Capriotti's spotlights bigger portions and bigger value with menu revamp

This article was originally posted in Restaurant Business on August 13, 2025.

Behind the Menu: To win in the competitive sandwich segment, the fast casual set out to reconfigure its value equation and boost consistency across its 160 locations. By Patricia Cobe on Aug. 13, 2025. 

Cheesesteaks at Capriotti's, available in several sizes, now boast more meat. | Photos courtesy of Capriotti's Sandwich Shop.

As a premium, made-to-order brand in the cutthroat sandwich segment, Capriotti’s found it difficult to compete on price and speed.

“All our subs are built to order with quality ingredients, and the average check is above $20,” said Kim Lewis, CMO of the Las Vegas-based fast casual. “Through extensive surveys with our customers, we discovered that everyone loved our flavor and quality, but the value equation didn’t always add up. We had to make sure that even a splurge can feel worth it.” 

In July, Capriotti’s launched its Bigger, Better menu, delivering more meat, more value and upgraded consistency across the menu. To start, cheesesteaks are now piled with 25% more meat, including the American Wagyu, and signatures like the Capastrami and French Dip are also more generous. For those seeking a lower price point, three new $9.99 duos let guests pair a mini classic sub with a signature salad, soup or chips plus a drink. 

“We’re hitting both sides of the barbell,” said Lewis. 

Bread sizes redefined

To address the consistency challenge, Capriotti’s began with the bread. “We used to have four sandwich sizes, but they weren’t clearly defined,” said Lewis. “Plus there were variations in bread sizes across our units, which stretch from Hawaii to New York and Miami. And some of the sub rolls had torpedo ends that couldn’t be filled. The variations were frustrating for consumers and operators.”

Capriotti’s changed to sourcing a single large sub roll that can be cut to different sizes—medium, small and a 4-inch mini—or left whole for a large sandwich. All can be filled end to end with sandwich ingredients, and the mini comes in at a lower price point and size geared for snackers or smaller appetites. “Now the whole system is on the same standard and we can better manage food costs,” said Lewis. “Plus customers come away with a better experience.”

The Wagyu Club is layered with hand-sliced prime American Wagyu beef. 

Subtle tweaks were made to some of the filling ingredients, too. Capriotti’s changed its chicken and beef supplier to upgrade the juiciness and flavor of the proteins. “There wasn’t anything wrong with them, but these new ingredients did even better in tests,” said Lewis.

Maximizing beverage options 

Beverages presented another logjam in Capriotti’s menu ordering process. “Our franchisees all had such a different variety of fountain drinks and bottled beverages in the cooler, it got to where it was very difficult to offer them through the digital platform,” said Lewis. “Lots of times, customers would be down to one or two choices online and it felt constraining. So we introduced a standard fountain selection and standard bottle set across all locations that we can offer to all digital customers.” Franchisees have the ability to add local beverages to the basic list, but guests will only find those if they go into the sandwich shops.

“This has been a real positive change because digital customers went from seeing so few drinks to now seeing a full standardized set of options,” she added.

Simplifying the menu boards

Once sandwich sizes and beverage ordering were simplified, Capriotti’s turned to its menu boards. 

“We bucketed the menu by grouping items together by price,” said Lewis. To make this happen, some menu item prices went up, while others went down, but now the menus are uniform across the system. “The previous menu boards were overwhelming and a bit disorganized. These are much easier to navigate.” 

There is also more imagery on the menu boards, the app and the website. The goal was to make the sandwich photos realistic-looking rather than a food-styled approach. The logo got a makeover, too. It wasn’t clear before that Capriotti’s was a sandwich shop, said Lewis, but that is highlighted in the modernized logo.

Capriotti's new logo leaves little doubt that it's a sandwich concept.

The chain is also leveraging its loyalty program, offering more value to rewards members. To entice engagement, Capriottii’s is offering a free 8-inch sub to new members who sign up.

“What we really want to do is focus on that value equation on the upper end of the barbell, that everyday value with the $9.99 duos, and then deliver that targeted value through our rewards program,” said Lewis. “Now that the foundation is in place, we’re also planning some LTOs for the fourth quarter.”

She and the Capriotti’s team are also pumped to celebrate the brand’s 50th anniversary in 2026 and have lots of exciting things in store, she said.