Next door subs

What makes your hospitality experience unique to guests?Our open kitchen means there’s really nowhere to hide—and that’s intentional. Customers can talk to the entire crew and see our kitchen at any time. They can see how we work, how clean we keep it, and how we treat their food. To us, that transparency creates accountability.

How do you maintain quality and consistency across locations?Its just one location for now, but Mr Vic and I discuss that and how we plan to address it in the future regularly.

What trends are changing the way people dine or travel?I think people are paying much more attention to the quality of the food they eat. COVID changed the way a lot of people think about food, ingredients, and where their food comes from, and I think we’re still seeing that today. People want value, but they also want quality, freshness, and to know what they’re actually eating. That’s a trend we’re happy to lean into.

How are you addressing staffing and retention challenges?For us, it starts with understanding that everyone is different. You can’t motivate or retain people with a one-size-fits-all approach. We try to learn who our people are, give them responsibility, listen to them, and give them room to grow. We also try to build a workplace where they feel like they’re part of the business rather than just employees filling a position.

What role does customer feedback play in your operations?A huge role. We have regular customers try new recipes while we’re developing them and give us honest feedback. A lot of our menu has evolved because we listened to those customers. We don’t just ask what people think—we actually use that feedback to make changes.

Can you describe a memorable guest experience that stood out?The best experiences happen repeatedly with new members of our crew. Someone who is really trying to put out great food gets that phone call from a customer saying it was the best sub they’ve ever had, or the best Philly they’ve had since moving away from Philadelphia. You get to see the smile on their face when they hear it. It’s like watching a kid at Christmas.

What innovations are shaping the future of hospitality? I’m still learning the industry, so I can’t pretend to know what the future of hospitality looks like on a broad scale. I can tell you what’s working in our limited scope: caring. Care about your team, care about your customers, and care about the products you’re putting out.

We’re a Christian-owned business, and while not everyone on our team is Christian, the way we operate is grounded in those principles: treating people with dignity, serving others, and doing things with integrity.

Technology and things like CRM absolutely have their place, but for us, not here—not yet anyway. Right now, we’re focused on building the right foundations. I’ve found that if you get the little things right, the big things tend to fall into place.