New sandwich shop opens downtown

The new sub shop draws crowds for grand opening Monday.

By Harry Plumer

Published April 8, 2008

For those who were disappointed about the closing of Shake’s Frozen Custard on Ninth Street this past winter, a new restaurant has taken over the ice cream shop’s former space.

The sandwich shop Which Wich? officially opened its 51st location on Monday.

“Everything has run pretty smoothly,” manager Kelly Keller said, who came to Which Wich? in February after four years of running the Holiday Inn Express in Fulton, Mo. “This is the eighth location for these owners and they are really great people.”

Which Wich? held what was supposed to be a test run with friends and family of employees Sunday, but for a few hours, the event turned into a sandwich giveaway.

“We didn’t want to turn people away,” Keller said. “We served 300 people in four hours and eventually we did have to turn them away.”

Plenty more showed up for the grand opening on Monday, although they had to pay for their sandwiches.

“I really like the festive atmosphere of the place,” said Sam Shipley, a Columbia resident who works downtown. “I will definitely be coming back here for lunch in the near future.”

The festive atmosphere Shipley referred to grows out of what Keller calls “the vibe.”

“We really want to have fun and that should be reflected in everything from décor to staff,” Keller said. “This is not just about sandwiches, we try to entertain here as well.”

Customers Monday were greeted by smiling employees who walked them through the shop’s innovative ordering system, which closely resembles that used at Eva J’s 2Go, on campus.

Customers mark on a brown paper bag what kind of sandwich they want and the toppings they want on it.

“It’s designed to create exactly what you want,” Keller said.

After filling out the bag, customers then give it to the sandwich makers, who will call the customer’s name and give them their sandwich, in the bag and ready to eat, when it’s ready.

“It’s really a system designed so that everyone can look at their options and get the ‘wich that they want,” Keller said.

At $4.75 for any 7-inch sandwich, getting the sandwich you want is relatively affordable, Keller said.

Keller said there were no promotions from Which Wich? in the mix.

“We hope our menu itself and our staff are enough to get people to come out,” Keller said. “We have Bose music, free wi-fi and HDTV as well.”

Which Wich? began with Texas restaurateur Jeff Sinelli, who was unsatisfied with the quality of fast sandwiches. The company has now expanded to 11 states.