Chatham Sandwich Shop Rises From The Ashes

CHATHAM, NJ — More than one year after a fire destroyed the Chatham Sandwich Shop, a longtime local restaurant, the business has come back to life.

The shop, which has been a part of the Chatham community for more than four decades, has long been regarded as a fixture in the community, and residents have been eagerly awaiting the completion of all renovations.

According to Joe Arminio, the shop's owner, the renovation and rebuild process took longer than they had initially anticipated.

"Joe personally helped rebuild the store himself. From design, to trim work, to cabinets. We are really happy with the end result," store officials said.

The shop officially reopened last week, and according to Arminio, the plan was to keep things small for the first few days.

"We truly did not expect the volume of orders we received this past week. It was our hope to do a small soft opening, but it would seem the community had other plans," Arminio told Patch. "We are so grateful for that but also apologetic about the long waits and any errors our customers have experienced. We're getting back in the groove a little more each day."

A larger grand opening celebration is still in the works, the shop said.

The fire, which destroyed the interior and exterior of the 253 Main St. shop, started in the kitchen on an early Wednesday morning in February 2022 and was discovered by an employee who arrived to start their shift.

At around 7:30 a.m., the employee went into the backroom to prep for the day when they noticed smoke from the cooking area and saw that the fryer had caught fire, according to authorities.

The fire was a devastating event for everyone in the community, but Arminio said he appreciates how everyone in Chatham came together that day and every day since to help.

"I am most excited about how much I was really missed by the community. I really didn't think I was missed that much and it has been so overwhelming and incredible to see," Arminio said. "Over the last year, anticipation comes to mind. Any time I was walking down the street, people would approach me and ask when we were coming back. We would get messages on Facebook and Instagram asking about the opening. That made me feel great and pushed me to work as hard as possible to open up again."

Arminio boasted that the renovations have helped the shop become even better than it was before, claiming that it was "the same sandwich shop but better. A sleeker, brighter version of what it was."