High energy, quick service

Washington, D.C., is known for its power brokers and power dining: men and women in conservative suits conducting business over steaks in the finer establishments around town. But something new and different is happening during the noon hour in the nation’s capital — a young, independent, casual crowd is transforming the lunch scene.

It’s estimated that more than 50 million Americans eat out for lunch every day. The quintessential American sandwich might make for a humble meal, but it’s experiencing a renaissance of sorts in the District — and its success is getting the attention of some high-profile people in town.

{mosads}Just last month, President Obama visited Taylor Gourmet on 14th Street NW to tout his “to do list” for Congress, including passage of the small-business hiring tax credit.

With four stores in D.C. and Maryland and a fifth expected to open in July, Taylor Gourmet made a name for itself with what co-owner Casey Patten calls its “authentic Philly-Italian style hoagies,” all named after streets in the City of Brotherly Love.

He attributes his success to a number of things: putting in place a proper corporate structure, hiring a director of operations with experience in the franchise business, hiring and training his management team, creating new products with the finest ingredients on a monthly basis, testing them behind the scenes and carefully rolling them out in the strongest store first. (He won’t say which one that is.)

Patten also maintains quality control by showing up at a different location without notice each week and working the line for one full day.

The presidential seal of approval enhanced Taylor’s profile, with visits up at all of the stores. But Patten and partner David Mazza are not resting on their laurels.

“Right now we’re having fun,” said Patten. “But I feel a personal responsibility for all the guys” — 110 so far — “working for me, all younger than me.” 

Patten turned 32 on May 16, the day the president visited.

That enthusiasm and passion can be found elsewhere in the city, in the most unlikely of places. SUNdeVICH is located in a converted carriage house in an alley just north of the Convention Center. There you’ll find Iranian-born chef and owner Ali Bagheri, who lives above the store — literally.

Bagheri left Tehran with his parents when he was nine years old. As distributors for the cosmetic company Revlon, there wasn’t much of a future for them in post-revolutionary Iran. So they plucked up their son before he could be legally conscripted into the military after he turned 11. They spent a year in transition in the then-West German capital city of Bonn, which is where Bagheri got his first taste of street food, from the many wurst stands that dotted the German urban landscape.

SUNdeVICH plays on the word “sandwich,” and hearing it roll off Bagheri’s tongue reminds you of his Middle Eastern origins. Just as Patten and Mazza brought Philadelphia to Washington, Bagheri’s concept embodies an international flavor rooted in his own life story.

“We’re going to speak with an accent here,” said Bagheri, “The sandwiches are a play off the flavor of the cities for which they’re named.” With the world as his guide, Bagheri explores the metro area for quality ingredients that offer the customer a new experience every time they stop in for lunch.

The Istanbul, ground beef and lamb with sumac onions, tomato, tzatziki and herbs, was his first creation, concocted in his parents’ house.

Bagheri doesn’t take himself seriously, but his casual demeanor can be misleading. He’s a graduate in business and marketing from the University of Maryland who’s worked as a line cook, sous chef and executive chef and learned from the best, including Todd Gray of Equinox.

A year into the venture, he’s added a food truck that will cater exclusively to the Beach Bar on New York Avenue throughout the summer and early fall. Once that gig is up, he plans to take to the streets of D.C.

But he doesn’t plan to stop there. While he doesn’t wish to follow in the footsteps of Taylor and develop a sandwich chain, he can see himself running a food emporium centered around his local community, with a sandwich shop, bakery, butcher and the like sprouting up on street corners in and around the Shaw neighborhood. The Seasonal Pantry, which his partner, Dan O’Brien, runs right around the corner at 1314 9th St. NW, is a market by day that converts to an intimate dining room and offers patrons a fresh farm-to-table experience Thursday through Saturday.

“Everything would be within walking distance from here. We’re dealing with economies of scale. The vision has always been not to duplicate. We’ll never franchise. We’ll be our own destination. The space dictates the concept,” he said.

Bagheri and Patten both have a passion for what they do, and they have fun doing it. They are bundles of high energy who pride themselves on offering quick service. “No longer than five to six minutes [wait time] is the company standard we’re striving for,” said Patten when it comes to his customers. 

While it might seem like a fun way to spend your days, there’s a lot riding on these business ventures. 

“I lead by example,” said Bagheri. “I’ve a lot invested in this, not only financially, but emotionally and physically. I work hard and I play hard. This business is not for the faint of heart. You’re in a hot kitchen all day. We all take a beating and we laugh about it together.”