Quiznos Grill, a new fast-casual concept by Quiznos, launched Wednesday in Denver, offering cooked-to-order sandwiches and housemade potato chips.
The restaurant, which opened about three blocks from the sandwich chains original unit, leverages the equity of the Quiznos brand in a fast-casual setting, Doug Pendergast, Quiznos president and CEO, told Nations Restaurant News.
In many ways it will be a learning lab for us as we think about Quiznos turnaround, Pendergast said. One of the things were most excited about is the opportunity to learn how far we can push and extend the Quiznos brand.
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The Grill features craft beer and wine on tap. Customers order at the counter and food runners deliver to tables. The restaurant kitchen features a grill top and fryer, as opposed to the conveyor ovens used to toast sandwiches at the chains core brand.
Quiznos Grill interior. Photo: Quiznos Grill
The menu at Quiznos Grill is small and focused, and prices are higher than the core brand, reflecting the fast-casual positioning.
Prices range from $8 for a Chicken Parmigiana sandwich with a crispy chicken breast, spicy Calabrian tomato sauce, melted provolone, aged parmesan and basil-pesto mayo on a hearth-baked roll, to $10.50 for hardwood-smoked Maple BBQ Brisket with sharp Cheddar, house pickles and crispy onion straws on a toasted brioche, or Grilld Korean Cheesesteak featuring bulgogi-marinated Angus beef, Monterey Jack cheese, grilled red onion and jalapeños, marinated cucumbers, kimchi and mayo on a hearth-baked roll.
At the core brand, sandwiches are generally priced from $6 to $8.
With Quiznos Grills housemade chips, the restaurant also features a nacho-inspired platform of potato chips with various toppings, such as griddled Angus beef and chipotle cheese sauce, crispy onion straws and sweet cherry peppers and green onions, or Hoisin barbecue pulled pork with kimchi, lime crema, green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
For dessert: freshly baked cookies, such as sea salt chocolate chunk, white chocolate macadamia nut, or cinnamon oatmeal raisin.
Quiznos Grill is designed to be a more elevated concept that goes furthest in pushing the envelope for the chain, Pendergast said.
But, fundamentally, the goal is bottom-line profitability, he said. We need to drive sales and guest counts.
Pendergast described the move as just one part of a multi-pronged plan to turn Quiznos around.
Over the past few years, Quiznos has shrunk dramatically in the U.S. as franchisees struggled to stay afloat. The 1,265-unit chain includes 690 domestic units and 575 international locations. In its heyday, in 2006, Quiznos had more than 5,000 units.
After Quiznos emerged from bankruptcy last year, Pendergast joined the company in January and began setting a new course. One of his first moves was to restructure the distribution and supply system for the mostly franchised brand, which had long been the focus of franchisee complaints.
Now the company has several irons in the fire as it attempts to rework the brand in more consumer-facing ways.
In addition to the Quiznos Grill test, the chain launched last week an all-new menu for the core brand at 20 restaurants within the Denver market, along with a new marketing campaign.
As part of the test, the participating restaurants are experimenting with a more sophisticated TurboChef oven that allows team members to more thoroughly and consistently toast sandwiches, as well as improving speed and efficiency, eliminating the need to preheat some proteins, Pendergast said.
