USC Village welcomes a new restaurant

Located between Il Giardino and CAVA, The Sammiche Shoppe is the newest addition to the assortment of restaurants at USC Village. With multiple eateries offering sandwiches at USC Village and around the USC campus, the question arises: What makes The Sammiche Shoppe different?

Owned and managed by Willie Jenkins, the sandwich spot differentiates themselves through their nutritious versions of traditional sandwiches. Jenkins opened the restaurant with the aim of providing healthier food choices without sacrificing excellent flavor and quality. They produce air-fried food with Boar’s Head Premium Cheeses and Meat without added grease  or salt.

At the start of his career, Jenkins followed in his father’s  footsteps and became a general contractor. But one day, he decided to follow his father’s  original dream instead and never looked back; his father always told him “construction is feast or famine, but people always have to eat,” prompting him to establish his own restaurant, The first Sammiche Shoppe, a health-conscious sandwich store, that opened in Inglewood four years ago.

His main inspiration came from his three sons. Their busy school schedules and involvement in extracurriculars and various sports kept his family constantly on the go. Making sandwiches for his sons became the go-to. 

“I could always make a sandwich, so that was a safe spot for me,” Jenkins said.

The restaurant’s name pays homage to the home states of Jenkins’ parents, Mississippi and Louisiana, where Sammiche is southern slang for sandwich.

His association with USC began when the dean of USC Sol Price School of Public Policy contacted him regarding catering services for an event. Since then The Sammiche Shoppe has catered multiple events for different departments across USC. When he was asked to open a restaurant at USC Village, he seized the opportunity to grow his dream.

The Sammiche Shoppe had its soft opening at USC on Sept. 20, featuring a limited menu. Currently, they offer dining, delivery and catering services. As of now, they are experimenting with the menu to see what will do well from the Inglewood store’s menu. 

Since its opening, the bestsellers have been the Turkey Pastrami, the Beef Pastrami and their specialty, the Lucy Mae Air-Fried Chicken Sammiche made with their in-house seasoning. The burst of flavor added by the in-house seasoning makes the sandwich unique and appetizing. The Lucy Mae comes with a mouth-watering spicy alternative as well with just the right amount of heat. The sandwiches are neither too dry nor too runny, the bread is air fried to a crispy brown (on request), the chicken is well-cooked and the vegetables are fresh.

To the delight of vegetarians, the restaurant also serves a Veggie Delight Sammiche, Veggie Sammiche Supreme and Grilled Cheese with the choice of swiss, pepper jack or cheddar cheese. The standout on the vegetarian menu is the Premium Grilled Cheese, containing a choice of two of the three cheeses for the price of one.

Presently, the dessert menu is limited to cookies. Priced almost the same as Insomnia’s, the cookies are unfortunately no match for the late-night cookie chain.

All the menu items are customizable. No pickles? Crispier bread? More sauce? They’ve got it covered — and some additions, like extra pickles on a sandwich, are complimentary. For pickle-lovers, they also sell a whole pickle for $1.25 and two for $2.25. 

Jenkins says he feels welcomed by the school and the students and parents who visit over the weekends for game days. To his surprise, he was delighted to see some old customers from his Inglewood outlet at the USC restaurant. Even though the shop recently opened, they already have some regular customers. 

“We have this one guy, he’s come at least three or four times since we opened,” Jenkins said.

Moving on, they plan on expanding their menu, offering smoothies and merchandise and opening online stores. They also plan to set up a butcher shop from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. to offer students the alternative to buy their Boar’s Head cheeses and meats and make their own sandwiches at the convenience of their homes. While the ambience is not particularly Instagram-friendly yet, Jenkins said they plan on enhancing the shop by adding more artwork, adding another projector and organizing a lounge area to create an overall “country chic” vibe.

Currently, the restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday and is closed on Sunday. The store will officially open in early November.

This initiative was risky for Jenkins, but he decided to follow through. He took money from his construction work and invested it in this venture and in his own ability to build something from the ground up. Jenkins’ entrepreneurial journey wasn’t without obstacles, but a determination to see his father’s words come to life is what strengthened him to persevere through the problems he faced, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. And Jenkins is sure to assure the USC community that he is  “here for the long haul.”

Resonating with USC’s battle cry makes Jenkins feel right at home at USC. “USC is a good place for us because [of] the mantra ‘Fight On,’” Jenkins said. “That’s what we had to do to get here.”

Corrections: The original version of this article stated that the restaurant’s name pays homage to Jenkins’ “home states of Mississippi and Louisiana.” This is incorrect; Jenkins’ parents are from those states, but he is not. It was also stated that “An extra pickle is $1.25 and two extras are $2.25.” This is also incorrect; extra pickles on sandwiches are complimentary, but whole pickles can also be purchased for the aforementioned prices. Finally, the original article noted that the Premium Grilled Cheese contains all three mentioned cheeses. This is also incorrect; The Premium Grilled Cheese is offered with any two of the three cheese options. The Daily Trojan sincerely regrets these errors.