16 MAY 2023 with Cary Morrow, owner of Sacks Sandwiches I n the heart of Arcadia lies a restaurant where sandwiches are the name and customization is the game. Kansas transplants Cary and Jan Morrow have owned Sacks Sandwiches for over 30 years. Along with the multitude of ingredients that guests can choose from, the one that’s not on the menu – but goes into every meal – is love. Let’s start off with a brief history. We started in May 1990. Our original location was at 48 th St. and Indian School in the Safeway shopping center. We were looking at locations all over the country but decided on Phoenix since I was a little familiar with it – I came from Kansas to attend ASU and never left! I fell in love with the state and this neighborhood. We started with the classic situation: kid goes to school, wants to make a little extra money, and gets involved in the restaurant, starting at the bottom with dishwashing. I had a passion for it. After school, I briefly returned to Kansas and had a restaurant there. As a matter of fact, it was a Michelin- star restaurant. It was breakfast, lunch, dinner, piano and wine bar. That got old because in the spring it was insanely busy. I’d be there at 6 a.m. on a Friday and leave Sunday at 10 p.m. I wanted to have a life, so we sold that business and moved out here. The sandwich routine has nicer hours [ laughs ], but we wanted something different than the classic submarine place. We built off the restaurant in the Midwest and cranked it up a bit. The new Arcadia location opened around 13 years ago. I see her name on the cookie dough. So, who is Wanda? Wanda – my mother – is the impetus behind all this, as far as getting it off the ground. She wanted to give her children, my brother and me, the opportunity to do what we had a passion for. She saw our passion and gave us the ability to be our own boss. She helped us dig in and do whatever it was to make this work, to do it right. Mom was our partner in the business. My brother and I created the menu, and the ideas of what we wanted to do, and she helped us realize that dream. We opened the Arcadia one, and the second opened 18 months later at University and Mill in Tempe. The popularity took off. We had lines out the door! Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur? Oh yeah, from the get-go. As a kid, I raised cattle and grew up with chickens and pigs, and those are some early hours. You want milk? Go milk the cow. You want watermelon? You pick watermelon from the patch. Growing up, I was also involved in little side businesses. Where does the inspiration come from for Sacks Sandwiches? Our travels – I’ve been to 83 different countries. We have a dipping sauce for our fries from travels to Spain and Portugal. The feta yogurt sauce is a derivative from our travels in Greece. I get pleasure from exposing people to something different. It creates good loyalty in our customers; they’ll come in and see combinations you don’t get from your typical sandwich place. We rotate over 400 different daily specials throughout the year, and I tell people, ‘Get it while you can because otherwise, you might not see it for a while.’ Wow! Do you have a favorite country? Oh no – you can’t pick a favorite. I like many things about each country – the culture, the geography, the people. It’s a beautiful place out there. What about the treats? We’ve got our cookie dough that’s made with my mom’s recipe. You can get that here or at AJ’s. Cookies are made in- house. The 57, which is milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, walnuts, coconut, pecans, and oatmeal, is to die for. Each customer gets a small cookie with their meal, too. They’re so good. Which sandwich is the most popular? The Symphony is the most popular, but in due part, it’s the first one on the list. The Encore hot sandwich is popular; people love The Rubens. My favorite sandwich is my creation. It’s a two-napkin, fork and knife mess [ laughs ]. Sourdough, mayo, Havarti, barbecue beef, mushroom, sautéed onions, jalapenos, marinated bell peppers and bacon. Everyone refers to it as Cary’s Special, and it is delicious. 4247 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix • sackssandwiches.com In the Kitchen

17 MAY 2023 How did you come up with the names for the sandwiches? We felt that the foods we create have an artistic touch. Our first one was a melody of flavors; it was interesting how it all came together. And when you know those fundamentals, you can create a sandwich off the top of your head, and you don’t even have to eat it. You just know it’s going to taste good. I know how the flavors will interact, like a symphony or orchestra of flavors. Making the sandwiches, it’s like creating art. People try to recreate meals at home and come to me like, ‘What aren’t you telling me’ and it’s like…I can’t give away the secret! To what do you attribute the popularity of Sacks as a whole? The ability of the customer to get their food quickly and the variety and customization options. People come up with some creative stuff. Tell us a little about The Attic Alehouse upstairs. My brother Ivan served in the military with Jerry, the manager at Attic, and they’ve been friends for a long time. Ivan runs the Sacks at 3 rd Avenue, and Jerry runs The Attic. rd Avenue, and Jerry runs The Attic. rd We do pizzas, salads, wings – classic bar food. The Attic started as more of an Italian- themed restaurant, but in the nature of the business, it didn’t feed the demographic. The Arcadia neighborhood has a refined palate, but the Italian place was coming off a little too pretentious, so we dialed it back and redid the menu. One of our big things is the Ivan Burger, which has a cool story behind it: A blogger called The Burger Guy was doing a seven-city tour, came to our restaurant and had the Ivan burger. The next day, I’m in the office, and I get a phone call from The Burger Guy congratulating me for getting “Best Burger.” I’m thinking ‘okay, what are you trying to sell me?’ He goes ‘no, you’re in the top five – in the WORLD.’ And then, of course, I’m like, ‘Why am I not better?’ Well, some of the burgers were $350 to $500! They were in India, London, New York and L.A. So that was awesome. Is it easier or harder to work with family? We have a dynamic. We work well together. My wife [Jan] is my best friend and business partner, all rolled into one. Of course, we have disagreements, but they don’t get out of control. We respect all the family members. Actually, it causes me to be a better decision-maker. I sit back, pause, re-evaluate and develop something better. It’s good to be challenged. What’s your favorite part of owning a business? Seeing the customers satisfied and happy. We’ve been around for so long. We’ve watched people’s kids grow up. Families flying home for the holidays will stop at Sacks. We have a doctor who practices in New York now – we are the first place he comes when he visits Phoenix, and the last place he comes before he goes back east. It’s really cool. What’s the toughest part? Right now, it’s employees. It’s tough to find employees. And also, the pricing! Things used to be stable, and now we’ve got dynamic pricing with the big vendors. It’s a pain. I just hope the customers understand it’s not by choice. Do you have a favorite memory from your time in the industry? [ laughs ] …that’s appropriate! Well, you eliminated about 90 percent of them there! Here’s one: Jan and I were on a ferry from Victoria British Columbia to Vancouver. A Canadian couple sat down next to us and we got to chatting with them; they asked where we were from and he said, ‘Oh, I went to college at ASU as an exchange student.’ I asked if he had heard of Sacks on campus. He said yes! In fact, he and his wife went to Sacks for their first date and that later he proposed to her at Sacks and had us put the wedding ring in her sack lunch! When you’re not working, what are you doing? Hunting, fishing and traveling. I’m going on a yacht off the Croatian coast in the near future. What’s your favorite thing to cook? I am a rib master! Ribs, brisket – barbecue is in my wheelhouse. What is one item you can’t live without in your kitchen? Love. Everyone’s got the ingredients. It’s about putting love into it. It’s one thing you can’t teach. I’m good at reading people, and I can tell whether or not they’ve got the love to make it work. We love seeing the customers satisfied and happy. We’ve been around for so long. We’ve watched people’s kids grow up. Discover sophistication, urban living, and reprieve in the heart of the desert at Clarendale Arcadia – the oasis you’ve been searching for. 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