Our story, like many stories, starts simply enough…with a brown sack lunch…
When asked how he came up with the idea for Which Wich, Jeff Sinelli Founder and Chief Vibe officer suggests it might have been from the Peanuts Lunchtime Cookbook he had in elementary school where he read about sandwiches and brown bagging it. But ultimately, he credits his mom. He says, “my mom used to pack my lunch, writing my name and its contents on a brown bag before sticking it in the refrigerator”. So, you could say, it’s always been in buried in his subconscious and just took 25 years to come out.
The story of Which Wich? might have started simply enough, but our Founder’s story and how we got to where we are today is a more complicated than that…
Jeff learned the hospitality industry from his father, who owned two sports bars in the Detroit area of Michigan, where Jeff grew up. After earning a bachelor’s degree at Michigan State and MBA from City University in Seattle, Jeff headed south to develop his own concepts in Dallas. In the mid-’90s, he developed dozens of successful independent restaurants, bars, and nightclubs before focusing on building national concepts. Jeff launched Which Wich® in 2003 in downtown Dallas, Texas replacing a Subway, prompting QSR magazine to refer to him as a “Branding Phenom.”
Which Wich? was a huge hit from the moment it opened its doors, thanks to its superior sandwiches, customer service, and unique ordering system. Because of the overwhelming demand for franchises, Jeff began franchising in 2005 and earning a number of highly-sought industry accolades including winning the Hot Concepts! Award by Nation’s Restaurant News, twice.
Jeff knows the awards and growth wouldn’t be possible without a partnership with great franchisees who help spread positive energy, or Vibe, in their restaurants and their communities. With global initiatives such as Project PB&J and Flag Your Bag, franchisees are doing their part help to spread good Vibes worldwide.
Even as Which Wich continues to grow at a record setting pace, Jeff is never resting. If you ask him what he is thinking about when he’s not in the office, his answer might surprise you (but only if you don’t know him), “How to make Which Wich? more profitable, healthier, and getting more people to eat more Wiches more of the time.”
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