What makes a good sandwich shop for you?

[Bozza]

Suzie, who those who know me will know, is buying a sandwich shop. It's in a town centre location but has become a bit of a run down business as the current owners seem to have become a bit jaded with it all and want to get out. Suzie is looking to pick the place up, dust it off a bit, and turn the business around.

We probably all our own idea as to what makes a good sandwich shop, so it would be great to hear why your favourite sandwich shops are frequented by you.

What's good, what's bad, what will make you come back again?

 

[Mrs Coach]

Biederbums almost opposite the magistrates court in Brighton was my absolute favourite place when I worked in John Street. They had thick fresh cut flowery bread, and made the sandwiches there and then for you according to your spec (less onion, more mayo etc).
I thought they were the bees knees!

 

[Norman Baker suck my lozenge]

Clean hands,someone making the sarnie who does not handle Cash ,nice smile,and preferably big tits

 

[Mackenzie]

Cheese and pickle (branston) on a fresh white bloomer...cannot be beaten.

 

[Mrs Coach]

Plus they wrapped the sarnies up in a piece of greaseproof (to prevent butter, tomato etc leakage through the bag) and popped it in a paper bag. Very New York Deli style I believe. More expensive than most, but I never begrudged it cos of the quality of the fillings, and the amount they gave you! Thick doorsteps filled to bursting!

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Hand-jobs 50p?

 

[Nibble]

Fill those bad boys up. No excuse for poor amount of filling and I will refuse to go back to a shop if I bite into a sandwich only to find their idea of prawn salad is a lettuce leaf, a slice ot tomatoe and three tiny prawns gasping for breath on crappy bread.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Decent bread and interesting fillings (and well filled). Stuff you can't buy in Tescos or Marks etc. Plus a decent cup of tea of course.

 

[Starry]

A place where you can everything in one hit - a drink, packet of crisps and your sandwich.

Also, a place that is prepared to mix and match. There is a sandwich shop in Alton that will not, under any circumstance stray from their printed list of fillings. If I want Chinese chicken and egg mayo in the one sandwich they should let me do it, not tell me "Sorry, that is not one of our fillings" No. But it is two of your fillings, just put them in the same sandwich. I am more than willing to pay for the extra.

Using real butter, not that cheap, nasty, fake yellow spread.

Different breads to pick from.

 

[ROSM]

in all seriousness I like to see:

a range of bread base products (bagels, crusty rolls, baguettes, wraps as well as standard sliced) all available in wholemeal, granary and white

Option of spread, or butter

Old favourites like cheese, (at least 5 types) corned beef, ham, chicken etc as well as the specialities like crayfish. Also MUST do marmite!

Good fresh salad (it's not just a few lettuce leaves and a tomoato. what about rocket, baby leaf spinach, and avocado).

Fresh pepper in the mill rather than the naff tescos stuff, same goes for olive oil.

Then excellent accompaniments such as a good soup or three (thai chicken noodle, muligatwney as well as standard carrot and coriander),

sweet stuff like cakes which are home made not prepared months in advance and sealed in cellophane.

 

[ROSM]

Fill those bad boys up. No excuse for poor amount of filling and I will refuse to go back to a shop if I bite into a sandwich only to find their idea of prawn salad is a lettuce leaf, a slice ot tomatoe and three tiny prawns gasping for breath on crappy bread.

exactly - dont skimp on the salad and get big fillings

 

[Gully]

I was in York a couple of weeks ago, right in the city centre was a sandwich shop with all sandwiches selling for £1, there was a queue outside and down the street...I walked past about an hour later and they were closing down for the day, having completely sold out.

It depends on what her ambitions are, whether it is to offer something classy and different to what is on offer at the likes of M&S, Waitrose, Tesco etc or to go for cheap, cheerful and wholesome and make profits based on shifting vast quantities of butties. I guess it will be a fine balance between providing quality and quantity...but at something like £1 a go, if the quality is good, I reckon it could be an absolute winner.

 

[Nibble]

This and a coke for £1. That will pack 'em in

 

[Gwylan]

What others have said: a decent range of bread ((btw, I've yet to see a sandwich shop - save Pret - offer rye bread as an option), some different cheeses, choice between butter and marge and generous fillings.

I'd also say that they should have some decent veggie options as well - not just cheese or egg mayo.

I'd also say decent coffee but trying to get decent coffee anywhere in the UK is a big ask,so that's probably beyond any sarnie place.

 

[Gully]

That is not so much a sandwich but a surreal work of art...unless it is a trick or perspective and the car is really 100 metres away from the butty.

 

[Gully]

...building on that then Gwylan, how about decent tea and good cakes...that way people can build up a whole meal at one go.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Bin the £1 idea, unless your shop too, is 'oop North.

Personally I'd be more likely to walk straight past the £1 shop [and I CERTAINLY wouldn't join a queue of more than 6-7 people], and would happily pay £3 for a quality product.

Just copy everything O'Brien's do, but with a bit of individuality thrown in. Job done.

 

[Bozza]

I'd also say that they should have some decent veggie options as well - not just cheese or egg mayo.

Given I'm a freak myself, she is well aware of these issues. If I had a pound for every time I'd said "how difficult would it be to have veggie sausages" at sandwich and breakfast establishments then I'd have a fair few quid. Probably.

 

[Djmiles]

A shop which doesn't insist on putting MAYO and TOMATOES in every single sandwich.

 

[maffew]

My best sandwich shop, is the old "Crust" on Church Street. Its now called the Galley I think.

Toast is also excellent on Trafalgar Street

What makes me go back to Crust mainly (except that its close to work):

Everything is totally fresh and made to order
They have an excellent selection of breads. I only have Ciabattas and sliced white but the sliced white is big and fluffy like a bloomer
Quality ingredients ie proper ham and chicken breast
Nice selection of teas
Must do things like melts
The lady who runs it can always recommend something nice if you're not sure and lets you have a little taster of something

The only thing I'd say is they are missing a few valuable ingredients like sweetcorn, though the value is superb, £3-£3.50 gets you a fresh made meat and salad sandwich which hardly fits in the bag

She says 80% of customers are regulars who work in the surrounding offices so she looks after them. Saturdays are very quiet

They also have a few punnets of things to try on the counter like a pot of olives and some posh crisps