The Talon: When did you get into the restaurant business?

Darryl: I began working in a restaurant when I was 20 and slowly moved my way up to assistant manager. My wife, Leah, and I met when we were both managing restaurants. She grew up in the business—her dad opened five different concepts, with some having has many as nine different restaurants in the chain—so it’s definitely in our blood from the beginning. We decided to not go into restaurants when we raised kids, because it’s a hard business to have a family.

The Talon: Why Which Wich?

Darryl: The economy kind of dictated, as construction took a dive. I had seen this concept when I was in Texas with Collin at a swim meet, and it kinda struck me as a really cool concept. And then Leah said ‘Hey, why don’t you open a Which Wich?’So it wasn’t like we were preparing other options, we just decided that this was something to do.

The Talon: What makes Which Wich different?

Darryl: I believe there are three things that set us apart. One, we have an awesome sandwich. Of course, that isn’t going to do it in the marketplace, as a lot of places have awesome sandwiches. The second, is the environment in which we serve it in. It’s got a great vibe.We deliberately make it a vibe, in fact all these things hung on the walls are called vibes.The music that’s playing creates a vibe, the furnitute, the whole look of the place. It’s a good feeling, happy place to eat. Very different from other shops. When I looked across the country at other concepts, they all pretty much look the same. The third thing that sets us apart I think is the employees we have here. They exude the vibe—it’s all about customer interraction, making sure everyone’s got what they want, speed, accuracy, you know, making the customers feel at home.

The Talon: Are there going to be more Which Wich shops, maybe closer to Los Altos?

Darryl: Well besides the two new shops in Burlingame and San Mateo, we are considering a few other locations. We are trying to get into the San Antonio Center, but that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.

The Talon: What’s the best sandwich?

Darryl: The Wicked is definitely the best, but the pastrami is also great. Just the way its sliced and cured…it’s really, really good. There are also seven or eight really great vegetarian options. Being on the super healthy side at home, Which Wich does not fail in that category either. People have said that this is a really healthy alternative compared to other fast food. All our produce is fresh and local. The meat is top quality.

The Talon: Anything else about Which Wich?

Darryl: We will bring a Which Wich near Los Altos soon. Overall, it’s a ton of fun.