E22: Bread & Belonging: How Two Neighbors Fed a Food Desert

What makes Erica Sumpter with Ida’s Sandwich Shop a good neighbor?  

Hungry for more than just another sandwich? Step into Ida's Sandwich Shop, where every bite tells a story of neighborhood transformation and culinary passion.

When Erica Sumpter and her business partner realized their Observatory Hill community lacked walkable food options, they didn't just complain—they created a solution. Despite neither having restaurant experience and facing the catastrophic timing of starting construction just as COVID hit, they persevered. Their dedication to quality and community has transformed what could have been just another café into a neighborhood hub where customers feel like family.

"We are not a fast food restaurant," Erica proudly states, challenging the misconception that sandwiches must be quick and thoughtless. At Ida's, each creation is carefully crafted with fresh ingredients on quality bread. Their approach balances hearty indulgence with healthy options, all made with the same attention to detail. This commitment to excellence extends beyond their menu to the atmosphere itself, consistently described by visitors as having "good energy" and a "great vibe."

What truly sets Ida's apart is their willingness to customize and create. "If we have the ingredients, we are going to do it for you," promises Erica, embodying their customer-first philosophy. This flexibility, combined with their resilience through pandemic challenges, has allowed them to thrive when many established restaurants faltered. Their journey from homemade "gourmet sandwiches" made from refrigerator finds to a beloved community cornerstone demonstrates how passion and neighborhood connection create sustainable success.

Ready to experience Pittsburgh's neighborhood sandwich revolution? Visit Ida's at 3921 Perrysville Avenue in Observatory Hill or order online at idassandwichshop.com. Follow their culinary adventures on Instagram @idas_PGH or call 412-208-9944 to discover why locals and travelers alike keep coming back for more than just great food.

To learn more about Ida’s Sandwich Shop go to: 

www.idassandwichshop.com

Ida’s Sandwich Shop

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Lila Carter.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a Pittsburghcafe?
One might be closer than youthink.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
Erica Sumter, with Ida'sSandwich Shop.
Erica, how's it going?
It's going great.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
How are you?

Speaker 2 (00:31):
I'm well, I'm well.
Thank you so much.
We're excited to learn allabout you and your business, so
tell us about your company.

Speaker 3 (00:39):
Sure so Ida's Sandwich Shop.
We are a family-run, friendlycafe in the heart of our
community, which is ObservatoryHill, and we are known for our
handcrafted sandwiches.
We make these with freshproducts daily.
We offer also just a warm,welcoming atmosphere with a

(01:01):
great vibe.
Most people say when they walkin, it's good energy in there,
great vibe, beautiful place.
Our guests really feel likethey have family and friends
they're talking to and, ofcourse, each sandwich that we
make is made with love andcustomized for the person that's
ordering it.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
So how'd you get into this business?

Speaker 3 (01:24):
Well, really it kind of stumbled upon us.
It's myself and a partner thatowns it and our journey really
began with a simple ideabringing food to our
neighborhood.
We looked around and there wasnothing for us to walk to to be
able to eat.
So it's really right down thestreet from our house.
We were regularly visitinganother popular simple sandwich

(01:53):
shop in another Pittsburghneighborhood and one day it just
hit us.
We were like we can really dothis within our own neighborhood
.
So we got the inspiration fromthat point forward and,
ironically, when we first met,we used to make these things.
We used to experiment withdifferent ingredients.
It was about 16 years ago.
We called them gourmetsandwiches at that time and it

(02:15):
was really whatever was in ourrefrigerator.
We kind of put together.
If it made sense, threw it onsome bread, and that really
allows us to be creative nowwith some of the options we have
.
So that's where we got intothis business.
Neither of us were in therestaurant industry before.

Speaker 2 (02:34):
What are some myths or misconceptions in the
restaurant industry?

Speaker 3 (02:40):
Well for the restaurant industry and
specifically for sandwiches.
Some of the misconceptions isthat a sandwich is really quick,
really easy, something simplethat you can get into and it
doesn't take really a lot ofthought.
But at Ida's we believe asandwich can be so much more and
I know it sounds really, youknow, generic, but you can

(03:00):
really be creative.
But you can really be creative.
You can create combinations,especially when you're using
quality products, freshly bakedbread and then making it very
hearty, very healthy, sometimesvery indulging.
Not everything's healthy that wesell, but it really is truly
satisfying to be able to putsomething together that somebody

(03:21):
is trying and that they love,something together that somebody
is trying and that they love.
And the one thing specificallyfor us we are not a fast food
restaurant.
People do come in and they wantsomething quick and easy, but
we really take our time to makethings fresh and close to
perfect.
So I think that's one of thethings that, both in the
restaurant industry and our ownbusiness, people think it's

(03:41):
quick, easy, fast business andit really isn't.
We take our time.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
Excellent, you get it just right, I'm sure, exactly
who are your target customersand how do you attract them.

Speaker 3 (03:54):
So our target customers are mainly the people
in our neighborhood.
We get a lot of traffic fromaround the area the walking
distance area as well as peoplefrom all over Pittsburgh.
So we do a lot of marketingonline and people see us.
We are known from some of thefoods that go out that are a

(04:18):
little bit more customized, alot of word of mouth, and we get
people from out of town believeit or not that come in there a
lot, especially on the weekendsbecause we're right off the
highway as well.
So we target everyone, butprimarily is our neighbors, our
fellow neighbors around us andthose other businesses within
the community.

(04:38):
So that's where we really focusour attention on.

Speaker 2 (04:45):
It might sound a little unconventional, but have
you ever thought about doingyour own podcast?

Speaker 3 (04:50):
Yes, I have, actually I have, but right now we're
trying to get some time to beable to do something like that.
That would be great, but as faras right now we focus on this
and then hopefully in the futurewe'll be able to do something
like that.

Speaker 2 (05:05):
Yeah, so outside of work, what do you do for fun?

Speaker 3 (05:09):
Crazy as it may sound , we think about the shop when
we are outside of work.
So we think about ways that wecan enhance our business.
We visit other places outsideof Pittsburgh, we talk to other
business owners just to makesure that we have the winning
combination for our customersand for us to really be

(05:30):
successful throughout the years.
And then every once in a whilewe like to just lay back, watch
a movie or two, enjoy just doingnothing at home.
But for the most part we are inthe building stage where we're
thinking about our businessconstantly.

Speaker 2 (05:45):
Yeah, you have the entrepreneur's mindset,
absolutely, so let's switchgears here.
Can you describe a hardship ora life challenge you overcame
and how it made you stronger?
What comes to mind?

Speaker 3 (06:00):
So I would say, this business that we have now, we
did go through some challengesin the beginning.
When we started this journey,it was, of course, during COVID
unfortunately right before COVID.
So we were going to start ourconstruction May of that year

(06:20):
and in Allegheny County, wherewe are a lot of the construction
when most of it really wasstopped at that point.
So we really had to make surethat this was something that we
wanted to move forward with.
We stayed dedicated to it.
We stayed dedicated to ourcommunity.
We wanted to really make thissomething, a great place.

(06:41):
So it really taught usresilience, adaptability and the
value of really staying true toour mission and what we wanted
to accomplish.
Because getting through thattime, you know a lot of
restaurants closed, a lot ofthem were not doing well, but we
actually thrived when we openedand I do owe it to that
dedication that we have to ourneighborhood and what we were

(07:02):
really trying to accomplish.

Speaker 2 (07:04):
That's beautiful.
So, Erica, please tell ourlisteners one thing that they
could remember about Ida'sSandwich Shop.

Speaker 3 (07:13):
Well, we really want to make our customers happy.
That means whichever sandwichthey want, if they want any
customizations, if they want totry something new, we are open
to do that.
So we have people that come inand say you know what I want
this type of sandwich.
You don't have it on the menu.
If we have the ingredients, weare going to do it for you.
So we just want people to knowthat we really care about every

(07:37):
single sandwich we make, everyomelet we make, every salad we
make and we are really trying tobe that place where people
gather in the neighborhood.
You make us a better business.
We're trying to be part of yourdaily routine and really be a
good neighbor.

Speaker 2 (07:58):
Very good.
How can our customers learnmore about Ida's Sandwich Shop?

Speaker 3 (08:03):
Well, you can find us in the Observatory Hill
Business District at 3921Perrysville Avenue.
It's right next to a parkinglot, so you can't miss us.
You can also visit our websitefor ordering options.
As well as our regular menu,our catering menu is out there
on our website atwwwidassandwichshopcom, and then

(08:26):
we have an Instagram.
You can follow us there on idasunderscore PGH, or on Facebook.
We're at Idas Sandwich Shop andour phone number if you'd like
to call 412-208-9944.
Just stop in and see us.
A quick chat or something goodto eat.

Speaker 2 (08:46):
We are there about six days a week Excellent.
Well, I'm off to go get asandwich.
I don't know about you, but,erica, I really appreciate your
time today and having you as aguest on our show.
We wish you the best movingforward.

Speaker 3 (09:01):
All right, thank you.

Speaker 1 (09:03):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to GNPPittsburghcom.
That's GNPPittsburghcom, orcall 412-561-9956.