A Greenwich Village sandwich spot is looking to expand to a new area of the city. Brown Bag Sandwich Co. will open in a 850-square-foot space at 64 West 22nd St. in the Flatiron District. Co-owner Antonio Barbieri told What Now New York that they are aiming for an end of October or early November opening.
The expansion comes only about a year after Barbieri and the team opened up shop in Greenwich Village. After working in fine dining, Barbieri felt the need for a change.
“I wanted to do something that was more accessible to people,” Barbieri said. “I was cooking for people in big fancy kitchens for a long time, and it’s awesome, but sometimes you’re only serving one demographic of people. I just wanted something different.”
With the concept, he and his team opted for a time-honored New York tradition: sandwiches.
“We weren’t trying to reinvent the wheel, so sandwiches were the name of the game,” Barbieri said. “We wanted to do something that was really a New York brand.”
The brand “pays homage to the delis that came before,” according to Brown Bag’s website. The menu is relatively simple, offering a selection of hot sandwiches such as chopped cheese and hot roast beef, as well as cold sandwiches such as Italian and turkey club. The sandwiches are all served bodega-style on a hero, and all the cold sandwiches are chopped.
When Brown Bag opened its doors last September, the simple, classically New York menu paid off. The spot was a hit, selling out during its first week.
“We launched the first Brown Bag not really understanding who our customer was, and we were just hoping for the best,” Barbieri said. “We got a bunch of support through social media. It was a surprise — the first week, selling out, lines every day. It wasn’t expected, but it was awesome.”
The Flatiron location will offer the same menu, providing what Barbieri views as some new character and flavor to mix up the fast-casual scene in the Flatiron District.
“We want to bring Greenwich Village to Flatiron,” he said. “We want to bring that cool neighborhood vibe to Flatiron. We hope that people can find something different at Brown Bag.”
Eventually, the team might expand offerings at the Flatiron District, such as offering breakfast. However, it will ultimately depend on the needs of the clientele at that store.
This expansion is what Barbieri hopes is the first of many for Brown Bag, which he aspires to bring across the city. He envisions a New York City where everyone can access Brown Bag sandwiches. Though next locations will depend on space availability, he is interested in neighborhoods like the Lower East Side, Washington Heights and Williamsburg.
“We’re going to expand when we feel like each location can operate at a consistent level with a high-quality product,” Barbieri said. “Then we’re going to move onto the next location when that happens.”
