Building from scratch

J.J Ramsey has quite a history with Schlotzsky's. He's worked for the restaurant chain, in many roles, since he was 14. He met his wife, Hortencia, at corporate in Austin.

Now, the couple owns and operates three Schlotzsky's restaurants--in Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale. The family takes pride in their community, and in their eateries.

"We live locally, we have three kids," he said. "We live and breathe Schlotzsky's, there's no doubt. We're at the restaurants every day. We love it. We think you'll love it too."

The Bread

J.J. believes it's the fresh, from-scratch bread and fresh ingredients that set Schlotzsky's apart from the competition.

"The appeal, without doubt and above everything else is our bread," J.J. raved. "We bake it from scratch, every single day. No one does that as far as I know. We have the best bread around. Nothing compares to it. No one comes close. You can't mimic it, you can't make it at home for sure. That's what sets us apart--our fresh ingredients and our bread made from scratch."

The Original® and beyond

For the first two years of operation, Schlotzsky's sold one sandwich, and one sandwich only--The Original®. As a teenager, J.J. ate it all the time. When asked what he likes best all these years later, he doesn't hesitate.

"The Original®. It's still my favorite," he replied. "It's been around since 1971. It's still about The Original®."

Customers agree. The Original® is still the number one seller at the restaurant. A house-made sourdough bun is piled high with lean smoked ham, two kinds of salami, three cheeses, black olives, red onions, lettuce, tomato, mustard and the restaurant's signature sauce.

"That's how it started, and that's what we're know for," J.J. said. "But we have so many great things now, and such a big menu."

In the sandwich category alone, there are about 20 choices, with different size and wrap options available for each. The Tuscan is one of seven specialty sandwiches. J.J says everyone he's sold it to loves it. It features turkey, bacon, provolone and swiss, roasted red peppers, tomato, field greens, cilantro, chipotle pesto and avocado on a toasted Italian ciabatta roll.

Brisket is back

For a limited time, the restaurant is also featuring three different takes on brisket sandwiches--The Classic, The Cuban and The Rancher. The tagline for the brisket sandwiches says it all: "Takes hours to make and minutes to devour." Each combines slow-cooked hickory smoked brisket, fresh ingredients and, of course, the handcrafted bread. The Cuban and The Rancher are served on jalapeño cheese buns.

Pizza and flatbread

If you are a fan of Schlotzsky's house-made bread, J.J. maintains you will love their made-from-scratch pizza crust too. As their website points out, it's "made from the same house-made sourdough--just flatter."

Schlotzsky's pizzas have been around since the 1990's. Flatbreads are a little newer. J.J.'s recommendations? "Of the pizzas and flatbreads, I recommend the BBQ chicken and jalapeño pizza. And the California avocado flatbread."

Salads, soups and more

The menu goes on to include salads, soups, mac & cheese variations, kids meals and sweet treats like Cinnabon®. All the salads are served with house-made garlic breadsticks, and the varieties include fresh kale and chicken, cranberry/apple/pecan/chicken, southwestern chicken, turkey/avocado Cobb, and chicken Caesar.

Can't decide? The pick two option lets customers pair any two items on the menu to make their own perfect combination.

Catering

One of Schlotzsky's specialties is catering, from small parties to large corporate events. They make it easy, J.J. pointed out. "You can call 855-DELIVER and a catering specialist will help you, take the order and send you an invoice. Or, you can call your local store. Or you can order online."

Plus, there's free delivery with any catering order over $50. There's even an online catering meal planner on schlotzskys.com to help customers put together a perfect party--from box lunches to individual meal packages to party trays.

Delivery

Everything on the menu can be delivered to your door. Just place your order on schlotzskys.com, by phone or via your smartphone with a mobile app. Schlotzsky's is available on Bite Squad, GrubHub and Waitr.

LOCATIONS:

1919 West Sunset Ave.

Springdale

(479) 751-9800

2548 N. College Ave.

Fayetteville

(479) 443-5000

2709 W. Walnut St.

Rogers

(479) 636-9900

ONLINE:

schlotzsky's.com