Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop expands
Newest location opens in East Caln
EAST CALN » A new fast casual dining option has found a home in the Downingtown-area. Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, 1086 East Lancaster Ave., opened Aug. 30 in the Brandywine Square Shopping Center.
The new store brings 40-years of tradition in sandwich making — the chain is known for its fresh roasted turkey subs and cheesesteaks.
The new franchise location is owned and operated by West Chester-area residents Heath and Cindy Mitchem.
“We always wanted to own our own business, and leaned in the restaurant direction in those thoughts. We thought going the franchise route would be the best route to take,” said Heath Mitchem, who brings 20 years in business planning and strategy experience to his new career.
As the couple began to make plans to open their own business, Capriotti’s kept “popping to the top” as the best fit.
“That is the one we pushed forward with,” Mitchem said, adding the process began with an introduction at Capriotti’s headquarters in Las Vegas two years ago.
“We shared our thoughts, they shared their thoughts. We aligned on quality and presentation, appealing shops and community outreach,” he said.
As plans for the new location moved forward, the couple purchased an existing Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop in West Whiteland, 117 E. Swedesford Road in September 2020 — a location that has been in business for 13 years.
A third location owned by Mitchem is in development, and will be located at the Grove Shopping Center in East Whiteland.
The decision to move ahead with the projects was made before the pandemic, according to Mitchem.
“We slowed things down for the first 2½ months of COVID to see how it was going to play out,” he said adding that once they saw the potential with take-out orders, plans got back on track.
Mitchem said the decision to locate in the Brandywine Square Shopping Center location was made very quickly — as soon as he drove into the shopping center, in fact.
“As soon as I saw it I knew that was the shop we needed to have. I took a picture, sent it to my realtor and he was talking with the developer within five minutes,” he said. The building used to be an Old Country Buffet, according to Mitchem, and has been split into several spaces — all of them restaurants.
“It adds some flexibility for people visiting us, plus it has more of a modern appeal,” he said.
Mitchem said things have gone well since the restaurant opened Aug. 30.
“We had a great turnout the first week. A number of people said they had never been to Capriotti’s, but saw the signs or the advertisements and wanted to try us out. A number of people said they are long-time fans,” he said, adding sales have been good. “I feel very excited about the shop.”
Capriotti’s was founded in Wilmington, Del. In 1976. The first sandwich Capriotti’s offered — and still its best-selling according to Mitchem — is “The Bobbie,” made with oven-roasted turkey, cranberry sauce and mayonnaise.
“We oven roast whole turkeys overnight — every night. Butterball turkeys are slow-roasted and hand-pulled in the shops each day,” he said, adding that high quality ingredients and attention to detail make a difference. “Meats for sandwiches are sliced every day in-house. And we source regional produce as much as we can when it’s in season.”
The turkeys, Mitchem said, are bred specifically for Capriotti’s by Butterball, and weigh about 25 pounds each. The fast casual restaurant is also known for the “Capastrami,” made with hot pastrami, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing and homemade coleslaw; cheesesteaks made with premium steak, wagyu, chicken or Impossible plant-based meat; and “madefrom-scratch” meatballs.
The East Caln location also serves breakfast, and will be adding La Colombe Coffee to its menu.
One of Mitchem’s goals is to increase the restaurants’ connection to the community.
“We are open to looking at opportunities to support the local schools in the Downingtownarea,” he said, including both fundraising and catering events. Mitchem said anyone wanting to discuss community partnerships can email him at heath. mitchem@yahoo.com.
He added that he continues to hire, and urges those looking to work at his restaurants to go into the shop to speak with a manager.
Capriotti’s fans can download the CAPAddicts Rewards app on iOS and Android to earn and redeem rewards. The restaurant also features online ordering. Capriotti’s offers catering for any event from corporate events to birthday parties with items such as party trays with cold subs, box lunches or a hot homemade meatball bar.
The restaurant is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit www.capriottis.com or call 610-222-6655.
Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop is a national franchise that operates more than 100 locations across the U.S. That number includes nine Pennsylvania locations in: Glen Mills, West Chester, West Grove, Kennett Square, Springfield, Royersford, Philadelphia and Mitchem’s East Caln and West Whiteland restaurants.