A new concept in great food

Pretenders to the Philadelphia cheesesteak don't last long in the city that takes its cheesesteaks seriously. So when Craig LaBan, the Philadelphia Inquirer's taste-making or business-breaking food critic ranked the new Grilladelphia's cheesesteaks among the region's best, calling Grilladelphia "a serious steakery", owner Barry Appelbaum knew he was doing something right.

Philadelphia is known for two great revolutions. The first, in 1776, is history. The second, the City's restaurant revolution of the 1980's, raised the bar on its culinary reputation. Yet, while designer eateries come and go, Philadelphia's famous cheesesteak houses endure, unchanged. Every pizza place on every corner sells cheesesteaks. The ubiquitous sandwich is practically a dietary requirement in Philadelphia, and families have been divided over where to get the best cheesesteak. Even people who leave Philadelphia yearn for the "real thing."

Into this hothouse of cheesesteak competition, Appelbaum staged his own revolution, twice. His two revolutionary concepts: steam-grilling and a round roll, which Appelbaum calls a hot pouch. According to Appelbaum, and Grilladelphia's many fans, steam-grilling without oil makes for juicier meat and vegetables that taste healthier and less greasy. Grilladelphia also departs from tradition by using extra-lean "skirt" steak purchased from a local supplier, instead of the rib-eye steak found in most Philadelphia cheesesteaks.

Newcomers to Grilladelphia are surprised by the hot pouch, a premium roll crafted by one of South Philadelphia"s most famous Italian bakeries and specially made for Grilladelphia at a cost of $1.00 per roll. Sliced in half and scooped out, the roll gets filled with everything from traditional cheesesteak fixings to grilled chicken, grilled vegetables, home-basted Italian pork, or breakfast foods. Cold pouches come with deli sandwiches or chicken or tuna salads. Retailing from $4.50 to $5.95, the pouch is one tasty, and profitable, sandwich, yielding profit margins above 60%. And the roll pays for itself: Appelbaum takes the scooped out bread and turns it into fried garlic balls sold for $0.99 per batch, and croutons for Caesar salad. For big eaters, $7.89 buys a 1-lb. cheesesteak in a pouch cut to 1/2 of its original size.

While the steam-grilled sandwiches are its signature product, Grilladelphia takes its sides just as seriously. For its famous "Fresh-Cut Frys," Appelbaum evaluated 30 different styles and varieties of potato, before selecting a premium potato that he says most supermarkets wouldn't even carry. Small orders sell for $2.25; large orders for $3.50. Other sides include cheese "Frys," poppers, mozzarella sticks, and chicken tenders.

Appelbaum draws on his career of almost 25 years in the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) and convenience store industries to manage the inventory and ordering part of the business. For the cooking, he hires experienced grill chefs who respect the cheesesteak tradition, but are not afraid to introduce healthy items, like egg-white omelets and steam-grilled veggie hoagies, that are sometimes suggested by customers and employees.

Besides its unique roll and cooking method, Grilladelphia differentiates itself from the competition by using fresh ingredients made in the Philadelphia region, purchased from local suppliers. Appelbaum has built relationships with respected producers like Dietz & Watson, Turkey Hill Dairy, Lehigh Dairy, and Cedar Farms, and with family-run bakeries and poultry farms, to insure that Grilladelphia's food products are always fresh and delicious.

Appelbaum's commitment to fresh, high-quality ingredients may be why Craig LaBan and his taste-testing team of four high school boys ranked Grilladelphia's cheesesteaks among the very best, proving that its pouches appeal to the everyone, from kids to professional connoisseurs. As word is spreading, Grilladelphia is becoming a cheesesteak destination, and that's exactly what Appelbaum has in mind.

The second Grilladelphia opened in March 2002, co-branded in Fasone's Bar & Grill, a popular eatery in Philadelphia's Port Richmond neighborhood. (The original Grilladelphia occupies 450 sq. ft. in an Exxon Tigermart convenience store owned by Appelbaum.) By the second week, the Fasone's location achieved profitability and business has grown steadily since.

Because of his experience in QSR/convenience stores, and his familiarity with the companies who currently co-brand food products in these retail outlets, Appelbaum knows that the proprietary Grilladelphia concept stands high above the competition in this arena. But the success of Grilladelphia also has him seeking stand-alone locations and other food service partners, and even considering franchising the concept.

Appelbaum believes the hot pouch sandwich "wholesome, filling, yet quick and easy to eat at a table or on the run" is the perfect product for today's busy lifestyles. He also believes the product will sell well in other parts of the country, where it's just about impossible to find an authentic Philadelphia-style cheesesteak, despite the presence of places that claim to sell them.

A prominent food critic said that Grilladelphia was the best new concept he's seen, and that its sandwiches were, head and shoulders, above anything else. In an industry where hundreds of new products are introduced annually, Grilladelphia has all the ingredients of a winner.

To learn how you may participate in the growth of Grilladelphia, please contact Barry Appelbaum directly at 215-783-4882 or email hipster714@aol.com, or write to Barry at Grilladelphia, 2330 Aramingo Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19125.