Tasty Creations Require Large Appetites
By Angeles Oveidos
On the heels of a successful soft-opening last Friday, Ike's Lair, a new sandwich shop on the Alameda, held its grand opening for Santa Clara University students and the surrounding community on Monday.
Alongside waves of Santa Clara students, guests on the day of the Grand Opening included Raj Mathai, NBC Bay Area reporter and the Ike Shehadeh, founder of the original Bay Area sandwich shop.
In an interview with Ike's Lair General Manager Lee Aldren, Aldren explained that the original Ike's Place, which opened in 2007, became too popular for it's own good. The sandwiches were so popular that Shehadeh had to shut down his first store for a brief time before he was able to open shop in a more suitable location.
A few years and several hundreds of sandwiches later, Ike's Lair on the Alameda is the eighth to join the family of Ike's sandwich shops in the Bay Area, which includes locations in San Francisco and at Stanford University.
Aldren also explained that differentiates Ike's sandwiches from its competition is its signature Dirty Sauce, a garlic aioli-like dressing that goes on every sandwich and it's extensive menu, featuring roughly 200 sandwiches.
While not all of the sandwiches are listed on the store's menu, upon walking into Ike's Lair, visitors will find a selection of sandwiches on a wall-sized blackboard. The menu features sandwiches named after sports teams, celebrities, and a slew of creatively-named sandwiches like, "Do you smell what Barak is cooking?," "[Name of the girl I'm dating]," and "Going Home for Thanksgiving."
"It's about impossible to make a decision, because there's about a million choices and apparently there's a secret menu on their app," said Senior Robert Leupp, capturing the extensiveness of Ike's menu.
Leupp eventually chose a sandwich called "the 49er," featuring halal chicken, buffalo wing sauce, honey mustard, and cheddar cheese.
The store's soft and grand openings were prefaced by a day of sandwich freebies last week. Employees passed out free sandwiches on campus and by local businesses to spread word of the new location.
"The sandwiches will sell themselves; we just need to get people through the door," Aldren said.
The crowd at their soft opening on Friday proved that their method worked. SCU students filled the small corner shop neighboring the former Mission City Coffee.
"It's great to have a good sandwich place. We have Subway, but this is a lot better," said Sophomore Robin Calhoun.
The same sentiment resonated with several other visitors who were interviewed on the day of the store's soft-opening.
First-time Ike's visitor Senior Fana Yohannes said that, besides great sandwiches, she is glad to see a new small local business opens its doors by SCU, adding that it gives our environment a unique flair.
Ike's Lair is open every day from 10am to 7pm. Their sandwiches range in price from $7 to $12.
Contact Angeles Oviedo at AOviedo@scu.edu or call (408)554-4849.