Pssst! Have you heard of the sandwiches at the Italian Place?

• Word of mouth builds a base of fiercely loyal custumers

By Elizabeth Livingston

September 8, 2005 | Across the street from the familiar Cafe Ibis, the Italian Place opened its doors at 11 a.m. on a recent sunny morning. The first customer arrived near 11:40, and the rush of quickly customers grew thick.

Not bad for a place that doesn't serve Italian food.

The Italian Place originally opened in 1973 with a standup counter, a grill and seating for four. It closed four years ago for renovation and reopened in March 2005. The new version has a large kitchen and a spacious interior capable of seating at least 25 people.

"The Italian place doesn't serve any Italian food. We just serve sandwiches," said John Harder, the owner. The restaurant gets its name from the original owner, George Esparza. When Harder bought the restaurant from Esparza, he decided to keep the name.

The menu was small, just sandwiches. There wasn't a single burger. Despite that, the restaurant filled with customers.

Many of the people standing in line on that recent morning were lifelong, loyal customers. Many said they wouldn't go anywhere else for a sandwich.

"I like the sandwiches," said Tamara Evans, a returning customer. "The whole time they were closed down I kept wondering when they were going to reopen. My parents used to bring me here years and years ago and I prefer it over any of the other sandwich places in town."

"I've been coming here since before I could see over the counter. I do my best to bring all my friends here their first time," said Robin Parent, former employee of the Italian Place. She used to skip out on high school assemblies to get coffee. she said.

Parent added the Italian Place is perfect for college students because $5 will get a sandwich and a drink.

After watching the efficient work habits of Harder and his co-workers, Riley Brown and Peggy Chanson, I ordered a "Boston sandwich" on rye. A Boston has steak, egg, onions, provolone and green peppers. I added lettuce and tomato. The sandwich was ready within two to three minutes and was steaming hot with all the ingredients cooked to perfection.

Never having had a steak sandwich with egg on it among other ingredients, I had never before combined, I was nervous to take the first bite. However, the loyalty of the customers was such that I was confident every bite would be worth my time. I was right.

With the first bite, the taste of egg, steak and onion came through the strongest. Those three combined were wonderful. I could still notice the taste of the tomatoes, green peppers and cheese, but the lettuce did nothing for the sandwich. It was merely a colorful additive. The sandwich was very filling. I definitely agree with Parent that a filling sandwich, made from the freshest ingredients and hot off the grill with a drink is worth every penny of $5.

Perhaps even more impressive than the food was the friendly, small-town atmosphere.

"The amazing thing about this place is that there's no advertising. All the business here is word of mouth. The atmosphere here is like an old fashioned barbershop where the community news is passed back and forth over the counter," said Charlie McCollum, editor of the Herald Journal.

My overall impression of the Italian Place was excellent. The spirits of the workers were high, which added to the eager attitudes of the customers waiting in line. The food was fresh, the meat slabs cut shortly before the customers arrived. Missing the hot meat sandwiches of Philadelphia, I found the Italian Place to be a welcomed surprise in the hidden parts of Logan's local downtown district. This hidden spot in Cache Valley is worth the adventure and the money on any student's meager budget.

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