5 ms·

Thing is, people will pay $20 for a good sandwich. We have a place down the street, Deli Board, that makes truly amazing sandwiches. The only sandwich I've eve

by Swizec 5y ago

Thing is, people will pay $20 for a good sandwich. We have a place down the street, Deli Board, that makes truly amazing sandwiches. The only sandwich I've ever had that made me say "You know, this might be too much filling and not enough bread". They're expensive, literally $18 to $22, but you never ever feel like it wasn't worth it. But many places aren't interested in making food that feels worth paying for.

bruceb 5y ago
"people will pay $20 for a good sandwich." Some people will pay for a Bentley. Doesn't mean a lot of people will. Best example might be In-N-out burger, that is relativity good quality for the price that is accessible to most people, and compensates their employees relativity well, though they work super hard. . But I don't know what their margins are
- genewitch 5y ago
  In n out burgers are half the radius they were in 1995-2000. So it makes sense they can charge the same prices. They also paid >$9/hr during that period, too. In n out is making money on thin margins and volume. Also I assume the drinks and shakes are high margin. I haven't really enjoyed in n out in a decade, maybe I just grew out of it.
bambax 5y ago
> Thing is, people will pay $20 for a good sandwich. Really? Where is that? I live around Paris -- a city where the cost of living isn't considered low by world standards. Here the normal price for an excellent sandwich made of fresh bread (1/2 baguette), chicken or beef, lettuce, tomato and sauce is around €4.5; if it's just ham and cheese, and the same wonderful bread, the cost is €4. I consider that expensive because I can make a meal at home for less than €2 (the cost can even go down to 0 if I just eat the leftovers from yesterday's dinner). I don't think I'd ever pay $20 for a sandwich of any quality.
- BrandoElFollito 5y ago
  I live west of Paris as well and this is what I was thinking too. A decent sandwich in a bakery wild have great bread (which is really important) and wild not be that enormous either (we do not have the kind of sandwiches where there are 20 folds of ham). I wild occasionally have one but if I bring the bread back home what I will make myself won't be different (they have the same ham, cheese and vegs I do, there is not much more to add)
- Swizec 5y ago
  My first time in Paris, I ordered what amounts to a grilled cheese sandwich and they charged me 20 euro. 10 years ago. Felt outrageous but I gotta admit it was a pretty good sando and it was my bad for eating at a tourist trap. The place from my original comment[1] is in San Francisco. People come from far and wide to have these sandwiches. I’ve seen people in the wild wearing swag from this sandwich place. Calling them sandwiches is almost criminal. Even making it at home you would certainly spend $10 on ingredients. There is no skimping on the meat. I mean just look at the photos on their homepage. The sandwich is unlike anything I’ve seen in a European bakery. They’re typically 2 meals for me. [1] https://www.deliboardsf.com/ https://www.deliboardsf.com/
  - bambax 5y ago
    The photos are nice, thanks (however the sandwiches don't look very appetizing to me). That said, if they are so big that they count for 2 meals, then obviously the cost per meal is $10, not $20.
  - 121789 5y ago
    Deli board is good but it still feels quite overpriced (as with most things in SF). I’ve had it a bunch (I live close) but it’s never quite worth the $20
- cbozeman 5y ago
  Get a Reuben from Katz's Delicatessen in New York City and tell me it ain't worth $22. Sometimes I fly from Dallas to New York just to get one. Whenever the price for tickets goes down below $100 for a weekend round-trip flight, I snag a ticket and fly up there just to eat at Katz's.
latchkey 5y ago
An excellent Banh Mi sandwich in Vietnam is about 10-20k VND (depending on fillings)... or $0.43-$0.86 USD.
- genewitch 5y ago
  Banh mi in southern California is cheap, too. $2-$3 for a full baguette with a decent amount of stuff inside. That's at Lee's, possible other places are overpriced. I haven't found that style of sandwich anywhere else so I don't know the prices.
  - latchkey 5y ago
    I just looked up Lee's... I hope the pictures don't do it justice cause that looks nothing like a good proper VN banh mi. Looks more like a bastardized chain version of it. I paid around $9 in San Diego a few months ago and while it was delicious and completely oversized (american style), my Vietnamese friends would kill me if they knew how much I paid.
xdfgh1112 5y ago
There is a place called Sandwich Sandwich in the UK that does similarly huge sandwiches (two meals, way too much filling). The cost is 4 GBP. San Francisco prices are out of control.
- Swizec 5y ago
  To be fair the minimum wage in Bristol, where google says Sandwich Sandwich is located, is $7.25 while it’s $16.32 in SF. You’d expect the 4GBP sandwich to cost $12 in SF just based on labor cost. I imagine rent and ingredients also cost more.
  - jsmith99 5y ago
    The UK minimum wage is £8.36, or about $11.31.
  - daveoc64 5y ago
    The minimum wage in the UK is a little complicated, as it has differing rates based on age. The higher rates are known as the "National Living Wage", while the lower rates are known as the "National Minimum Wage". These are the current rates: Under 18: £4.62 ($6.26), 18 - 20: £6.56 ($8.89), 21 - 22: £8.36 ($11.33, 23+: £8.91 ($12.07), These are all going to rise in April 2022: Under 18: £4.81 ($6.51), 18 - 20: £6.83 ($9.25), 21 - 22: £9.18 ($12.44), 23+: £9.50 ($12.87) https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates

by Swizec 5y ago

bruceb 5y ago

"people will pay $20 for a good sandwich." Some people will pay for a Bentley. Doesn't mean a lot of people will. Best example might be In-N-out burger, that is relativity good quality for the price that is accessible to most people, and compensates their employees relativity well, though they work super hard. . But I don't know what their margins are

genewitch 5y ago
In n out burgers are half the radius they were in 1995-2000. So it makes sense they can charge the same prices. They also paid >$9/hr during that period, too. In n out is making money on thin margins and volume. Also I assume the drinks and shakes are high margin. I haven't really enjoyed in n out in a decade, maybe I just grew out of it.

bambax 5y ago

> Thing is, people will pay $20 for a good sandwich. Really? Where is that? I live around Paris -- a city where the cost of living isn't considered low by world standards. Here the normal price for an excellent sandwich made of fresh bread (1/2 baguette), chicken or beef, lettuce, tomato and sauce is around €4.5; if it's just ham and cheese, and the same wonderful bread, the cost is €4. I consider that expensive because I can make a meal at home for less than €2 (the cost can even go down to 0 if I just eat the leftovers from yesterday's dinner). I don't think I'd ever pay $20 for a sandwich of any quality.

BrandoElFollito 5y ago
I live west of Paris as well and this is what I was thinking too. A decent sandwich in a bakery wild have great bread (which is really important) and wild not be that enormous either (we do not have the kind of sandwiches where there are 20 folds of ham). I wild occasionally have one but if I bring the bread back home what I will make myself won't be different (they have the same ham, cheese and vegs I do, there is not much more to add)
Swizec 5y ago
My first time in Paris, I ordered what amounts to a grilled cheese sandwich and they charged me 20 euro. 10 years ago. Felt outrageous but I gotta admit it was a pretty good sando and it was my bad for eating at a tourist trap. The place from my original comment[1] is in San Francisco. People come from far and wide to have these sandwiches. I’ve seen people in the wild wearing swag from this sandwich place. Calling them sandwiches is almost criminal. Even making it at home you would certainly spend $10 on ingredients. There is no skimping on the meat. I mean just look at the photos on their homepage. The sandwich is unlike anything I’ve seen in a European bakery. They’re typically 2 meals for me. [1] https://www.deliboardsf.com/ https://www.deliboardsf.com/
- bambax 5y ago
  The photos are nice, thanks (however the sandwiches don't look very appetizing to me). That said, if they are so big that they count for 2 meals, then obviously the cost per meal is $10, not $20.
- 121789 5y ago
  Deli board is good but it still feels quite overpriced (as with most things in SF). I’ve had it a bunch (I live close) but it’s never quite worth the $20
cbozeman 5y ago
Get a Reuben from Katz's Delicatessen in New York City and tell me it ain't worth $22. Sometimes I fly from Dallas to New York just to get one. Whenever the price for tickets goes down below $100 for a weekend round-trip flight, I snag a ticket and fly up there just to eat at Katz's.

latchkey 5y ago

An excellent Banh Mi sandwich in Vietnam is about 10-20k VND (depending on fillings)... or $0.43-$0.86 USD.

genewitch 5y ago
Banh mi in southern California is cheap, too. $2-$3 for a full baguette with a decent amount of stuff inside. That's at Lee's, possible other places are overpriced. I haven't found that style of sandwich anywhere else so I don't know the prices.
- latchkey 5y ago
  I just looked up Lee's... I hope the pictures don't do it justice cause that looks nothing like a good proper VN banh mi. Looks more like a bastardized chain version of it. I paid around $9 in San Diego a few months ago and while it was delicious and completely oversized (american style), my Vietnamese friends would kill me if they knew how much I paid.

xdfgh1112 5y ago

There is a place called Sandwich Sandwich in the UK that does similarly huge sandwiches (two meals, way too much filling). The cost is 4 GBP. San Francisco prices are out of control.

Swizec 5y ago
To be fair the minimum wage in Bristol, where google says Sandwich Sandwich is located, is $7.25 while it’s $16.32 in SF. You’d expect the 4GBP sandwich to cost $12 in SF just based on labor cost. I imagine rent and ingredients also cost more.
- jsmith99 5y ago
  The UK minimum wage is £8.36, or about $11.31.
- daveoc64 5y ago
  The minimum wage in the UK is a little complicated, as it has differing rates based on age. The higher rates are known as the "National Living Wage", while the lower rates are known as the "National Minimum Wage". These are the current rates: Under 18: £4.62 ($6.26), 18 - 20: £6.56 ($8.89), 21 - 22: £8.36 ($11.33, 23+: £8.91 ($12.07), These are all going to rise in April 2022: Under 18: £4.81 ($6.51), 18 - 20: £6.83 ($9.25), 21 - 22: £9.18 ($12.44), 23+: £9.50 ($12.87) https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates