Become a Hero and Offer a Great Sub Sandwich

If you run a pizza restaurant, you make your living on well … selling delicious pizza.  It’s your main draw and what you’re most likely known for. But some of the best deli sandwiches we have ever tasted have been at our favorite pizza joints.

There is really nothing like a lush, meaty hero sandwich on fresh-baked sourdough, Dutch Crunch, or your choice of bread.  Sub sandwiches are as much an old and valued standby at pizza places as pepperoni pizza, and you should consider putting as much love and care into making your heroes as you do your signature pies.

The beauty of any cold sandwich you serve is that it often uses ingredients you already stock, including a variety of meats and veggies.  In this way, cold sandwiches are a natural menu extension that doesn’t require additional inventory.

Also, sandwiches are often an ideal complement for pizzas, offering customers another choice on the menu in case they’re tired of pizza (God forbid). Additionally, sandwiches can come in all sizes and are a great menu item for catering events and large parties.

At Firehouse Subs, based in Florida, sandwiches are their main business and they have dozens of the menu.  Because they have a “firehouse” theme, the sandwiches are named The Engineer and The Hook & Ladder. Their version of the Italian sub is made with Genoa salami, pepperoni, Virginia honey ham, melted provolone, Italian dressing, and seasonings.

This is a great reason for having sandwiches on your menu: Your Italian-style sub may be different from the one down the street, made with your choice of meats and seasonings. This is a way to separate your restaurant from the competition, and outshine them because your sandwich is has higher quality ingredients and is much better!

In the search for quality, Liguria Foods offers a full line of sandwich meats. Liguria takes a traditional artisan Lig_Sandwichapproach to making dry deli meats and pepperoni, carefully maintaining temperature and humidity in redwood drying rooms. The result is premium quality that turns every creation into an Italian masterpiece.

Do you have a hero sandwich on your menu?  Are you familiar with Genoa Salami, Hard Salami, Deli Pepperoni and Capicola?  These are the most popular cold sandwich meats sold in pizza restaurants.  Additionally, many places offer turkey, ham roast beef, and chicken and veggie sandwiches.

Salami, however, is the key ingredient to a great sub or hero sandwich and there are a variety of styles available:

  • Genoa Salami is popular on the East Coast. It is mild and subtle with a balance of flavor, meat and spices and the texture has a firm bite that is not mushy or fatty.
  • Hard Salami is a little like Genoa but it is heartier with a texture that makes it more popular in the Midwest and West.
  • In California, people like Italian Dry Salami, a product that was actually created by Italian immigrants who migrated to San Francisco.
  • Large Diameter Deli Pepperoni offers a smoked and bold flavor that people associate with their favorite pizza.
  • Capicola is a specialized, smooth tasting salami that is rolled with spices, contains more fat and thus a lot more flavor that many others

By the way, the longest salami sandwich ever created was from Italy and measured 2,296 feet. But you probably won’t have to go that far or long; just a great sub on fresh bread with equally fresh vegetables, and about foot-long will do the trick.

And, when it comes down to it, having a hero sandwich on your menu will make you a hero to your customers.

 

 

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