Tommy’s Sandwiches
Hospitality Concept | New Product Development | Kitchen Design | Launch & Mobilisation
“Big, Beautiful, Sandwiches”
Tommy’s Sandwiches was born from a simple but ambitious idea: to build a sandwich shop in London that felt as considered and substantial as the best examples of US deli culture, but rooted in the UK’s lunch-driven grab-and-go habits, shaped by supermarket meal deals and the rhythm of the working week. Tommy’s avoids replicating American classics, instead bringing together the best of US and UK food culture, reworking familiar favourites into something that feels relevant to the London market.
What does generous look like in a London context? What bread format holds structure without feeling heavy? Our role was to turn that ambition into a clear, workable food concept, ready to open as a proof of concept with the foundations to scale.
Brand concept strategy and positioning
Menu architecture and recipe development
Commercial modelling and procurement strategy
Kitchen design, operational workflow and fit-out support
Technical standards, food safety and team training
Bespoke NPD development
Full menu product shoot, launch activation photography
Launch mobilisation and post-launch support
The Opportunity
The ambition was to create a sandwich-led concept that felt generous, distinctive and built for repeat weekday trade. That meant developing bread formats that held structure without feeling heavy, fillings that delivered on quality, and a menu that balanced creativity with operational simplicity.
Bread was always going to be the USP and the point of difference. While tiger bread is familiar in the UK, Tom was set on introducing the West Coast classic, the Dutch Crunch, as the foundation of the concept. It was central to Tommy’s core values and quickly became the biggest technical challenge to solve.
Our role was to lead the R&D in-house, testing and refining the recipe. From there, we identified and vetted bakery partners across London, building a relationship with a manufacturer capable of producing the bread consistently at scale. This was not simply a case of handing over a spec, but working closely together to ensure the bake, finish and delivery model worked for Tommy’s day-to-day operation.
Understanding London’s Lunch Landscape
London’s sandwich market is crowded, but much of it sits at either end of the spectrum. On one side, supermarket meal deals built for price and speed, often compromising on ingredient quality and originality. On the other, premium delis and bakeries that prioritise craft but often operate at a slower pace and higher price point. There is limited space in the middle for a sandwich that feels generous and quality-led, yet still built for weekday frequency.
Through benchmarking and structured market research, it became clear that portion size alone was not the differentiator. Build quality, flavour balance and ease of eating mattered more. A sandwich can look impressive, but if it collapses at lunchtime or feels too heavy for the working day, it will not earn repeat trade.
By making Dutch Crunch the hero, Tommy’s could create immediate distinction in a familiar category. The opportunity was not to be louder, but to focus on quality, creating a sandwich that felt substantial without becoming impractical, and premium without losing the pace of weekday lunch trade.