Eating a Sandwich with the Earl of Sandwich at The Earl of Sandwich
Yes, the terms get a little confusing. Here’s a fairly in-depth thing I wrote for Bon Appetit:
The Original 1762 came wrapped in gold foil, a toasty rectangle of fresh bread, roast beef, cheddar cheese and horseradish sauce. And it was good.
The Earl of Sandwich, a sandwich chain owned and run by John Montagu (the 11th Earl of Sandwich and a member of the House of Lords) and Robert Earl (the creator of the Planet Hollywood empire) is opening a new location in midtown Manhattan tomorrow, and I got a chance to try the first sandwich made at the new spot in the distinguished company of both Earls (along with Caroline Montague, the Countess of Sandwich and John’s wife).
As I chewed, the Earl of Sandwich, lanky and unsurprisingly distinguished-looking in a dark suit and tie, explained how the idea to open a business capitalizing on his family history came about:
“My son Orlando has always said, all my children said, ‘We should have a share of the sandwich, everywhere that it is.’ So it’s been a family standard joke.”
Robert Earl, more casual in his open-collared shirt, took it from there, saying, “His son approached me, and said you’re in the restaurant and marketing world, and we have rather a good brand.”
Which might be a bit of an understatement.
