A Note from the Owner, Dan Pool: I have been in the restaurant business since I was 14 years old. I have done about every job there is in the industry: from a fast food cook at age 14 to a Division President of a multi-million-dollar company in my 30's. I have worked in the corporate world, the franchise world and all worlds in between. I have always believed that the restaurant business is very, very simple, but it's not easy. I believe the biggest mistake made in the restaurant industry is that people mistake simple with unimportant. Usually in life, the simple things are not that important; in the restaurant business, it is the simple things done consistently, day in and day out that are the key to having a successful business. I was in the process of opening a full service restaurant in Atlanta, GA when I came across an article. Fast-casual restaurants had just passed fast-food chains in the number of units sold, and some were even opening a store every 18 hours. I had not spent much time in the sandwich industry, and I never felt like there was much of a difference between the various chains. Yet, the article caught my attention so I took the next several weeks and flew all over the United States visiting all these concepts, searching for what set them apart from each other. What I found was one might toast a sub, one might only have cold subs-they all had chips and no personality. In my search I came across Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen and New York native Craig Gandolph. I knew I wanted to be a part of Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen after my first bite. I realized what I was looking for was not a sandwich shop like all the rest but a deli. In Gandolfo's, I found a true New York deli with a variety of homemade deli salads, premium meats, freshly baked breads and the best sandwiches I had ever eaten. I loved the sandwiches so much that I bought the company. I tried all the sandwich shops and I bought a New York Deli. Visit our stores, speak to our people, try our food and realize the satisfaction and competitive advantages of owning a Gandolfo's New York Deli. Dan Pool, CEO