant or hotel.

Hello! All of our sandwiches are toasted and are served warm. There are certain things we do that are seasonal items such as soups in the wintertime which help satisfy those looking for something hot. We get different requests daily for new and inventive sandwiches and salads, and our goal is to accommodate every request. Since we encourage our guests to create their own sandwiches and salads, our staff is prepared to fulfill almost all the requests that come in. Certainly a Croque Monsieur or Madame is something we could happily do.

Hi Karen, I agree, the rising cost of packaging is quite a challenge. We’re always on the look out for an affordable and environmentally sound ways to wrap our sandwiches and salads. It’s a continuous battle to get better pricing. At this point we try to lock in purveyors by buying larger quantities which always helps with cost.

The below numbers should read 1,200 to 4,000 sq ft. The measurement of our Wall Street store is 1,600 sq ft. and this is the size we are going to keep moving forward. Sorry for the confusion! Hey, Spiro! Like Mike, I'm excited to be getting a Starwich in my neighborhood (UES) in the (near?) future. I have a question to add to his - will the uptown joints differ in any way from the ambience you've worked to create further downtown? As you know, the UES is pretty residential, and I would imagine that most of your weekday traffic would be stay-at-home parents with kids in tow and self-employed, freelancer types (much like what I already find at, say, DTUT on 2nd Avenue). In light of this, do you have any plans to tweak the design of the shops to accomodate a higher volume of stroller traffic and loads of laptops? Any plans for mid-afternoon story hour type activities? ← ←

Hey Steve, You are absolutely right; salads are a big part of our business – they constitute about 40% of our sales. Many people choose salads as a lighter alternative to sandwiches. As I said earlier, a great sandwich starts with bread. For a salad, it’s the greens. Crisp, fresh, flavorful greens lay the foundation for hearty and delicious salad. Salads are often a popular because people feel they are better able to monitor what they eat better because the bulk of it is crisp veggies. However, for a salad to satisfy and satiate, you need to add proteins like meats, fish, cheese and tofu.

Hi Chris, The thing I notice when I dine out is cleanliness, which is a big deal for me. I believe the appearance of a restaurant translates into how well maintained it is and if after years of being open, I like to see if they are still taking the same care in their overall appearance. I also like to watch what is going on with the staff during down time. I observe how the waiters, cooks, etc conduct themselves; I look to see if they are joking around, of if are they taking their job seriously. The easiest thing to fix in many restaurants is that too many establishments focus on just the food and not the overall experience. Focus should also be placed on the ambience, the music, and the lighting (but of course not at the expense of the food). These things can be changed easily by ensuring the right music is playing at the right level, the host or hostess is friendly and accommodating and so on. These elements lend themselves to the diners experience and all contribute to the impression they take away with them at the end of the meal.

Hello Russell, Our number one focus is on maintaining quality which is really the driving force behind what we set out to do. We are committed to keeping true and consistent to this. We feel that too often companies loose sight of their original plan as they expand. We intend that by the time store #100 opens we will still be providing high quality, unique, fresh ingredients, with great service and a great overall experience for our guests.

On average we have a pretty even split of create your own versus signature creations. We have not had many problems with our production from those who are creating their own salads and sandwiches. I think that often the first time it takes our guests a bit longer to decide what they want but after their initial visit they are comfortable with the system and really appreciate the variety. Thanks Spiro. As a follow up to my original question, how much percentage of business do you see from the pre-set specialty sandwiches and salads versus the create-your-owns? Are those numbers different during lunch time than from dinner? And have you witnessed any production issues related to customer confusion or indecisiveness with the long ingredient card? ←

Hi Mike, We are moving along and hope to have stores in many different pockets throughout New York City in the next couple of years. It shouldn’t be long till you have a Starwich near home and near work!

Hi Megan, As of right now we do not have any plans for story hours but we are always open to suggestions. All of our stores vary in size, anywhere from 4,000 sq ft to 12,000 sq ft. Right now we are really happy with the layout of our Wall Street location, which is 16,000 sq ft. After experimenting with lots of different sizes the 16,000 sq ft allow for a lot of foot as well as stroller traffic. The larger locations also will allow for more leisurely lunches and will accommodate those who want to work through lunch on their laptops. Hey, Spiro! Like Mike, I'm excited to be getting a Starwich in my neighborhood (UES) in the (near?) future. I have a question to add to his - will the uptown joints differ in any way from the ambience you've worked to create further downtown? As you know, the UES is pretty residential, and I would imagine that most of your weekday traffic would be stay-at-home parents with kids in tow and self-employed, freelancer types (much like what I already find at, say, DTUT on 2nd Avenue). In light of this, do you have any plans to tweak the design of the shops to accomodate a higher volume of stroller traffic and loads of laptops? Any plans for mid-afternoon story hour type activities? ←