Manders 22, a fast-casual restaurant focusing on smash burgers, subs and a regional dish from Binghamton, New York, called spiedies, is planned in St. Augustine.
The restaurant is at 104 Ashourian Ave., Suite 103, in The Forum at Greenbriar shopping center off County Road 210.
It is between Poppy’s Italiano and Mad Dog Premium Golf Carts in the closed Extract Juicery Organic Cafe space.
Father and son Jeff and Jake Manders own Manders 22.
The number 22 is one they shared on jerseys they wore across multiple sports.
Jeff Manders, who also is a real estate associate at Re/Max Connects, said opening a sandwich shop has “been inside my head for the better part of 30 years.”
“I worked in corporate American Express, IBM and Dell Technologies for 40 years,” he said.
“When I left, I realized through all my years of working that there were people my age who didn’t do anything. I thought, ‘I don’t want to be that guy.’”
After two years in real estate, he got a call from his son, who was working in logistics in South Florida.
“He basically said, ‘Hey Dad, I don’t know if I want to do this whole corporate thing the rest of my life. I’d rather just work for myself, something we can do together,’” Manders said.
The menu is almost finalized, but he said it will be simple.
“I wanted to do something where there wasn’t too much variety,” he said. “Something more basic.”
Items start with one, two or three 4-ounce smash burgers, with or without cheese or bacon.
A smash burger starts as a meatball, Manders said. Once the meat is seared on a flat-top grill, it is pressed and left to finish cooking.
A Manders 22 burger is topped with a special sauce described as a “step up from a traditional Big Mac sauce.”
Sub sandwiches also are an option, including traditional choices as well as the Manders Signature Sub, which is made with Italian meats, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, pesto, hot pepper relish and onions.
Regular subs will be 8 inches with 6 ounces of meat. Large subs will be 16 inches with 12 ounces of meat.
Manders 22 will serve spiedies, a regional dish from upstate New York, particularly the Binghamton area, where Manders grew up.
“It’s from upstate New York, specifically Binghamton, New York, where Italian immigrants brought this over around the 1920s,” Manders said in a Facebook post.
“It’s marinated chicken, pork, beef, lamb and even venison. We’re going to stick with chicken marinated for about 24 to 48 hours. We’re going to put it on a chargrill and put it on a bun for your liking.”
Manders said item prices will be $8 to $23.
There will also be prepackaged items that aren’t meant to be eaten on-site, including lasagna and chili.
Desserts will include brownies, doughnuts and deep-fried beignets.
Six tables in the space can seat a total of 18 customers, he said.
Manders 22 will be open daily. Hours will be 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Manders hopes to open in early May.