[patio11]

If you ever decide to execute on Artisanal Sandwich Shop Inc, I highly encourage you to speak to someone with restaurant experience prior to doing so. It seems that everyone has the idea "I know, I'll just move up the price/quality curve from fast food." Chipotle succeeded at that... and they're not in very good company.

Briefly, the reality of fast food in America is that that they're sustained by poor people who use them for 10+ meals a week rather than by middle class people who use them for 1~2 meals per month. If you charge a multiple of the fast food pricepoint, you have to locate the store somewhere where you can get high traffic of well-heeled customers. That implies expensive real estate. A lot of stores get broken by it simply being impossible to sell enough $10 foozits to cover the rent necessary to sell a single $10 foozit.

Running a restaurant, QSR or otherwise, is by all accounts a brutal business to be in. I think the number usually quoted is 6% margins for the business owner -- i.e. if you sell $1 million in artisanal sandwiches in a year, you make $60k. You will be cutting a lot of bread yourself to earn that.

[Hominem]

You are right, I have no idea of the economics and would probably fail quickly.

I wouldn't try to open it not where rich people live or work, but a marginal area that serves as a destination for after work drinks and the like where there is some sort of scene. Someplace like Red Hook in Brooklyn.

Maybe do cross promotion with other local artisans as well.

Really, I don't want to run a restaurant, I just want good sandwiches. I'll stick to supporting good sandwich shops.