LENNY'S SUB SHOP: PHILLY CHEESESTEAK IS THE SANDWICH STAR AT FRANCHISE SHOP

LENNY'S SUB SHOP: PHILLY CHEESESTEAK IS THE SANDWICH STAR AT FRANCHISE SHOP

August 8, 2013

Jerrod Cravotto had a franchise
agreement in hand to open a second
Lenny's Sub Shop in Oklahoma when the
existing Tulsa store fell in his lap.
"I was in sales for 15 years and was a
regular customer here and used Lenny's
to cater sales meetings, so I was familiar
with the product," Cravotto said.
"When I got the OK for a franchise, I
came here to talk to the owner, Chris
(Brown), and he said he was involved in
doing some other things and would sell
me his, too.
"So I still have an extra franchise that I
plan to put somewhere in the Tulsa area."
The Lenny's in Fontana Shopping Center
was the first in Oklahoma when Brown
and his mother, Ginny, opened it almost
10 years ago, and it still is the only
Lenny's in the state.
Lenny's Sub Shop was founded by Len
Moore in Memphis, Tenn., in 1979. It
emphasized fresh ingredients and a
Philly cheesesteak sandwich Moore
brought from his native New Jersey.
The Philly cheesesteak ($6.55) was
among the three items we had on a
recent visit to the cozy, sun-drenched
dining room on the east side of the
shopping center. We also had a cold
Italian sub ($6.55) and a cold roast beefand
provolone-cheese sub ($6.45).
The Philly is the star of the hot
sandwiches - the restaurant's overall
best-seller, for that matter - and it was
loaded with sliced beef, grilled onions
and an American/Swiss cheese blend on
a soft, warm sub roll. The sandwich had
a saltiness that I found came from the
cheese when I checked the nutrition
information.
"The Philly is popular, but lately we can't
seem to make enough meatballs for the
hot meatball subs, too," Cravotto said.
Diners have the choice of about a dozen
items to add to their cold subs. We
added lettuce, olive oil, tomatoes,
pepper, mayo and pickles to the roast
beef that was stacked high with thin slices of beef, and it was a
winning combination.
The Italian included four meats - ham, prosciutto, capicola and
Genoa salami - along with provolone cheese. This one came
loaded with onions, lettuce, olive oil, tomatoes, salt, pepper,
oregano, pickles and hot pepper relish. The pickles and the hot
pepper relish, which was more flavorful than hot, helped give this
sandwich a pleasing, complex flavor.
The regular sub-roll sandwiches are 7 1/2 inches and have a halfpound
of meat and cheeses. The 15-inch large sandwiches have a
pound. The cold sandwiches also are available on a Kaiser roll,
with one-third pound of meats and cheeses, and cost a couple of
dollars less than the regular subs.
Among other items available are chicken salad, tuna salad, chef
salad, hot dog and fresh-baked cookies.
Specials include a regular sub (hot or cold) or salad, chips and
regular fountain drink for $8.80, and a Kaiser sandwich with chips
and regular drink for $6.60.
A menu for ages 10 and under has a turkey-and-cheese 
sub, ham-and-cheese sub, meatball sub or hot dog with 
chips and drink for $3.95.
Cravotto said Lenny's still handles catering jobs of all sizes.
"We deliver all over, as far away as reasonable," he said. "We
recently delivered a job to Fort Gibson and another at an oil rig
near Beggs.
"I was able to keep almost all of the employees when I took over,
and that has been a life-saver."

Lenny’s Sub Shop Announces ‘Under 500’ Menu Board Transitions Helping Spearhead Calorie Awareness Across Sub Sandwich Industry

Memphis-Based Sub Shop Offers Voluntary Menu Transparency for Additional Guest Satisfaction

Memphis, TN – Lunch competition has never been more competitive and to address the lunch crowd’s growing need to remain healthy during this important meal, Lenny’s Sub Shop, a 150-unit sub sandwich franchise, has rolled out voluntary calorie information for select sandwiches in all of its sub shops nationwide. Nutritional and allergen information for all menu items is also available at lennys.com.

Considering the sensitivities many consumers have to high calorie intake, with the move, the sub franchise will not only continue to offer high-quality sub offerings, but do so starting at a value price point of $3.95.

With the initiative, the sub franchise has positioned itself as a pioneer in the healthy, good value sub option for lunch-goers. They have also created a new category on the menu called “Under 500,” with specific menu items under 500 calories per regular order serving, which includes all toppings except olive oil and cheese.  Featured are 12 every day sandwiches, such as Classic Kaiser, Italian Kaiser, Roast Beef Regular Sub, Roast Beef Kaiser, Mile High Turkey Regular Sub, Mile High Turkey Kaiser, Club Kaiser, Deluxe Club Kaiser, Chicken Salad Kaiser, Tuna Salad Kaiser, Veggie Regular Sub and Veggie Kaiser.

“We are extremely pleased to announce the rollout of this new menu objective,” said Brent Alvord, President of Lenny’s Sub Shop. “Though there are no mandatory federal rules necessitating the mandate of information at this time, we want to remain a consistent and transparent option for our guests, so those looking to monitor their food intake can now better manage their particular choices. The way we see it, at the end of the day, the quality of our subs speak for themselves – we have nothing to hide.”

The announcement will also be supported in-store with fresh and targeted visual displays featuring “12 Fresh Sandwiches Under 500 Calories Starting at only $3.95” content. Featured with a lime-green color display, the menu items introduce a new visual perspective to the Lenny’s Sub Shop board, while simultaneously providing an inviting, intriguing and cost effective lunch solution for guests.

“A lot of exciting things are happening at Lenny’s, in-store and in social media,” Alvord said. “While we have visually tweaked our menu and shop display, the cornerstone of Lenny’s remains intact. The quality and value of our products won’t change.”

For more information, please visit https://www.facebook.com/LennysSubs or https://twitter.com/lennyssubs. 

Lenny's Sub Shop featured on WBIR

Lenny's Sub Shop franchisee Dian Trosclair and general manager Crystal Martin from Knoxville were featured in a segment on the WBIR Knoxville noon show that ran on Thursday, August 30th. In this 4 minute segment, Dian shared how Lenny’s Sub Shop makes the best sandwich every time by using the freshest products from baked bread daily to freshly sliced meats and cheeses all topped off with Lenny’s signature pickles and hot pepper relish. Dian shared with the host how Lenny’s piles high the quality ingredients to ensure the best taste, even while taking it to go at events like the local “Booms Day” celebration. Dian was also able to discuss a few of the Lenny’s dips that are perfect for festivals and tailgate season. View the video below!

Lenny's Sub Shop voted as the Best of the Best in San Antonio

In a Facebook poll by KABB Fox San Antonio, the fans have chosen Lenny's Sub Shop as the Best of the Best! The station created a video featuring San Antonio Lenny's Sub Shop owner Kam Patel and the legendary Philly Cheesesteak. Check out the video here!

History 101: The Birth of the Philly Cheesesteak -Lenny’s Sub Shop

Ever wonder how a classic sandwich like the Philly Cheesesteak came to life? The story is a good one, and one that continues to evolve as culinary professionals and everyday sandwich lovers alike tinker with their versions of the hoagie favorite. The online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, defines a cheesesteak as a sandwich made from thinly sliced pieces of steak and cheese in a long roll. True fans of the classic sandwich, though, know it’s not quite as simple as that!

The cheesesteak burst onto the restaurant scene back in 1930, at, get this, a hot dog stand near South Philadelphia’s Italian Market. As the story goes, hot dog vendor Pat Olivieri one day decided to make a steak sandwich for lunch using onions and meat from a local butcher. A taxi cab driver drove by and, noticing what he was making, asked for one of his own. Olivieri served the first cheesesteak to the cabbie with no cheese and sold it for a nickel! Word spread from there, and the rest is history as they say.

As people all over the country began to crave the mouth-watering sandwiches, many restaurant however, have been successful. In 1998, the first Lenny’s Sub Shop opened in a suburb of Memphis. The popularity of the shop’s sub sandwiches, headlined by its signature Philly Cheesesteak—made with premium steak from the heart of Philadelphia—prompted rapid growth of the restaurant chain and continues to expand across America.

Today, authentic cheesesteak sandwiches like the ones served at Lenny’s Sub Shop® include huge portions of premium steak, grilled onions and cheese piled high on fresh-baked bread. They’re cooked to order and served hot off the grill. While Lenny’s Sub Shop can’t serve them for a nickel, we do offer unmatched value for guests’ hard-earned dollars and provide a level of customer service that demonstrates our commitment to ensuring our guests return again and again.

So while there will always be some debate as to how the best Philly Cheesesteak sandwich should be made, those who love to eat them know the secret lies in the taste. Whether it’s topped with American, Provolone or our favorite—Swiss American—cheese is anyone’s choice, but a true Philly Cheesesteak mixes the flavors of steak, cheese and extra toppings in a way that leaves the person enjoying it always wanting more. Try the Philly Cheesesteak—or any other sandwich for that matter—at Lenny’s Sub Shop® and you’re bound to see some of the many reasons why Everybody Loves Lenny’s™!

Information on cheesesteak history was gathered from gophila.com.

Top 10 Reasons Why Everybody Loves Lenny’s!

Our guests aren’t shy about telling us what they like about Lenny’s Sub Shop, and we love to hear their comments! We’ve received a lot of feedback over the years, and we continually strive to build on those things you like the most about our restaurants. We want to make your dining experience with Lenny’s all about good eats and top-notch service at a fair price. So, whether you’re one of our loyal guests or you’re looking for an occasion to give us a try, we can give you 10 reasons to stop in and grab one of our delicious sub sandwiches! Let’s start with the first five…

1. Authentic Philly Cheesesteaks Hot Off the Grill. Or, in terms your taste buds can understand, Scrumptious Mouth-Watering Steak and Cheese Perfectly Sculpted Into an Edible Work of Art. We start with seven ounces of steak, add grilled onions and top it off with Swiss American cheese. Served fresh and hot off the grill, you won’t find a better Philly Cheesesteak in town!
2. Premium Deli Meats Sliced to Order. Step into one of our restaurants and you’ll see the deli case stocked full of premium deli meats and cheeses. Choose your favorites and watch us slice them as we prepare your sandwich. It doesn’t get any fresher than that!
3. Plentiful Portions of Meat and Cheese. Lenny’s subs aren’t just two pieces of bread with a slice of meat and cheese in between. They’re stacked high with meat and cheese—we’re talking mammoth proportions. A regular-size sub is seven and a half inches long and weighs a half pound. A large-size sub is 15 inches long and weighs a full pound. That’ll satisfy even the biggest of appetites!
4. Chicken & Tuna Salad Made from Scratch. Two of our most popular items, our chicken and tuna salad are made fresh every morning. Enjoy it on a round Kaiser roll, on a sub roll, on a bed of lettuce or take home a pint for the week—it’s up to you. We want only the freshest ingredients and we know you do, too!
5.Crowd Pleasing Catering and Party Platters. Don’t stress over preparing food for that next meeting, tail gait party or other special occasion. Lenny’s can handle it for you. In addition to our cold sub party planner menu, be sure to check out the new Lenny’s Hot Catering menu that offers all your favorite hot subs served buffet style.

That’s it for now! Stay tuned for our next blog and the rest of the Top 10 Reasons Why Everybody Loves Lenny’s. But, until then, leave us a comment and answer this question: What’s the number one reason why YOU love Lenny’s?

Welcome to Lenny’s Sub Shop (The Blog, That Is)!

Thank you for visiting the new Lenny’s Sub Shop blog! We love our guests, so we’re fired up to dedicate this space on a regular basis to helping people get to know us—and the sub sandwich—better. We’ll do anything to find the best ways to serve and stay connected with the people who love our food, and since this social media thing is exploding around us, what better way is there for us communicate with our biggest fans? Look out! We now know enough about social networking to be dangerous!

Over the next couple of months, you’ll find information in this blog on everything from our mission to what makes an appropriate portion size to the history of the Philly Cheesesteak. But, our passion for this new way of keeping in touch won’t stop with the blog. We hope you’ll follow us on Facebook and Twitter. You’ve told us those are the best ways to reach you. So please, read on, to help us kick off our new venture!

Our genuine Philadelphia-style sub shop was first opened in 1998 in a Memphis, Tenn., suburb. The fresh-baked bread and finest quality deli meats, coupled with a commitment to quality and dedication to detail has made Lenny’s Sub Shop one of the fastest growing sub shops around. Today, we have more than 160 franchise restaurants nationwide to satisfy those cravings for authentic Philly Cheesesteaks, world-class sub sandwiches and, of course, our signature Hot Pepper Relish. (By the way, it’s not only great on sandwiches; it’s “to die for” mixed with dips and appetizers!)

If you’ve ever been to one of our restaurants, you know our dedication to More Food, More Taste, More Personality® runs deep. Our seven and one-half inch sandwiches offer one-half pound of meat; over a pound goes into a 15-inch sandwich. Wow! That’s a mouthful! And, these subs are made fresh to order with only top-notch ingredients, so you can expect only top-notch sandwiches.

A visit to Lenny’s Sub Shop is like having lunch at a friend’s house, and that’s why our loyal guests repeatedly return to the particular Lenny’s location they call, “My Lenny’s.” Our team members kick off your visit by greeting you at the door with a friendly “hello.” But, that’s just the beginning. We’ll make your sandwich the way you like it, and you can enjoy your sub while chilling out in one of our ultra-comfortable booths. We want you to feel at home, so refill your drink as you please, or we’ll be happy to refill it for you. What’s the best part? There are no trash cans in our dining room because we don’t want you to clean up after yourself! That’s our job.

We pride ourselves on being the favorite neighborhood sub shop, so rest assured our dedication to making mouth-watering and generously sized subs and Cheesesteaks and providing exceptional customer service at a fair price will never disappear. After all, that’s why, Everybody Loves Lenny’s!