In late June, a franchise of Capriotti’s opened at The Grove in Malvern, located at 10 Liberty Blvd. It is owned/operated by local entrepreneur Heath Mitchem.

Capriotti’s is a sandwich chain founded in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1976 and has grown to over 100 stores in the USA across 16 states.

With the brand poised for more growth, not only locally and regionally, I interviewed Mitchem about this involvement as a franchisee.

1) Is this your first franchise?  

The Capriotti’s in Malvern is our second shop location; we opened our first new shop in Brandywine Square in Downingtown, PA, one year ago. The Downingtown shop is in a great shopping center with Wegmans, Best Buy, Dick’s, and BJs. We have received great local community turnout for that shop and have enjoyed supporting regional elementary and high school fundraisers and Downingtown little league.   

We hope to grow sales in our new Malvern shop and gain more corporate catering customers as local businesses continue to reopen their offices in Malvern, Chesterbrook, Wayne, and KOP areas. (Please give 24-48 hour notice for large catering orders where possible.)

We want to get the word out for everyone to try our app or online ordering. Download the Capriotti app, select the Malvern location at 10 Liberty Blvd, and place your order for easy pickup or delivery. Ordering on the app allows the customer to gain rewards toward future discounts and free items, plus they are pushed special discounts for app holders only.

2) Why Capriotti’s?  

The excellent food quality and selection hooked my wife and me. We also looked at many of the older established sites’ long-standing relationships with their communities; customers are diehard Capriotti’s fans. Something must be right to be in business for over 40 years at the original location.  

3) What are the best sellers so far?

Our biggest sellers have been: The Bobbie, Cheese Steaks, Capstrami, and Italians across our two shops. We also offer a variety of vegetarian sandwich choices, including Impossible brand Cheese Steaks and salads that provide additional options for a variety of our customers.

4) Any other franchises on the horizon?

We are currently looking for the right site for our third location; we are considering sites in Phoenixville and Newtown Square, among others. 

5) What else would you like people to know?

Capriotti’s Malvern offers a variety of catering options for corporate meetings, football or sports tailgates, family get-togethers, parties, neighborhood gatherings, house parties, car dealerships, sales teams, etc. Our catering options allow you to focus on your event and let us worry about the food; options include catering trays, individually packaged lunchboxes, catering salads, cookie trays, and build-your-own meatball bars, chips, and drinks.  

We are also interested in connecting with local schools looking for fundraising opportunities; they can reach out to me directly at heath.mitchem@yahoo.com. 

Are you a Capriotti’s fan? What’s your favorite sandwich? Let me know in the comments!