Which Wich Superior Sandwiches secures space at Emory Point

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Sandwich shop signs lease at soon-to-be developed 82,000-square-foot mixed-use project.

Gary Birnberg, a Which Wich Superior Sandwiches franchisee, is opening locations like they’re going out of style.

Birnberg told What Now Atlanta in an email Tuesday a lease for his fifth Which Wich location was recently secured for Emory Point in Suite B1-130, a 1,629-square-foot space facing Clifton Road, complete with a patio.

Emory Point, Cousins Properties’ mixed-use development, broke ground July 1 and is expected to be complete by Summer 2012. Which Wich is expected  to open fall, 2012.

At Which Wich, guests use red pens to mark up pre-printed menus on sandwich bags. They select a sandwich from one of 10 categories, then choose the type of bread, size, cheese, spreads, and vegetables.

“We love creative ‘names’ on your bag which you fill out and hand over for us to create your your Signature Sandwich,” Birnberg said. “Give us something other than your actual name, but please make it family friendly.”

Birnberg opened his first Which Wich store in Norcross at The Forum in 2008. In 2010, he opened Cumming and Snellville locations (which have been the most profitable, he said) and his Town Brookhaven location is set to open August of this year.

“My wife and I are looking at up to five more locations in the metro Atlanta area for a total of 10 stores for our franchise group,” Birnberg said.

For more information on the development, check out the Emory Point Brochure. Also look out for Which Wich to open at Lenox Square Mall.

 

Caleb J. Spivak

Caleb J. Spivak

Caleb J. Spivak

Caleb J. Spivak

19 Responses

  1. Thank goodness Birnberg figured out that there was a city called “Atlanta” near all those small towns where he was opening shops.

    I don’t tend to be willing to patronize businesses whose owners are too stupid to realize that their first branch should be in the CENTER of the metropolitan area. But since this location is so close to my work, maybe I’ll reluctantly give it a try. If I’m totally blown away on the first visit, maybe I’ll make it an occasional thing.

    But really, I’d rather give my money to businesses that respect Atlanta as the anchor of the metro region. Which Wich clearly does not.

  2. I’m a big fan of Which Wich and I’ve been saying for about 2 years now that there needs to be one near Emory. If it had been me, I would have put it next to the Yogli Mogli across from the new B&N. I would do this mainly out of spite, given that I’ve never had a good experience at Dave’s Cosmic Subs down the street and it would be closer to both students as well as the hospital than the new site further down Clifton.

  3. Why ignore a good business that had enough sense to stay out of the mess called Atlanta until his business was on semi-secure ground?

  4. I cannot stand the Atlanta bashers that hail from FAR inferior and more dangerous areas, especially those that put the awful area right there in their blog handle. If you can HONESTLY, I mean honestly come intown and go to areas like that around Emory, or Morningside, or VaHi, Lenox park, etc. And go back out to Norcross of all places and tell me it is a better more attractive place to live then you are a liar, plain and simple, liar. Also if you care to read the news instead of just the headlines you would see that a good bit, I’d dare to say majority, of our crimes come from people coming in from depressed areas, like Norcross, to prey on the wealthier citizens in the city. They then scurry back to their rat holes and it gets reported as a crime in Atlanta.

  5. @Joe- your comment confuses me.

    It’s certainly your right to have criteria for how you choose which businesses to support. but the purpose of any business is to make money. If you, as a business owner, believe you can make more money in the ‘burbs, why harbor ill-will against him? He’s not in the business of charity or urban planning, so what obligation does he have to locate in the city center?

    I’m curious why you believe Mr. Birnberg is “too stupid”, when he states that the Cumming and Snellville locations are the most profitable? Is he stupid for wanting to maximize profits? I know that it’s cool nowadays to criticize evil capitalists.

    Your post was arrogant. This man doesn’t appear to be stupid. He may not meet your vision of an urban pioneer, but I doubt he’ll lose any sleep over that.

  6. @Kevin,

    He states that Cumming and Snellville are the most profitable in comparison to Norcross — not in comparison to anything in the city, since those don’t open until, respectively, August (Brookhaven) and next year (Emory Point). That observation you made about profitability doesn’t support your point, nor does it support mine; it is simply off-topic.

    As for the subject at hand, I believe his business decision to prioritize the suburbs is “stupid” because it alienates people like me. There are a lot of businesses that deny me the right to (conveniently) shop at them because they open numerous franchises out in the boondocks before deciding that we city dwellers are worth their attention — and I’m fed up with that attitude. Atlanta’s a great place, and it is made better through additional investment. I’ll reward business owners that help foster that improvement by putting their outlets here FIRST, before they even dream of expansion to places like Cumming and Snellville and Norcross.

    And you’re right, he probably won’t lose any sleep over my views. So, since we already have a ton of fantastic sandwich shops that actually are proud to call Atlanta home, I guess you’ve convinced me that I shouldn’t even give Which Wich the one charity visit that I was considering.

    Thanks, you probably saved me a few bucks.

  7. JoeInAtlanta: Wow, that’s both entertaining and remarkably provincial. Everyone’s entitled to their own way of making decisions, I’m just amazed at yours. I trust you’re intelligent enough to understand the business angle of acheving high profit in the low-rent burbs for a small restaurant that can only handle so many people per day anyway.

    You said:
    “There are a lot of businesses that deny me the right to (conveniently) shop at them because they open numerous franchises out in the boondocks before deciding that we city dwellers are worth their attention”

    The “right”? I love it…now people want the “right” to be profitted from? Have you ever put your life savings on the line to bring a new franchise concept to a region? Might want to dip a toe in the low-rent burbs first to see if it works. This couple is amibitiously expanding, in Atlanta, in a down economy, which means a few more jobs and taxes paid. Kudos to them.

  8. I figure I would jump into the fray, since you are talking about me and my stores without knowing a thing about my business. Joe does get out much past 285; where there is life and ALOT of business. In fact, my Cumming & Snellville stores are some of the best performing across the entire Which Wich chain of about ~140 stores and growing. If you want to make decisions not to eat with us without even trying us because of your ATL “first” growth plans, then so be it. All I know is I have opened 4 stores (including Brookhaven) in the last three years, through of a very troubled economy, and building a thriving brand in a tough competitive market place.

  9. JoeinAtlanta is obviously dumber than a bucket of bricks.

    This site seems to attract some awfully demented folks for some reason.

  10. @Gary,

    Congratulations on your success. But you made a business decision that your profits would be better if your turned your back on the city and focused on the suburbs. I want to show you and other potential operators that there are negative consequences to that approach. I believe enormous social good comes from reinforcing the urban core, so I will choose to spend my money instead with your competitors who chose to invest in the city at the START of their operations in the metro area. I consider it my responsibility to make them successful at the expense of people (like you, for example) who chose a different approach.

    If you ever open a different type of shop, I hope you’ll take this lesson to heart. And if your Emory Point and Brookhaven locations are less successful than your Cumming and Snellville locations, I hope your future competitors take the lesson to heart.

    @Morningsider,

    You’re correct, but pedantic. You know I’m not writing for a peer-reviewed journal when I post a blog comment, right? But, with that said, I should have used the word “opportunity” rather than “right”.

  11. I actually think Urbanist is not near the elitist Joe is.

    BTW, I have been to the Atlantic Station several times and it is a midtown location.

  12. Joe, I hate to break this to you buddy, but as an enlightened In Town Resident you’re outnumbered by Atlanta’s orbital ring of uneducated mud wrestling hicks by about 10 to 1. If I understand math correctly, which I probably don’t since I live about two blocks OUTSIDE of 285, that would leave you with a 90% chance that if a new business opens within Atlanta’s MSA it’s not going to be anywhere near you.

    This may come as a surprise to you, and I really want you to brace yourself for this: the money that the 5,000,000 people who live outside the Perimeter spend is worth just as much as yours. It’s true that we usually traded slaves, sows, and first-born daughters for services until the late 1990’s, but we actually use US currency now.

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