Earl of Sandwich is entering the New York City market with two new locations in Midtown Manhattan and the Financial District.
The Orlando, Fla.-based sandwich chain, which is owned by Robert Earl, Planet Hollywood owner and chief executive, and John Montagu, a descendent of the British family for whom sandwiches are named, will open the Midtown location on 6th Avenue next week and the Financial District unit in the fall.
Although New York City’s robust sandwich market already includes chains such as Lenny’s Sub Shop, Pret A Manger and, most recently, Potbelly Sandwich Shop, Earl’s owners are ready for the dynamics.
“I relish the competition, from a price, quality and operational speed point of view,” Earl told Nation’s Restaurant News Wednesday. “It will fit nicely into the New York market. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Besides the two Manhattan locations, Earl of Sandwich has signed deals to open restaurants in Atlantic City, N.J.; Anaheim, Calif.; Boston and Boca Raton, Fla.; Earl said.
The average ticket is $8, and sandwiches and salads cost $5.99 a piece. Average unit volume starts at $1 million and runs into multiples of millions, Earl said.
Earl of Sandwich operates 13 domestic and two international restaurants in the Downtown Disney Marketplace; upscale malls in Florida and Texas; the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas; airports in Boston, Detroit and Newark, N.J.; and a Florida’s Turnpike service plaza. The two international locations are at Disneyland Paris and in London’s Ludgate Hill neighborhood.
“I’m after high volume,” Earl said. “I love airports. I love theme parks. I love big cities. I love turnpikes.”
Contact Alan Snel at [email protected].
Follow him on Twitter: @AlanSnelNRN