Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/109754
R E T A I L I N G T O D A Y Quality control CAPRIOTTI'S SANDWICH SHOP ISN'T LETTING GROWTH DILUTE ITS PRODUCT By Steve Bergsman L OIS MARGOLET BOUGHT a home and walled off the front parlor to create a sandwich shop measuring less than 500 square feet and which she named Capriotti's, after her grandfather. The shop steadily gained a clientele eager for the freshmeat sandwiches Margolet made from whole turkeys she would roast the evening before. That was in the late 1970s, on Union Street, upgrading to stay relevant. "Subway had done a great job of improving brand image and introducing healthy products," said Dennis Lombardi, an executive vice president at Columbus, Ohio–based WD Partners, a food and brands consulting firm. "Other chains, like Togo's, are trying to reenergize. The new guys are going to have to find areas that are not overly saturated, or come up with points of difference. Capriotti's is trying for a more deli-like presentation. It is a strong player in particular regions. As yet it doesn't have the marketing strength of a Subway or Firehouse." Many want to compete on price, but Capriotti's wants to continue competing on quality, says Walls. "To us," he said, "it makes sense to sell a better sub sandwich." Other Capriotti's best-sellers in Wilmington, Del. Today Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, a franchise chain based in Las Vegas and expanding steadily across the country, still roasts whole turkeys nightly, and roast beef as well. "When we sell a sandwich, it's with the whole muscle meat that has been pulled off the bone that day," said Patrick Walls, the chain's president and COO. The best-known Capriotti's sandwich continues to be the Bobbie — turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and mayonnaise on fresh-baked bread. Offering a better sandwich is the means Capriotti's has chosen to try to distinguish itself in what has become a crowded sector of the food business. And such distinction is vital, observers say. Besides the ubiquitous Subway chain, other franchises include Firehouse Subs, Jersey Mike's Subs and Jimmy John's. And older chains are M ARC H 2 013 / SCT 27