A popular New York City sandwich chain is set to open its doors at the JACX&CO food hall in Long Island City this spring.
Alidoro, a specialty Italian sandwich shop that first opened in SoHo in 1986, will open at the large food hall in April or May, according to company CEO Jon Streep.
The shop currently operates six locations in New York City – five in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn – and is renowned for its use of fresh Italian ingredients and no-frills approach to sandwich-making.
The new location will be unique in the JACX&CO food hall, which is found on the ground-floor of the JACX, a 26-story, two-tower building located at 28-07 Jackson Ave.
Alidoro will become the first eatery in the food hall to boast a street-facing entrance, while it will also feature outdoor seating during spring and summer.
“While we are part of the JACX food hall, we’re also really a brick and mortar because we have our own street frontage entrance,” Streep said. “So, while we’re connected to the food hall by a second entrance, we also have a street-level storefront.”
The new Queens location will also offer dozens of hot and cold sandwiches served on seven different types of freshly made bread, like many of the other Alidoro stores in the city. However, Streep said the new location will also carry a brunch and breakfast menu in addition to “happy hour bites”, setting it apart from other locations.
“We haven’t finalized the brunch and breakfast menus yet, but think of brunch and breakfast with an Italian twist,” Streep said.” “It might be an Alidoro version of avocado toast, or grain bowls, or salad rainbows.”
He said he is also in talks with a number of local eateries about collaborating for the new location’s brunch offerings.
Streep became CEO of the popular sandwich shop in 2013 and has overseen its expansion from a single location in SoHo to a chain of stores scattered throughout the city.
He has made some adjustments since taking over, including expanding the number of stores and adding salads and hot sandwiches to the menu.
He has also moved away from Alidoro’s reputation of not making modifications to menu items, a reputation that was forged by founder Allesandro Gualandi when he first opened the store in 1986.
However, Streep added that he has made every adjustment with Alidoro’s heritage and authenticity in mind.
“I’ve made some tweaks because you have to when you’re scaling a brand, but there is a lot of respect for where we came from and so I preserve that wherever I can.
“One of the challenges has been balancing and preserving that authenticity while at the same time serving our customers wants and needs.”
He added that the addition of hot sandwiches at the Alidoro chains was not simply a matter of “heating up cold sandwiches” and said it involved a long process of crafting an entirely new menu.
Streep said that he had planned to open a location in Queens for several years but noted that he had been waiting to find the right location.
“I love Queens. It is arguably the most diverse county in the country and it’s something we’re proud to be part of.”
“Location-wise, we’re kind of at the apex of Long Island City’s main hub, which is also really close to the subway.
“We’re just extremely proud to be in the Queens market. It was a project that I was excited about from the time it was brought to me.”
Streep added that he hopes to expand deeper into the Queens market and said he is in talks to open new Alidoro locations at Queens-based airports JFK and LaGuardia.
“We hope to bring our great sandwiches to domestic and international travelers,” Streep said.
