Bristol-based chain Sandwich Sandwich has announced expansion ambitions to rival the likes of Pret and Subway.
It comes as the family-run company, which was founded by Nick Kleiner in 2010, opens its first shop on Gresham Street in the heart of London’s banking district.
Despite currently operating just three other outlets across Bristol, the brand is setting its sights high after being named Uber Eats Restaurant of the Year 2023 (which came with a £100k cash prize) and garnering more than 177,000 followers on Instagram.
Its latest investment in social media output sees it posting an Instagram video reminiscent of animated film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. The mock news report features giant sandwiches falling from the sky in the capital, said to be due to the launch of its new site.
Branded items are seen landing on Tower Bridge and the Houses of Parliament, with outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak shown running away. In a breaking news moment, the reporter claims the London Eye has just turned into a Scotch egg – one of the brand’s signature products – which begins rolling across the city.
Looking past the opening of its fourth location, Sandwich Sandwich said it plans to open a second site in London by the end of the year and then “four or five more” next year before expanding both across the UK and internationally.
“There is no reason why Sandwich Sandwich will not take over Pret a Manger or Subway,” Joshua Kleiner, head of operations & marketing at Sandwich Sandwich, told British Baker. “They are outdated. I believe those companies haven’t changed with the times. People are so fed up.”
In the Bakery Market Report 2024’s list of the Top 75 out-of-home bakery businesses, Subway was third with 2,291 stores, behind Costa and Greggs, and Pret was seventh with 460 stores.
Kleiner, who has worked at his father’s business since he was 16, said consumers were still going to a major sandwich chain outlet simply “because it’s there”, but claimed they would prefer “quality homemade food as an offering”.
Sandwich Sandwich sells a range of deep-filled sandwiches freshly made on white or granary bread, including options like All-Day Breakfast, Spanish Tortilla, Rare Roast Beef, Jerk Chicken, Hoisin Pulled Pork, and Spicy Vegan Chicken. Menu items on flatbreads and brioche are also available, along with savoury pastries such as Scotch eggs, sausage rolls, and pies, and sweet choices like cheesecake and chocolate brownies.
“People can sometimes assume that we are quantity over quality. We wouldn’t be restaurant of the year if that was the case,” noted Kleiner, adding “All of our bread is locally sourced, all of our ingredients are locally sourced, everything’s homemade”.
Kleiner revealed Sandwich Sandwich is using two family-owned bakery suppliers: Proper Bread in Bristol and Rinkoffs in London. “We’re very loyal, we like to grow with our supply chain. We want to help them just as much as they help us,” he said.
Due to the Sandwich Sandwich sites being “insatiably busy”, the firm has hired 47 new staff members to work at the Gresham Street shop, which will be open daily from 7am to 6pm. Kleiner commented that opening seven days a week wouldn’t cause any issues as he said the shop would become a destination establishment. “We see people coming from all over the country and from Scotland to try our sandwiches,” he added.
Six existing employees have been brought over from Bristol to help with an extensive training programme including a three-week course for chefs. “We take the whole thing very seriously and we’re passionate, that’s why I believe with we can produce some incredibly high quality and tasty food,” said Kleiner. “You can’t really get what we produce for the price point and the quality anywhere else.”
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