Capriotti’s, the much loved Delaware-born, Las Vegas-based sandwichmaker, will celebrate the opening of its first D.C. location, in Dupont Circle, with free sandwiches for its first 50 customers on Thursday. The opening couldn’t have come at a better time: The chain’s most popular sandwich, The Bobbie, described by the Post as “Thanksgiving on a hoagie,” joins sliced turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce and mayo.
Having never personally been to a Capriotti’s, here’s what else we know: founded in Wilmington in the late 70s, there are now locations in 13 states; a solid portion of the extensive sandwich menu is available in small, medium and large sizes, with prices for some 20″ larges running as high as $16.99; turkey is a featured ingredient; the Bobbie was named the best sandwich in the nation in a 2010 AOL reader poll; and the world’s most powerful Blue Hen, Vice President Joe Biden, is a noted fan.
What we don’t know is whether Capriotti’s can get a foothold in the Dupont/Farragut section of downtown, which has become the unofficial epicenter of the D.C. sandwich scene. Given its proximity to Bub and Pop’s, DGS Delicatessen, New Orleans Po Boy Shop, TakeEatEasy and Sophie’s Cuban, not to mention countless other chains, it will be no easy task. What is clear: When sandwich shops compete, customers win.
Have you eaten at Capriotti’s? Let us know what to expect in the comments!
UPDATE: A press release distributed today indicates the Dupont location will be the first of as many as a dozen Capriotti’s shops to be opened in the D.C. area over the next two years.
