“We impart flavoring in all of our menu items with our special sauces,” Stimola says. “When we started out you couldn’t buy chipotle mayonnaise. We had to buy the mayonnaise and spice it up ourselves, and explain what chipotle peppers were. But now with people’s taste profiles evolving, that’s a more mainstream item.”

As unusual as some of the sauces is the way Sandella’s has grown. Most of locations are on college campuses through contracts with Sodexho, Compass, and universities that manage their own foodservice. Sandella’s is also prevalent in the travel plazas students frequent to and from college. Of the 138 locations, six are traditional inline stores, called cafés. And with the launch of franchising in January, the company intends to focus on growing the café model, which is about 1,500 square feet, with warm colors, comfortable seating, and free Wi-Fi.

“Our stores are very simple to operate,” Stimola says. “There are no hoods, grills, or fryers. We make everything in a simple four-step process in front of the customer. The key is how the products are brought to the store. Everything is pre-cooked and pre-sliced; all the sauces are made and brought in. We’ve spent a lot of years working to streamline the process. It’s key to have a consistent product to grow nationally.”