Which Wich Superior Sandwiches, a Dallas-based sandwich chain with more than 300 shops in 37 states and eight countries, opens Monday on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s campus.
“It’ll be the first one in the city,” said Alison Hoesli, a public relations contractor for Which Wich.
The sandwich shop will be in Scrappy’s Place Food Court in the University Center, said Megan Corcoran, marketing manager for Aramark, which runs all of the restaurant brands and dining on UTC’s campus, including the Starbucks coffee shop in the new library.
“Looking at what new brands we wanted to bring to campus and based on strong student feedback about Which Wich, we found it to be a great fit,” Corcoran said.
The shop’s “soft opening” will be Monday through Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and then on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., UTC spokesman Chuck Cantrell said. The sandwich shop will open for business on Monday, Aug. 17, the day fall classes start.
Which Wich says it offers customers “complete control” while ordering a sandwich. They select the type of sandwich they want from 10 categories, such as turkey, Italian or vegetarian, and grab a corresponding bag. Then customers use a Sharpie marker to indicate the sandwich’s size, the type of cheese and toppings and whether they want it cold or toasted.
The chain has vegan options and kids’ sandwiches. And Which Wich offers its own sandwiches, including the Thank You Turkey, a combination of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce.
Asked to compare Which Wich with other chain sandwich shops, Hoesli said, “I hate to say it’s so much better – but it is.”
“They [can] actually toast everything. Everything’s not cold when you get it. And they just have a lot more options,” she said.
According to the sandwich chain’s website, Which Wich CEO Jeff Sinelli launched the first shop in 2003 in Dallas and began selling franchise rights in 2005.
It was the second foray in the national restaurant business for Sinelli, who learned from his father, who owns two Detroit-area sports bars. In 1998, Sinelli started Genghis Grill, a Mongolian barbecue chain that grew to 11 stores in five states before he sold it in 2003. Sinelli likes to call himself a “human sandwich board” since he’s rarely seen without black-and-yellow Which Wich gear.
Contact staff writer Tim Omarzu at tomarzu@timesfreepress.com or www.facebook.com/tim.omarzu or twitter.com/TimOmarzu or 423-757-6651.