Mangilao has a unique addition to the restaurant market and Stephen Dormer owner of Mamma Tita’s Pizza and Best Water and Ice has diversified yet again.
Fast Freddy’s Sandwiches and Subs opened its doors on Feb. 21 boasting homemade French sub rolls and thick-sliced honey and seven-grain bread.
The sandwich shop shares the same location as Mamma Tita’s Pizza and was Dormer’s idea. So what’s the difference between Fast Freddy’s and the other guy?
Fast Freddy’s offers 20 different sandwiches. Dormer said the distinguishing characteristic of his sandwich store is that you’ll only be asked one question when you order. “Would you like that on a nine-inch French style hoagie roll or a thick slice multi-grain bread?”
He said ordering in other sandwich restaurants was time-consuming. “You go to some of the other places and it’s like 60 questions: what size sub do you want do you want oil do you want salt do you want pepper? If you’re the fifth or sixth person in line you could miss your lunch hour.”
The idea is that the sandwich on the menu is based on what the customer wants without having to say it. Dormer said he spent a lot of study and testing to find out what people like on deli-style sandwiches. From that he developed the menu to reflect prominent tastes. While a customer can get a sandwich with extra onions or no cheese the most popular combinations are right there on the menu. Just pick a number.
Fast Freddy’s has pre-packed sandwiches available for the customer in a hurry.
Dormer said “We’ve got Already Freddy’s — which are pre-made sandwiches ready to go. Just come in grab it and go.” The ready-to-go sandwiches are made daily on the same fresh bread as the made-to-order sandwiches. The French-style dough is made from scratch every day and is an extension of the pizza dough production for Mamma Tita’s. “The multi-grain is truly outstanding. You’re not going to find anything like it anywhere else.”
Dormer’s main idea with Fast Freddy’s was its marriage with Mamma Tita’s. A good example Dormer said was the Taco Bell and Long John Silvers co-branding. “Putting two brands under one roof — what you do is open yourself up to a whole new clientele. Where you can’t come in and get anything ready to eat at Mamma Tita’s because it’s bake-at-home pizza with Fast Freddy’s you can grab a sandwich that’s already to go.”
A staff of three full-time employees and 10 part-time employees shift between the adjacent water store and the pizza-sandwich shop. With such diversity the employees can move between the stores filling in where the workload may be greatest. Dormer said the importance of the stores’ existence wasn’t in the product itself but in the creation of jobs and products out of nothing. The small multi-store building was empty for a long time when he decided to move in. “We’ve really created some opportunities for people. The key to getting Guam out of its difficult financial situation is not to get some big company to come and open up a plant because it’s never going to happen. The key to getting Guam back on it’s feet and get it working is getting a whole bunch of little guys just like me to open up a little shop.”
Dormer said he wants Fast Freddy’s to grow slowly and deliberately. His next plan is to offer a delivery service. He said the store will offer delivery to the local area the University of Guam and possibly as far as Apusento Gardens in Chalan Pago. “The big thing about that is that even if you only order one sandwich we’ll deliver it. We want the brand out we want to get the sandwiches into people’s hands and mouths.” Dormer expected with the two brands under one roof eventually delivery will cross over to Mamma Tita’s pizzas.
In the future Dormer said he is looking forward to the possibility of opening a Best Water Mamma Tita’s and Fast Freddy’s combination in the U.S. mainland. MBJ
