Post: #51

I have subbed to this thread.

Post: #52

(11-28-2017 09:05 PM)YoungBlade Wrote:  I have subbed to this thread.

That makes you my hero

Post: #53

Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions guys. Some good stuff there.

About the market comments - yes, this is a tourist area I'm thinking of. The thing is, almost all the food around here is NOT Spanish. Sushi, Thai, Kebab, Gelato, you name it.

That said, once you've experienced the joy that is Spanish food, you're grateful for that. It's generally terrible.

It's funny that Banh Mi came up a few times. My wife is Vietnamese and likes a particular variant that involves some barbecued meat. (Not the pile of mystery sunshine-temperature pastes you generally tend to find on the street in Saigon.)

Anyway, don't have a press but I did a Cuban roast pork yesterday and made some cubanos today. Here's one of them with my ghetto press (cast iron pan, another pan with weight on top). It was delicious.



Couldn't find any Cuban bread, so I'll make that sometime soon and see how much it improves things.

Post: #54

Delete

Post: #55

That's a really tough industry you're going into. Even if you execute everything well, your profit margin is going to be 3-10% at best.

Try making something exquisite from something simple. It'll help your preparations and keep your expenses low.

With that in mind, here are some ideas that I've seen work:

Taiwanese egg sandwich:


Very simple ingredients (crustless white bread, eggs, mayo, sliced cucumbers, ham) but they sell out very quickly. Cheap to make, you can sell a stack for $3-$4 each and even keep some in a fridge at the front of the place for people to grab and go. Not terribly difficult to make either.

Grilled Cheese - Very simple staple, easy to make, and many people love this. You can use it to showcase local Spanish breads or cheeses.

Toast Sandwich - it sounds awfully stupid, but it can work if you do it well.


Disclaimer: I knew a guy who tried to start a sandwich stop. According to him, it was bloody hard and he had a 6.5% profit margin with an average net take of $1250 a week despite being in a very foot traffic heavy and touristy part of Vegas.

Post: #56

(12-05-2017 10:36 PM)Mr. Accuride Wrote:  Disclaimer: I knew a guy who tried to start a sandwich stop. According to him, it was bloody hard and he had a 6.5% profit margin with an average net take of $1250 a week despite being in a very foot traffic heavy and touristy part of Vegas.

In Vegas we already have Port of Subs (which sucks) subway (which sucks) Cappriotti's (which is okay) and The Goodwich. The Goodwich is the foodie sandwich shop that had to relocate to a bigger space because they were so successful.

So you have to have a great product. Not a good product, it has to be great. The guys behind The Goodwich have a fine dining pedigree.

OP the pressed sandwich in your pic looks great.

Generally speaking I'd say you need to be very focused in your concept and start small. It's just playing it safe.

Me personally? I've got a pretty solid repertoire of sandwich making so I'd open something that was themed an International Sandwich shop. I'd feature the 'best of', doing a pastrami sandwich (modeled after Langer's #19 in L.A., the greatest pastrami sandwich on earth) a muffaletta, a banh mi, a jambon au beurre, a bbq pulled pork sandwich, a turkey club, a breakfast sandwich (like a Bacon Egg and Cheese on a Kaiser roll like what you get in NYC) a fried chicken sandwich, a pambazo (mexican roll dipped in chile sauce and filled with potatos and chorizo), a medianoche/cubano, a monte cristo, and a couple more. The thing is, you gotta knock it out of the park with each one of these. Easier said than done. Requires lots of recipe testing and standardization. But I would shoot for this level of variety and execution. It would require a LOT of trial and error.

Basically, by the time you're ready to open a shop, the food is the last thing that you should be worried about. It needs to be 100% dialed in.

So I generally recommend others play it safe, especially getting involved in an industry they don't have a ton of experience in. But me personally, I'd say fuck playing it safe, fuck catering to locals, and I'd swing for the fences. Generally speaking, in Europe people make a big deal out of anything that ISN'T their local traditional cuisine. There's that famous falafel place in Paris. It's not even that good, but everyone raves about it.

Post: #57

Check out Capriotti's menu. Lots of great sandwiches. They're famous for one called the Bobbie, basically Thanksgiving on a bun. Fresh roasted turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce.

https://www.capriottis.com

Post: #58

There's also a sandwich shop in Indio, CA that's always ranked super high in national restaurants. Has some really good and unique sandwiches.

https://www.tkbbakery.com

Post: #59

In nashville there is a hot chicken sandwich on a biscuit from Caviar and Bananas that is absolutely delicious, they use a cheddar traditionally, but you can get gouda (basically dutch non-sharp cheddar) or cotija (100 day aged mexican parmesan). There's a special kind of bacon they use that I can't recall, but it's signature to the area and has a very pleasant taste without the ultra-nitrate saltiness characteristic of terrible bacon.

Also, there's an italian beef sandwich at a place called "hot diggity dog's" run by a classic feisty italian woman, she has a cult following even though the buildings in a less desirable part of town, and stays slammed throughout the year. The italian comes "hot and wet" with some peppers and other spices, another delicious offering from the area. I'm not certain what the style you're looking for is, but these two are definitely great!

Post: #60

(12-06-2017 12:15 AM)Veloce Wrote:  Generally speaking I'd say you need to be very focused in your concept and start small. It's just playing it safe.

Me personally? I've got a pretty solid repertoire of sandwich making so I'd open something that was themed an International Sandwich shop. I'd feature the 'best of', doing a pastrami sandwich (modeled after Langer's #19 in L.A., the greatest pastrami sandwich on earth) a muffaletta, a banh mi, a jambon au beurre, a bbq pulled pork sandwich, a turkey club, a breakfast sandwich (like a Bacon Egg and Cheese on a Kaiser roll like what you get in NYC) a fried chicken sandwich, a pambazo (mexican roll dipped in chile sauce and filled with potatos and chorizo), a medianoche/cubano, a monte cristo, and a couple more. The thing is, you gotta knock it out of the park with each one of these. Easier said than done. Requires lots of recipe testing and standardization. But I would shoot for this level of variety and execution. It would require a LOT of trial and error.

Basically, by the time you're ready to open a shop, the food is the last thing that you should be worried about. It needs to be 100% dialed in.

That's pretty much what I was thinking of. The best sandwiches in the world, as it were.

That said, dialing in the food is my first step. How do I get these sandwiches in front of people without opening a restaurant first? Sure, I can make sandwiches and eat them, and invite a few people over to try them. But that's not really a test audience.

If it were summer, I could probably get a stand somewhere, or a food truck. Unfortunately the food trucks here are tiny and only seem to appear at festivals and stuff. You'll never see one open on the street.

And then getting those sandwiches reproducible is definitely another thing I need to work on. Consistency is so important.

KSockz, Accuride and texrifle: Thanks for those, they're going in the file.

Post: #61

Banh mi for sure, but the best I've had are made in Houston/DFW. My ex's mom (both parents Vietnamese) said without a shadow of a doubt that the Vietnamese food in Houston was better than in Vietnam.

Lee's Sandwiches is an obvious but fool-proof option.

Post: #62

(12-06-2017 01:47 AM)Malone Wrote:  

(12-06-2017 12:15 AM)Veloce Wrote:  Generally speaking I'd say you need to be very focused in your concept and start small. It's just playing it safe.

Me personally? I've got a pretty solid repertoire of sandwich making so I'd open something that was themed an International Sandwich shop. I'd feature the 'best of', doing a pastrami sandwich (modeled after Langer's #19 in L.A., the greatest pastrami sandwich on earth) a muffaletta, a banh mi, a jambon au beurre, a bbq pulled pork sandwich, a turkey club, a breakfast sandwich (like a Bacon Egg and Cheese on a Kaiser roll like what you get in NYC) a fried chicken sandwich, a pambazo (mexican roll dipped in chile sauce and filled with potatos and chorizo), a medianoche/cubano, a monte cristo, and a couple more. The thing is, you gotta knock it out of the park with each one of these. Easier said than done. Requires lots of recipe testing and standardization. But I would shoot for this level of variety and execution. It would require a LOT of trial and error.

Basically, by the time you're ready to open a shop, the food is the last thing that you should be worried about. It needs to be 100% dialed in.

That's pretty much what I was thinking of. The best sandwiches in the world, as it were.

That said, dialing in the food is my first step. How do I get these sandwiches in front of people without opening a restaurant first? Sure, I can make sandwiches and eat them, and invite a few people over to try them. But that's not really a test audience.

If it were summer, I could probably get a stand somewhere, or a food truck. Unfortunately the food trucks here are tiny and only seem to appear at festivals and stuff. You'll never see one open on the street.

And then getting those sandwiches reproducible is definitely another thing I need to work on. Consistency is so important.

KSockz, Accuride and texrifle: Thanks for those, they're going in the file.

In the U.S. it's common for restaurants to do "pop-ups". Basically you set up shop in someone else's kitchen for one night or a few nights. Make some flyers and hand them out, get the word out on social media. Offer 3 sandwiches that you KNOW to be really really good and set up a night where you plan to sell 30 each of them, go all night until you run out; hopefully the place you do your pop-up also sells alcohol. Try to make a social event out of it, find a DJ that will play for free, that kind of shit. You'll make an agreement with the house how much you'll pay them, but it's not about making money, it's about getting your product out there.

Some successful spots start like this. Not many, but some. A friend of mine is doing this exact scenario with his sushi concept.

Post: #63

Banh Mi's are so fucking good, there is this local Pho place that makes them but they only do them during the summer, fuck this gay earth.

Post: #64

Love The Haddock sandwich at Bagaduce Lunch in Brooksville, Maine

Post: #65

(12-06-2017 01:47 AM)Malone Wrote:  

(12-06-2017 12:15 AM)Veloce Wrote:  Generally speaking I'd say you need to be very focused in your concept and start small. It's just playing it safe.

Me personally? I've got a pretty solid repertoire of sandwich making so I'd open something that was themed an International Sandwich shop. I'd feature the 'best of', doing a pastrami sandwich (modeled after Langer's #19 in L.A., the greatest pastrami sandwich on earth) a muffaletta, a banh mi, a jambon au beurre, a bbq pulled pork sandwich, a turkey club, a breakfast sandwich (like a Bacon Egg and Cheese on a Kaiser roll like what you get in NYC) a fried chicken sandwich, a pambazo (mexican roll dipped in chile sauce and filled with potatos and chorizo), a medianoche/cubano, a monte cristo, and a couple more. The thing is, you gotta knock it out of the park with each one of these. Easier said than done. Requires lots of recipe testing and standardization. But I would shoot for this level of variety and execution. It would require a LOT of trial and error.

Basically, by the time you're ready to open a shop, the food is the last thing that you should be worried about. It needs to be 100% dialed in.

That's pretty much what I was thinking of. The best sandwiches in the world, as it were.

That said, dialing in the food is my first step. How do I get these sandwiches in front of people without opening a restaurant first? Sure, I can make sandwiches and eat them, and invite a few people over to try them. But that's not really a test audience.

If it were summer, I could probably get a stand somewhere, or a food truck. Unfortunately the food trucks here are tiny and only seem to appear at festivals and stuff. You'll never see one open on the street.

And then getting those sandwiches reproducible is definitely another thing I need to work on. Consistency is so important.

KSockz, Accuride and texrifle: Thanks for those, they're going in the file.

Here is one thought .... Is it a possibility to sell the sandwiches for lunch at business? Make a few flyers and distribute in the business district. Offer to deliver to the offices. You could concentrate in the business district if such exists in your area.

Post: #66

(12-08-2017 12:43 AM)william09 Wrote:  Love The Haddock sandwich at Bagaduce Lunch in Brooksville, Maine

Like this one?

Post: #67

Why are sandwich business profit margins so low?

Food is always going to have tight margins regardless which is part of the gamble.

I think traditional USA sandwich shops burn money as they have to purchase tons of expensive cheese and processed meats. Americans also love their expensive beef and lean chicken which is expensive. I would never touch a roast beef sandwich for example, as you'll make pennies on each sandwich. Pork is the way to go as it's cheap and versitile.

If you roast a bunch of pork loins in house and have a good bread and cheese connect then maybe you can get those prices down.

A guy I know was importing cheese from Europe for not all that much and would jack the price up from wholesale and even more for retail. He would age the cheese himself and then just blow up the prices and people never even thought twice. He would get wheels of cheese for like $80 and then could sell it retail for $18 a pound. He would do the same thing for ham as well. Just getting whole containers in and then temperature storing them from wholesale and retaglld

Post: #68

People have already mentioned the Phily Cheesesteak and Bahn Mi (two of my favorites), so I'll throw one into the mix that I believe is a top-five sandwich.

A Bake and Shark sandwich that can only be obtained in the Maracas Bay area of Trinidad. What makes it great is the fact that the two main ingredients are deep fried: the bread (called the bake) and the shark. Then you add a series of condiments that are mostly wet, like sauces and veggies. This provides an excellent contrast to the base. Crunchy on the outside, yet wet and juicy on the inside. Winning!

Andrew Zimmern (that fat dude from the food show) did a review of it. When I was in Trinidad, I followed his trail to verify the recommendation. It DID NOT disappoint.