east valley
Volume 2 Issue 26 Mesa, AZ
January 19, 2020
Couple knuckles down with new E. Mesa eatery BY MELODY BIRKETT Tribune Contributor
K
IN THE BIZ
nuckle Sandwiches in Mesa just opened in June 2019, but is already delivering a stunning blow to the competition. “What makes us different is we roast all of our meats in house,” said owner Roscoe Smith, who runs the restaurant with his wife Ginette. “We make our own corned beef; our own pastrami from top round, from brisket; we roast whole turkeys every day to make our turkey sandwiches; we make our own roast beef; we marinate our chicken breast,” he said. “Plus, we make all of our deli salads as well as our cold salads like tuna salad and chicken salad. We make our meatballs in marinara. All of it made here.” He said he was looking for a unique name for his eatery last year and was trying to think of a name as he was sitting in a sushi restaurant with a friend. Roscoe asked a couple of sushi chefs what they would name a sandwich shop. One said it should have something to do with boxing. One thought lead to another and it led to Knuckle Sandwiches. Located on the southwest corner of Brown and Higley roads, Knuckle Sandwiches opened in the old Schlotzsky’s site Smith and his wife owned and operated for five years. They closed Schlotzsky’s June 1, and reopened as Knuckle Sandwiches two Public Notices ............... page 3
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weeks later. Smith said when it was time to renew the franchise agreement with Schlotzsky’s, he and his wife felt they could do better. “People appreciate getting real meat, real food,” said Smith. “We went from making all of our bread and making deli meat to getting our bread brought in from a local bakery every day and making all of our meat. It’s absolutely Knuckle Sandwiches in east Mesa fills its fare with all freshly cooked meats. (Melody Birkett/Special to the Tribune) worth it.” All of the recipes are Smith’s but like to create full-service concept downas he puts it, his staff has “embellished the-road. them.” Since his mother was one of four sibHis prices, according to Smith, are lings, Smith would like to open four resright in line with what they were charg- taurants, one named after each one of ing at Schlotzsky’s. them with each having a different con“But you’re getting a better product cept such as southern cooking, creole and some of our prices are even lower seafood. than what they were with Schlotzsky’s.” Smith and his wife don’t have a lot of As far as customer favorites, Smith free time but consider themselves foodsaid, “Ladies like the B.L.A.T.T. a lot — ies. So, on their days off, “We try to go bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato and tur- around and eat at different places and key. With men, it’s a toss-up between the try different things. Outside of that, we meatball, corned beef and pastrami.” like to travel a lot.” Smith has been in the restaurant busiWith many winter visitors returning ness 25 years doing everything from full and learning about Schlotzsky’s being service to fast food to institutional. He’s closed, Smith asks them and other peoworked for McDonald’s, Red Lobster, ple to give his sandwich shop a try. Fazoli’s, Burger King and a few indepen“You’ll be surprised,” said Smith. dent steak houses. “There haven’t been very many people He has a degree in hospitality and res- who don’t like what we’re doing.” taurant administration from Missouri State University. Information: 480-630-4132, knuckHe plans on opening up a couple more lesandwichesaz.com. sandwich shops and eventually would (USPS 004-616) is published weekly
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