BENTONVILLE -- Which Wich Superior Sandwiches reopened its location in the city late last week with a rare feature for the custom-sandwich chain -- a drive-thru.
Which Wich, known for its distinctive method of using a personalized sandwich bag in the ordering process to indicate all the customers' desired fixings, typically doesn't include a drive-thru in its stores. The Bentonville operation will be one of only a handful of the chain's more than 430 stores with the service, which includes a digital kiosk for ordering.
Dustin Griffiths, director of real estate for Which Wich, said the spot near Southwest A and 14th Streets was a great site for the store and the drive-thru is an added bonus.
"We really are about the best location first," he said.
Which Wich has two other stores in Pulaski County, one in Searcy and a small store on the campus of Arkansas Tech University in Russellville. Griffiths said the Dallas-based chain's stores, in 40 states and 12 countries, are all franchise operations. He said plans are to open between three and five new stores in Arkansas over the next five years.
Ari Fields started with Which Wich in 2012 when the Bentonville store first opened. That store shut down in July in anticipation of the move and now she's the manager of the new site. She said Which Wich has a unique brand that focuses on a quality product and customer appreciation.
"I love the whole concept," she said. "Which Wich is all about the vibe."
Fields said the store will initially have a staff of around 20 to meet expected demand at the new store.
Which Wich was founded in late 2003 by Jeff Sinelli who wears two hats with the company, chief executive officer and chief vibe officer. Before Which Wich, Sinelli opened several restaurants and clubs. He founded Genghis Grill and sold the company in 2002.
Restaurants like Which Wich are part of the fast-casual segment which feature an enhanced dining experience compared with fast-food places. Fast-casual restaurants typically don't have waiters but the operators strive for a comfortable atmosphere, usually with music, big-screen TVs and appealing graphics.
Fast-casual restaurants make up 18 percent of the $268 billion limited-service category in 2016, according to a presentation by Darren Tristano, the chief insight officer for industry consultant Technomic. Fast-casual restaurants brought in $47 billion in sales for 2016 with projected sales hitting $74 billion by 2021.
Sandwich shops are the second-largest fast-casual segment with 18 percent market share. The Mexican and bakery cafe segments tied for first, each with 19 percent of market share and chicken restaurants were fourth with 12 percent.
Edward Kushell, president of Los Angeles-based The Franchise Consulting Group, said Which Wich is testing the drive-thru concept like many companies in the fast-casual segment. He said speed and accuracy with orders are vital to drive-thru service with orders filled in a 3-5 minute range whenever possible.
Kushell said trends in the segment include technology to speed ordering and to assure accuracy; automation, including the use of robotics to keep labor costs down; and delivery, which can be costly and problematic if it affects food quality or customer satisfaction.
He said successful chains will focus on key areas, putting several stores in a region so they can benefit from brand recognition and where advertising dollars are more effective.
"Market saturation is vital," he said.
SundayMonday Business on 04/15/2018