Made Fresh
Cover Story
By Hanna Aronovich   
Thursday, 14 September 2006
smc Lenny's sandwich shop is winning fans beyond New York with its fresh concept.
Lenny's sandwich shop is winning fans beyond New York with its fresh concept.
In the fast-casual segment, the biggest trend is consumers gravitating toward healthier options and away from fast food. “Our core product line has always been fresh,” Johnny Heil says. “We don’t have any fried or greasy foods. We’ve been ahead of that change. We don’t see the push toward healthier eating to even be a trend, but more of a staple in the marketplace.”

The owner of Lenny’s sandwich shops notes the prevalence of national fast-food chains incorporating salads and other healthy options into their menus as an indication that the trend is here to stay. “A lot of places are offering salad bars or tossed salads,” he notes. “We introduced our salad bar three years ago. But, we do more than that. We make a custom salad. One of our most popular items is the chopped salad. In New York, that’s a big thing. Our tagline is ‘it just tastes better,’ but it really is the truth.”

Headquartered in New York, Lenny’s – named after founder Lenny Chu currently operates seven sandwich shops in Manhattan. The company has its eyes on expansion, and intends to unveil a franchise plan in the next few years. In the last year, Lenny’s has opened two new stores in prime locations, Heil says. “We have a store by Rockefeller Center, and also one in Chelsea,” he notes. “Both have been successful, with record-setting sales. We see a lot of rapid growth coming next year.

“We’re proud that we’ve been able to take two stores, in a time when retail space is expensive, and continue to perform well,” Heil continues. “We will continue seizing opportunities as they arise. Already we’ve begun franchising in Asia. Our first overseas store is scheduled to open in Seoul in summer 2007.”

Heil says the company’s success is rooted in its fresh-made-to-order concept. “No one really does it like that anymore,” Heil explains. “A lot of fast-casuals use the buzzword ‘fresh,’ but in many cases, it’s not really true. At Lenny’s, we really are fresh. Everything is fresh-made-to-order. We don’t slice the meat for our cold sandwiches until the sandwich is ordered, and all our hot sandwiches are grilled to order. Nothing is pre-made. No multi-unit operator does that anymore. That really separates us from the herd.”

This year, Lenny’s will introduce several new items. Heil points to the buffalo chicken sandwich. “It’s a chicken cutlet, butterflied to an especially thin consistency,” he describes. “We coat it in buffalo sauce, top it with melted, crumbled blue cheese and serve it on romaine.”

It’s one of Lenny’s first new sandwiches in a few years, and Heil says it is already one of the most popular items. “Our chopped salad has also been remarkably successful,” he adds. “It’s really the preparation style that’s different. It’s a salad that you can eat with a spoon. But, we don’t just develop new products for the sake of new products. We introduce items that our customers are asking for. Signature sandwiches continue to be a leading item, and Heil says the Lenny’s combo – grilled corn beef on pastrami with melted Swiss, Russian dressing and coleslaw – is a best seller.

The H1, part of the homestyle combo line, is also dubbed “Thanksgiving on a roll,” Heil says. “We serve fresh-roast turkey, sliced thin, with cranberries, stuffing and gravy, served on a roll.”

In addition to serving what customers are looking for, Lenny’s provides the service that customers expect. Heil says the company employs an ongoing customer service education program. A trainer visits all the stores, observes the employees and overall practices, and reinforces the company’s customer service philosophy through additional training.

“We strive to go above and beyond the call of duty – whether it be a service issue or any other type of concern,” Heil says. “We solve problems to meet our customers’ satisfaction. Our Web site encourages customers to e-mail us any comments or suggestions. Some people aren’t comfortable bringing something up at the restaurant, so they can contact us on their own terms. We call it ‘two cents at Lenny’s’ and it’s been an amazing tool.”

Heil receives all e-mails directly and responds to inquiries personally. He says this helps customers feel valued and enhances their overall Lenny’s experience. “They know that we really care about their satisfaction,” Heil says.

Lenny’s also reaches out through community sponsorships, and works with local schools, churches and charities. “That’s something that’s close to home for the Lenny’s family,” Heil says. “We like to spread around our good fortune. We donate gift certificates or catering to almost any organization that is looking for our help.”

Working closely with vendors is another priority to Lenny’s. Partner Marc Merryfield says Lenny’s forms partnerships, and has worked with many of the same vendors for more than 15 years. “We work with the crème de la crème,” he says. “To be a Lenny’s vendor, you have to be above and beyond in service and quality.”

Lenny’s works with vendors that can accommodate national business, so they will be able to support Lenny’s as it expands. “We’ve built relationships with vendors who can support us as we move to a national level,” Merryfield states.

According to Heil, Lenny’s plans to open 13 more locations in Manhattan in the next five years and expects to begin franchising in the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Chicago area, as well as in Asia.
 
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