Food Chain - Issue 210 - February 2026 | Page 128

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$ 100 million project in 2009 and wanted to put in a café. They invited us to put in a proposal, and we won that RFP,” Ike recounts.“ We launched our second location on the Stanford University campus, which got a lot of buzz. We fed Mark Zuckerbeg, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs – basically every tech mogul that’ s out there. Soon after, we opened our third location in Redwood Shores where Electronic Arts and Oracle were located. We started franchising in 2019 but stopped because of Covid. This year, we’ re starting to franchise again. We now have locations in nine states and are about to announce our tenth: Illinois.”
When visiting an Ike’ s Love & Sandwiches store, it’ s easy to see why the company is so successful: the sandwiches are simply delicious. From meat-lovers to vegetarians to vegans, with gluten-free and Halal options, there is something for everyone. Made fresh in store using the best quality ingredients, each sandwich is served hot on Dutch bread, stuffed to the brim, and embellished with Ike’ s iconic Dirty Sauce. Ike’ s favorites, as reported on the business’ website, include the‘ Menage A Trois’ – a scandalous mix of Halal chicken, honey mustard, BBQ sauce, honey, pepper Jack, Swiss cheese, and Cheddar – as well as the‘ Matt Cain’( roast beef, beef salami, Godfather sauce, and provolone cheese) and the‘ Handsome Owl’( vegan chicken, teriyaki, Swiss cheese, and wasabi mayo). Most importantly, however, every sandwich combo( most of which Ike personally invents) is served with love first – a value that Ike extends beyond his sandwich stores.
“ I’ ve also got a company called Franchise Whisperers,” he shares.“ I get a lot of business owners messaging me on social media who want to pick my brain, so I started Franchise Whisperers where I can
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