Grinders and regulars help sub shop weather storm

ESCONDIDO, Jul 02, 2009 (North County Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- CC | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- At 4:40 on Monday afternoon, Jenny Baldino had a ground-level view of the recession.

Baldino's sandwich shop, Rock n' Jenny's, was empty of customers. The shopping center on West Valley Parkway is half-empty of tenants, its anchor having closed in December when Circuit City Stores Inc. filed for bankruptcy.

Baldino and her parents, Rocky and Elaine, opened the shop in 1989, just before massive job cuts at military bases and defense contractors pushed Southern California's economy into recession. Even then, Baldino's grinders -- New England-style submarine sandwiches on toasted Italian bread -- were a hit, particularly among East Coast transplants. Guests would trickle into and out of the narrow shop from the end of the lunch rush until the smaller bump at dinner time, Baldino said.

"This is the first time we've slowed down in 20 years," she said.

A half-dozen customers arrived in the next 10 minutes. Baldino, a Connecticut native who moved to North County in 1988, said a loyal customer base is helping her tough it out. Some come just for the sandwiches, others because they like to listen to Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin while they eat, she said.

The relative rarity of authentic grinder shops in Southern California is a plus, too, she added. A couple of miles east on Valley Parkway, a Quiznos sandwich shop closed last year. A second Quiznos is within walking distance of her shop. A third is less than two miles to the south.

Recipes for meatballs and some other items come from the family's own kitchen, but they had to develop most of the sandwiches for the menu. Baldino said she's also getting an extra measure of help from the shop's turkey sub, priced below most of her other sandwiches. The price -- $3.99 for the 6-inch size -- is a "hook" for customers, even for some who used to reach first for the hot sausage-and-meatball sub, she said.

Baldino said she has toyed with the idea of opening a second location, perhaps in the Temecula area, where many of her lunch customers return home in the evening. Several people have approached her to ask about franchising, she said. She hasn't ruled that out, but she said an owner being physically in the shop and staying in touch with the customers is key.

"That's the biggest secret to success," Baldino said. "Not the bread."

Call staff writer Chris Bagley at 760-740-5444. Read his blogs at bizblogs.nctimes.com.

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