“Be unique to your niche and location. A
dding menu items is a smart way to carry you past the morning hours. Sandwiches are an addition your
customers can savor as much as your coff ee: both can be lingered over or enjoyed on the go. Sandwiches give you an opportunity not only to increase traffi c and sales, but also to use the same taste and creativity you bring to your daily brew. “Th e sandwich form itself is infi nitely variable and
delightfully portable: a sandwich can be simple or complex, everyday or gourmet, healthy or indulgent, hot or cold, and even sweet as well as savory,” according to Th e Culinary Trend Mapping Report, co-published by the Center for Culinary Development and market researcher Packaged Facts. “It remains one of the most approachable, friendly and relevant foods across all consumer groups. In short, sandwiches aren’t just an important part of the American diet: they are essential to it.” Many coff eehouses embrace
sandwiches to attract non-coff ee drinking customers, or to entice morning coff ee customers to return for lunch. “You create more lunch business, which is a slow time for a coff eehouse,” says Deborah Artenstein, who amped up sandwich off erings when she bought Java Earth Cafe in San Diego. “When we took over this place one year ago they off ered one sandwich—the Build Your Own—and we added a lot more options.” Th e customer favorite, Turkey Pesto Panini, uses Artenstein’s own pesto spread. Th ere’s also the Spicy Chipotle Turkey Sandwich spiced up with the owner’s Chipotle Aioli, the Tuna Melt Panini, and the Business Croissant fi lled with meat, cheese, tomato, mustard and mayonnaise. Chicago’s Kitchen Sink Cafe
added sandwiches aſt er owner Ally Brisbin considered the lack of lunch options nearby. “We began off ering sandwiches in our second month of business,” Brisbin says. “We had always planned to have a food menu, but we wanted to ease into things. Having worked and
Find new recipes frequently so customers don’t get bored with your menu.
You don’t have to provide hundreds of choices—just make a handful of favorite sandwiches, a few soups, a few creative salads.” —Ryan Bracken, owner,
Folklore Coffee & Company
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