Want opinions on Earl of Sandwich..

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My kids and I ate at the EAS in DTD last summer and LOVED it! EAS is not Disney owned and sells franchises...and I am thinking of buying one.

I'm looking for opinions...do you like EAS and if so, why? If not then why also?
Do you think it would be worth opening one? The only sandwich shops we have in my (Disney crazed..lol) town are Subways, fast food, and sub shops....

 

[Luv2Roam]

It would all certainly depend on location.
I like EoS because they do serve good sandwiches, and fairly fast.
I have yet to eat anything there that was bad.
However DH may disagree with me... They use to make their own ice cream sandwiches in the morning using freshly made waffle cone type for the bread part. Now they use brownies. DH tried it once and never bought one since.
The only thing I wish they would include is some other kind of hot side, like freshly made deli-style chips or fries, rather than just bags of chips that can be bought most anywhere.
The key would be fresh and variety.

 

[ibouncetoo]

Well, I can only say that if there were an Earl of Sandwich within 10 miles of me...that's where I would always go for lunch!

.

 

[Luv2Roam]

Good soup would be nice too. So far all I have seen at EoS is Tomato. (Not a tomato soup person. Neither of us have tried it.)

 

[pumba]

I wish EOS had a place close to Maine.......I could see going to this place once a week instead of chinese or mexican food ......we went twice a few weeks ago.....I had the Full Montagu both times.....hubby had the beef and blue....good quality sandwiches and yummy too

 

[Pumbaa_]

I am in the don't get the attraction camp. We have tried this place a couple times but we will not go back. ALl the food we have had here, IMO, was average. Extremely average.

The nice thing about Disney though is there is something for everyone

I have moved this post from the Review Board to the Restaurant Board for a better board fit

 

[scrump]

I love their food, and would probably go a fair amount if there was one in my area.

 

[Tinkerbelle32]

I am not a sandwitch person but I LOVE the EOS. The tomato soup is so hot and creamy. We also love the full montague. We always make it a point to eat there at least twice per trip! I say go for it.

 

[CamColt]

While I enjoyed the food there very much, my kids didnt. Also, I don't like the set up. We found it very confusing and stressful. I ended up not even getting the salad I wanted because I had to take it back up the line to get dressing and it seemed to be more trouble than it was worth. But the few sandwiches I have had (or tasted) have all been great.

 

[ciera321]

We really liked EoS and go back often. I would definately go to one locally if we had one. We do have a really good sandwich franchise all around our area called Scholotsky's and the one near us in Liberty, Missouri is always busy. I think most everyone loves a good sandwich and that's what EoS has!!! Good luck with your venture!!!

 

[LWcalif]

This is the only CS place that we make sure we visit each time. I've tried eliminating it, since it's so far away, but the family won't let me. If there was an EOS in our town, we would be dining there frequently.

 

[septbaby]

Product is only part of the charm with places like that. I would suggest visiting other EOS locations as anything at Disney is atypical and won't be replicated anywhere else. Remember, if you do this is to make money, be sure you know what makes money at EOS, easier said than done.

You are in an area where local hoagie shops rule as well as a diner/deli mentality does the EOS concept fit? In the franchise world you'll compete with Einstein, Panera, Bruegger's as well as the known sandwich chains, can EOS stack up? Over time you can probably prove yourself to the locals, but the tourists can likely be big for you. Can you get a can't miss location for tourists and can you get a great message to them too?

Finally, how does the EOS deal stack up vs other sandwich franchises? Also what support vs what constraints does EOS put on you?

Good luck with the decision either way you decide the process should be fun.

 

[Kathi OD]

I am in the don't get the attraction camp. We have tried this place a couple times but we will not go back. ALl the food we have had here, IMO, was average. Extremely average.

ITA! We went on our last trip and I was so not impressed. The food was not bad, it was just average. I think a big part of the attraction is the atmosphere...that's definitely not your average sandwich shop.

 

[diningindisney]

We actually just got back from WDW and made a stop at Earl while we were there. It's definitely our favorite quick spot to eat while in Downtown Disney and is very popular among vacationers and cast members/workers. We stopped by in the middle of the week and the place was busting at the seams at 1pm. It didn't hurt that there was a convention of some sort going on and a lot of the people from the convention were eating lunch there.

Bottom line is the sandwiches are very good and it's fairly quick to grab a very good lunch/dinner which makes it attractive in Downtown Disney. However, in my opinion, I don't see it being THAT much different from other eateries back home here in PA (very much a similar concept to Quiznos but with better food) so I really think that if I were thinking of making an investment in a franchise I would want to really research the demand in my area before going forward. Location is critical for a place like this. If you have access to tons of people this could do really well. The Downtown Disney location is prime property so it does give you the impression of being a very profitable business but keep in mind.........it's DISNEY and it's busy every day in Disney. My only other suggestion is that you do your homework and be prepared to work very hard as a place like this will demand a LOT of your time.

By the way.........I have to say........the little cake desserts with the white icing and sprinkles are SOOOOOOOO GOOD!! That's the reason I could never open a franchise........I would eat all the profits in those cakes alone!

Good luck.
Brian

 

[photobob]

We love The Earl. Wish we had one here at home..

 

[DisMN]

DH loved it but I always tease that he doesn't have any taste buds.....after all, he'll eat old nearly spoiled food, moldy bread doesn't phase him and he simply doesn't care what something tastes like.

Me on the other hand........I'm a bit picky and I didn't like the Earl. I thought the food was just barely average. I miss the place that used to be there with the great sandwiches and unique salads.

 

[AnninIowa]

I LOVE Earl's!! Big portions of hot, delicious food at great prices; and it is fast! My only complaint is that the times I've been there the service has been less than friendly. Of course, that's par for the course at almost all restaurants nowadays. If we had an Earl's here, I'd be there several times a week. I'm suprised more haven't cropped up yet; there are only a handful in this country that I'm aware of.

 

[DOOM1001]

I love Earl of Sandwich,good variety of great sandwiches.One thing that amazed me is how efficient the Downtown Disney location is.We had about 20 people in line ahead of us and the line moved amazingly quick,the order also came out very quick.I've also been to the Tampa location in the International Plaza mall and there was no line and it took as long if not more for the food to come out than at DTD.I saw somewhere that said by the end of 2008 they expect to have 300 restaurants in the US and the UK.

 

[Jen32113]

We also love Earl's too. My son gobbled up the kids grilled cheese (I also snuck a couple of bites when he wasn't looking! That was the best grilled cheese I have ever had!) DH loves the roast beef and blue cheese sandwich! We are big fans of Earl's!

 

[burberryplaid]

My opinion....YUM!! We loved EAS! The sandwiched were good, there was a nice variety, and it was very fresh!

If you end up buying a franchise..please bring it up to MA!!