**** This location of Wich Wich has closed
After reading this post by Paul Jamason of SD Urban, I've been following the progress of a new Sandwich Chain setting up shop in San Diego. But apparently, I hadn't been following close enough, because I didn't know the place had opened until I read another post by Paul in late February. Located on Fifth Avenue, in the Guild Theatre location, this chain asks the eternal question, "Which 'Wich?"
And even though the "sandwich assembly line" looks pretty generic….
But the concept is a bit different. Only sandwiches are served, and all sandwiches are priced the same, $5.25. There are 10 categories of sandwiches, ranging from "Turkey" to "Seafood" to a "Comfort" category(more on that one later). Doing the math that's 50 basic sandwiches. And there are only two types of bread available, white or wheat, and 8 different types of "cheese".
From there it can get a bit crazy…..there are what seems to be an endless combination of spreads, veggies, spices, and oils. All of which (or 'wich) you fill out on a brown paper sack. Once you've designed your 'wich, you hanedthe bag to the person at the register who clips it to a line and it makes its way down the assemble station. When your name is called, your 'wich is ready.
Pretty neat concept, huh? Kinda fun, maybe a bit entertaining…. Which 'wich says it creates "Superior Sandwiches", which (or 'wich) leads to the question, what is a superior sandwich? All I could get from the Which Wich website is a bunch of marketing babble, about being superior because of the innovative ordering "system", and employees commitment to 100% satisfaction.
On this day, I got a BLT on white with provolone, and just for kicks horseradish mayo. All the sandwiches come in one size, and is toasted. In fact, it does look a lot like a Quizno's sandwich, in shape and size:
So what's to like? It's a decent sized sandwich, and I like the hot pepper mix, and the horsradish mayo had some kick. I'm glad the nice gal who made my 'wich cut it in half because it was pretty messy.
The bread was meh, the turkey was pretty much the same semi processed stuff as Quizno's and Blimpies, and the bacon was chopped into bits that fell all over the place. They had also slathered a bit too much mayo over everything. It was better than Subway, perhaps a bit better than Quizno's…but not by much. In the end, it seemed more a nice concept than anything else.
But oh what a concept it is…….. There's a whole section of 'wiches called "Comforts".
And you can see what I saw, right? It's right there……not just Spam, but in case you're worried that you're getting some inferior canned meat product like Treet (you should never name your canned meat product something that rhymes with 'feet'), or even, god forbid, gasp… SPAM® Lite, you can take comfort in knowing you can get the one and only, SPAM® Classic.
The question remains, how do I complete this superior sandwich masterpiece? Feeling a bit of guilt, I checked off the "wheat" column. But when faced with the selection of cheeses, I just couldn't resist….. what do you do when the world is your oyster?
After all what could possibly be a more perfect partner for a canned meat product, than a processed cheese spread? I finished off the sandwich in a likewise schizoid manner, partnering the "crispy onion strings"(deep fried onions) with "fat free mayo", and finished the sandwich off with lettuce, tomato, and pepper mix. To her credit, the gal on the register didn't bat an eye when she saw what I ordered. There was a bit of a confusion finding the SPAM® Classic from the guys in the assembly line. But I did receive my sandwich.
I'm not going to go into detail about this "superior sandwich", other than to say that it was a mess, and made a mess because it wasn't cut in half, and the 5 slices (!) of SPAM® Classic(I'm thinking they had some canned meat they needed to "Spam-off") didn't look nor feel like it was heated.
Some Whiz on my Spam….a truly superior sandwich indeed!
All kidding aside, Which Wich may not be a bad choice if you're looking for a quick, inexpensive sandwich. Just remember it is a "chain sandwich". The concept is fun, and as you see you can be pretty creative (or a knucklehead), and get whichever 'wich your heart desires.
Which Wich
3825 Fifth Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105
(619) 574-9424