The Untold Truth Of Which Wich

Which Wich Superior Sandwiches made waves in the franchise restaurant industry. The company, which has hundreds of stores across the country and around the world, serves its signature sandwiches to masses of hungry customers every year (via Which Wich).

The first restaurant location opened in 2003 in Dallas, Texas and soon after, D Magazine was already singing the restaurant's praises, naming their egg salad sandwich the best in the Dallas and Fort Worth area. The appeal of the restaurant lies in diners' ability to customize their sandwiches to their exact preferences and specifications. Customers can choose from over 40 toppings to complete their sandwiches, including dressings, cheeses, and veggies, per Which Wich's menu.

It's not just the sandwiches that draw patrons to the chain. Diners love the atmosphere, which is inspired by the company's values, as well as the feeling that one is doing some good by supporting the charitable causes the chain partners with.

Which Wich's innovative ordering system is doing away with long lines at the register and potential confusion when it comes to placing your order. Diners simply take a specific type of bag, depending on what they want to order (via Which Wich). There are bags for the predetermined faves menu or bags for the create-your-own option and customers use a Sharpie to write their name and to fill out the order form on the bag, ensuring your sandwich is custom made exactly to your specifications. Bags are then handed to an employee, who calls the customer's name when their sandwich is ready. When they're through with your sandwich, the restaurant encourages diners to use their Sharpies to draw on the back of the bag and hang their creative works in the restaurant's art gallery.

This ordering system is pretty cool, but it doesn't stop there. The company has also rolled out ordering online and via their app, available for download in the Apple App and GooglePlay stores, per Which Wich's website.

In addition to serving as founder and CEO of Which Wich, Jeff Sinelli also serves as the brand's Chief Vibe Officer. You might wonder what a vibe entails. According to Which Wich, it's the general vision and mission behind its restaurants. Its values can be found hanging on the wall in yellow and black circles in every franchise location. These values include: smile, which includes joy and customer service; love, including health and caring; voice, including creativity and music; peace, including compassion and unity; and global, including environmental and outreach (via Which Wich's website). According to Sinelli, the Vibe serves as the stimulus behind all choices that are made within the company, from how they select employees and franchise owners to what foods they serve.

The restaurant's vibe culture extends to their loyalty club, which is called Vibe Club Rewards, offering frequent customers and supporters of the Vibe special bonuses. Members of the club get a free sandwich for every 75 points earned, as well as a free sandwich on their birthday, per the company's reward page.

Which Wich gives back to the community in spades. According to Project PB&J, the chain serves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to anyone facing food insecurity and those affected by natural disasters. The program is based on a buy one, give one philosophy; for every PB&J available on the kid's menu sold in a Which Wich restaurant, one is donated to a worthy cause, per Which Wich's menu. Swag is also available on the charity's website and proceeds from the sales go towards supporting the charity.

Sinelli said PB&J sandwiches account for some of the highest profits in the chain's restaurants (via Which Wich). He went on to note the appreciation of those receiving the sandwiches, saying, "I've been in several of our local markets when we're providing PB&J sandwiches to people who may not have had a meal that night if we didn't show up. The gratitude and the feeling that you helped them through a tough time is the real benefit of our conscious capitalism philosophy."

Which Wich has over 400 franchise restaurants both in the United States and internationally, all owned by dedicated franchisees who have been vetted by the chain to ensure they will uphold their Vibe values. This chain isn't just any fast food restaurant; its corporate sector goes above and beyond in supporting each franchise location and its owners from its conception to its daily operations.

Harry Patel, a franchisee out of Illinois, is appreciative of the assistance he receives from the company's headquarters. He notes that most first-time restaurant owners fail if they don't have experience in the food and drink industry. Which Wich is there to support new owners every step of the way. "What Which Wich provides is basically a template and a protocol and a book and a manual," Patel said. "If you follow that template from day one, then you're going to be successful. And that's the key with what Which Wich does."

The Dallas Morning News reports that in 2016, Which Wich gathered together 700 sandwich makers at the Gaylord Texan Convention Center for two very important purposes — to break the world record for number of sandwiches that can be made in an hour and to help feed those in need. The brand previously held this title in the Guinness Book of World Records, but was ousted by a school. It wasn't long until Which Wich decided to compete to regain their title, and regain it they did, making 39,303 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in one hour.

Setting the record isn't as easy as just making the sandwiches — they need to be eaten, too. The competing restaurant distributed the PB&Js to various charities including the Salvation Army, Ronald McDonald House, and a local food bank. After giving out the sandwiches to charity, the volunteers found they had extra, so they hit the streets, finding those needing food and sharing the sandwiches with them.

Guinness World Record Judge Michael Empric, who moderated the event, made sure all protocols were followed and was impressed by the cause the Which Wich competition was working toward. "What I love about this particular record is even if they don't break the record, what they're doing is so much more important," Empric told The Dallas Morning News. "It's a great opportunity for them to bring the team together and give to charity."