Founder and CEO Nick Kleiner says the concept will launch as part of the second phase of the Broadgate development in the City and mark the Bristol-founded group’s fourth location in the capital.
Food on the grab and go offer is made every two hours, and means customers don’t have to queue as they would for the made to order section.
“In terms of scalability, grab and go is the future of the business,” Kleiner told Restaurant’s sister title MCA. “We really want to drive people’s attention towards that right now.”
Sandwich Sandwich established its grab and go offer after arriving in London in July last year. It is now available across the group’s estate, which currently encompasses two sites in the capital and two in Bristol.
The menu is the same as that which is available made-to-order and centres on a selection of towering sandwiches with fillings including sliced Southern fried chicken with house coleslaw and spicy Creole sauce; tuna crunch with sliced peppers, celery, red onion and mayonnaise; and rare roast been with red onion, tomato, rocket, cheddar, red onion chutney and horseradish mayonnaise.
It’s exactly the same sandwich you get from the deli,” Kleiner says. “You don’t have to queue, the sandwiches are made fresh every two hours, and they’re served in these great branded boxes.”
London expansion
Broadgate is the second London outpost Sandwich Sandwich has slated for the coming months. The group opens its third location in the capital and its first outside of the Square Mile on Tottenham Court Road in the West End today (29 October), which Kleiner admits will be a big test for the brand.
“That’s a big step for the brand; it will really test us,” he says. “In the City you geographically have people doing the same thing day in day out, but the West End is much more transient footfall of tourists and shoppers.
“There’ll be people who have never even heard of Sandwich Sandwich, but they will see a fantastic looking shop and we believe will still be very much drawn in. “We’re very excited to be opening there.”
Sandwich Sandwich, which was founded by Kleiner as Cotham Sandwich Co back in 2010, arrived in London last year having seen its popularity sky rocket during the pandemic thanks to social media; the visual impact of its deep filled sandwiches proving to be a viral smash on Instagram and TikTok.
The group’s site on Gresham Street in the City drew huge crowds that it maintained for several months.
It subsequently launched a second site in the financial district on Mark Lane earlier this year that, at 3,500sq ft in size, was billed as ‘the biggest sandwich shop in the UK’.
Previously, Kleiner has said Sandwich Sandwich is aiming to eventually open 20 sites across the capital, which will include both larger flagship locations and smaller grab and go sites.
Discussing the group’s expansion progress, he says the business has previously faced challenges finding the right sites.
“To other people it looks like we’ve made a lot of progress. We actually wanted to be a further along than we are, but we are catching up now. We’ve assembled a bit more expertise in the head office now, which has freed up some time for others to get the right site.”
International growth
As well as its growth in London, Sandwich Sandwich is also preparing for the opening of its first international location. The brand will open a site in Dubai in the first quarter of next year under a franchise agreement with The Sandwich Group, which is led by CEO Conor Mckay.
Kleiner says the business is approached on a daily basis with franchise opportunities, but Mckay’s proposal stood out.
“He really loved the brand and has experience in F&B, which is very important.
“Conor resonated with us, and it felt like the right partnership to dip our toe into the franchise market.
“Dubai is a country we probably wouldn’t have gone into on our own. He lives there and is a property guy, so he’s well connected as well as well experienced in the sector. It just felt right.”