Latest visit: Jan 2024 (Voyager)
First visit: Aug 2022 (Co Springs - Cheyenne Mountain)
HQ: Las Vegas, NV
Locations: Their website isn't too bad, but they made me tally the numbers manually. I came up with 160 total in 28 states. Most states have 5 or less. Their homebase of Nevada has by far the most at 44 with their original state of Delaware coming in second at 17. Colorado has 7, with 4 in the southern reaches of Denver + 3 here in the Springs. Texas has 6 with 3 in DFW. The NE Tarrant closest would be Flower Mound, something akin to Culver's when we lived there. There's a few "coming soon"s, so it appears they're still in growth mode. Boggles the mind.
I hadn't originally planned to go back to Capriotti's after my initial visit plus reading Mr. Music's observations. But they've since expanded in the Springs area, to not only cover their original spot in the south, but also one off Powers in the east, and now Voyager in the north right here in Mega Chain Valley, near our house. And I have a coupon. All set, ready... go. Their location is next to the new Five Guys, but at least Capriotti's expansion makes more sense as there isn't another one anywhere near here. Incidentally, no one was at Five Guys when I arrived. Well, as it turns out, I kind of sabotaged my second visit. The coupon said $4 off of a large combo meal. OK, that sounds good. I didn't realize that was an 18 inch sandwich - wait! So the coupon was useless and I ordered a medium 11 inch instead. And nothing else. 15 bucks*. My goodness. 15 balloons for a sandwich with no drinks or chips? That's the problem when you seek percentage margins instead of spread margins. The higher the price, the higher the profit margin has to be. There's no need to do that - except to please your investors. And they asked for an unearned tip while at it (nope). Though a shout out to the workers there - very friendly and attentive. So at least that. How about the sandwich? I wanted something hot, since late yesterday morning was still quite frigid. I ordered the Grilled Italian sub. Mostly good tasting, especially the bread, similar to my first visit. Nothing spectacular though. Plus it came with grilled onions. I just do not like the flavors of onions being grilled. I didn't pay attention until my third bite. What is that weird flavor? Totally my fault though. Should have asked for raw onions (or purple), which I love. Can't blame them for that. I ate it all anyway, and took that into account for my review. But yea, I think I'm done here unless I see a 50% reduction in price (technically 100%, but that gets confusing).
* - only a dollar more than my first visit. But that's the wrong direction lol.
---original 8/30/22 review
When Mr. Music and I first started hanging out in the late 80s / early 90s, he used to travel for business to Wilmington, Delaware. And he talked about a great local deli called Capriotti's. It was right about that time that Capriotti's began to expand. Of course I forgot all about them until I read they were expanding to DFW. And looking at their location map, it appears they did open two stores in Frisco, which was "out of our territory" from our usual Northeast Tarrant stomping grounds.
It's only within the last month that I realized they were here in Colorado Springs - having opened in December of 2021. OK - on the next thrift shop outing - I'm going there, and that occurred last Sunday. This part of Nevada is being heavily renovated (it needed it too), and Capriotti's sits in a brand new contemporary styled shopping center. It takes money to be in here, that's for sure. BTW - Google will take you to the wrong side of Nevada. Be sure to note it's on the west side. I spent 15 minutes on the east side following Google's incorrect directions.
I think I'm going to get right to the point here. Capriotti's is like a larger, more expensive Jimmy John's. Their subs are definitely better too. But at twice the price. It seems each chain is trying to out race the other on how much they can charge. I dunno guys - $14 for a 10 inch sub is pretty ridiculous. But damn - it is good!!! I love their bread, meats, and other ingredients. Get what you pay for? Maybe. But I'll probably be a once a year visitor because of it. If others think like me, it's going to be tough for them to sustain those high rents. I really hope they make it. Jersey Mike's is about $10 for the same sub, and I go there quite a bit (not because I think it's a deal because it's not either) - and arguably it's just as great tasting. And I can take it home and enjoy a TV show with it. Capriotti's has a long way to go if they plan on expanding that large. Not sure they have enough to distinguish themselves from the competition.
As of this writing, Capriotti's has 4 locations in south Denver, plus this sole shop in the Springs. Otherwise they appear to be in most states, with a focus on their old area near Philadelphia and their newer headquarters in Las Vegas.
---Mr. Music's thoughts 8/30/22
All right! Capriotti's! Funny you mentioned them because I have them on my list for places to review for the RJG. They opened up in Little Elm and I went not long ago.
Yes, you got it... I used to go regularly in Wilmington and Newark in the 90s. Back then it was a really good option for a Philly pizza steak. I liked mine with provolone instead of cheese whiz and with a ladle of meatball sauce with sauteed mushrooms and onion. Interestingly, they were actually known for their roast turkey. They roasted fresh turkeys daily and offered a variety of sub options. I used to get one called the Bobby. It was Thanksgiving on a sub roll! It boasted roast turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing on it with a dab of mayo. I was a big fan! When I started going, they had 3 or 4 locations in the area. I most often went to the one on Union which I believe was aka 2nd Ave. Years later, a Wilmington transplant found himself living in Las Vegas and really missing Capriotti's. So he bought a franchise and opened there. It was in the food court of the NYNY Hotel and I was lucky enough to go in the early 2000s. From there, the guy opened in Plano! I stumbled upon it accidentally. When they first opened they were really good and we went a bit. I even hosted a party with subs from Capriotti's. Plano isn't that close to Denton and we had other places to check out so we weren't going much. Finally they closed down. As mentioned above, a couple months back I was in Little Elm (between Frisco and The Colony). I was looking for this new Indian restaurant my friend told me about. I found it and just a few doors down I saw a sign for Capriotti's! They're back! I had to have one! I went in and talked to the manager. I guess they are under the Las Vegas umbrella. I had heard the Las Vegas guy split from the original Wilmington owner. I might have even heard that years back when they had come to Plano. Anyway, I got a cheese steak fixed my favorite way and a Bobby too! I decided I'd eat 1/2 of each and save the rest for lunch the next day. Oh boy was I disappointed! The meatball sauce was sweet with sugar! The sandwich was ok aside from that but the meat seemed bland and tough and the rolls were a far cry from Amorosa rolls! The Bobby was worse. The turkey was so dry and the stuffing was just like squished white bread and the cranberry sauce was a sugary goo. I've already told people to stay away! Maybe it was a bad day or they were just getting it together. I might look at reviews and try once more.
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