Andy Gottlieb is the founder of Sandwell. A New York City sandwich brand focused on serving healthy-ish sandwiches made with high quality proteins, fresh baked bread and simple ingredients. What started as a search for a sandwich he wanted to eat every day has grown into a restaurant brand serving hundreds of customers daily across multiple locations.

Before launching Sandwell and after studying finance preparing for a career in banking, Andy walked away from the industry to attend culinary school and pursue a career in restaurants. Over the next two decades Andy worked as a chef, helped build restaurant groups, managed hospitality real estate projects and eventually became CFO of a New York hospitality group.

From working under a former White House chef and recovering from life altering foot surgeries, to helping open restaurants across Washington D.C. and New York City, Andy shares the experiences that shaped his approach to hospitality. He discusses the realities of opening Sandwell, the lessons learned from growing the business and why creating a great customer experience matters just as much as creating great food.

Today, Sandwell serves hundreds of sandwiches per day across multiple New York City locations.  Andy is building a restaurant brand designed to scale while staying true to the values that made it successful in the first place.

In this episode, we talk about:
• Why Andy walked away from a career in finance to attend culinary school
• Working under a former White House chef
• The foot injuries that unexpectedly changed his path
• Building restaurants, managing hospitality projects and becoming a restaurant CFO
• The inspiration behind launching Sandwell
• How Sandwell found its niche in the crowded sandwich market
• The economics of opening and operating a restaurant business
• Why hospitality matters as much as the food itself
• Growing from one location to multiple locations in New York City
• Using AI to improve marketing, operations and customer acquisition
• Building a sustainable restaurant brand without relying on viral moments

Resources & Links
Sandwell Website:  https://www.getsandwell.com/
Sandwell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getsandwell/

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