Originally published 06:58 a.m., June 4, 2009
Updated 04:46 p.m., June 4, 2009

Changes already have started at the Fort Pierce service plaza on Florida’s Turnpike. Even bigger changes are coming.

All eight service plazas along the Turnpike will be overhauled as part of a $160 million makeover starting next year. The makeover is part of a 30-year contract Turnpike authorities have given to Areas USA to operate the plaza fuel, food and retail operations.

Already, travelers are seeing some of the changes at the Fort Pierce plaza. Dunkin’ Donuts replaced Starbucks. Checkers, Edy’s ice cream parlor, Villa Pizza and Earl of Sandwich also are new, joining holdover Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs.

Although the final design has yet to be approved, the remodeling of the plaza will include a 3,500-square-foot convenience store. Completion is scheduled for 2011.

Dunkin’ Donuts, Villa Pizza and Checkers will remain, but Baskin-Robbins will replace Edy’s. Also new will be a Qdoba Mexican Grill, which has 11 restaurants in Florida from Tallahassee to Miami but none on the Treasure Coast, and a Nature’s Table Café, a franchise chain that started in 1977 in Orlando.

The Fort Pierce and Fort Drum service plazas will have the larger, sit-down restaurants to cater more to tourists and long-distance truckers looking to stretch their legs and relax, unlike the South Florida plazas that see more commuters.

About $100 million of the overhaul costs will come from Areas USA, a Miami subsidiary of a Spain-based company. The Turnpike will spend $60 million for water and sewer improvements and ramp renovations.

Under the contract, the Turnpike will receive a minimum of $180 million in gross receipts from the plazas. Jennifer Olson, Turnpike deputy executive director, said the deal would allow the plazas to be modernized without raising tolls.

2:34 PM EDT, June 3, 2009

Dunkin’ Donuts is in and Starbucks is out as part of a $162 million project to rebuild or renovate the eight plazas along Florida’s Turnpike.

The changeover began at midnight Wednesday, when Areas USA took over the concessions contract to operate the fuel, food and retail operations on the 312-mile toll road.

Areas USA, which also holds concession contracts at Orlando International Airport and Miami International Airport, replaced HMS, which, among other brands, stocked the plazas with Starbucks and Burger Kings.

Shell will replace Citgo as the fuel supplier.

“For us, this is a big challenge, a big success,” said Xavier Rabell, CEO of Areas USA, a subsidiary of a Spanish company with offices in Miami.

The new contract guarantees the state $180 million in revenues during its 30-year duration.

Two plazas, at Fort Drum and Fort Pierce, will be demolished and rebuilt. The rest, including Turkey Lake – just south of Ocoee – will be remodeled.

Turnpike CEO James Ely said the work is needed because the plazas were outdated. The gas stations were built between 1957 and 1964 and the last of the restaurants in 1988. “They were for the 20th century,” he said.

Areas USA will pay $100 million for the makeover, while the Turnpike will spend $62 million. The work is supposed to begin in November 2010, with the last one completed by January 2013. An estimated 1,500 construction-related jobs could be created by the work.

Ely said tolls will not be raised to cover the expense. Nearly 2 million people daily ride the turnpike.

In addition to Dunkin’ Donuts, other food suppliers include Nature’s Table, KFC, Earl of Sandwich, Jamba Juice, Taco Bell, Checkers, Long John Silver’s, Cold Stone Creamery, Qdoba Mexican Grill and Baskin Robbins.

Dan Tracy can be reached at dtracy@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5444.

Copyright ©2009, Orlando Sentinel

Sun Business Editor
Published: Thursday, June 4, 2009 at 3:47 p.m.

Starbucks and Burger King are out, Dunkin’ Donuts and Taco Bell are in on Florida’s Turnpike, after a new manager of the turnpike plazas was announced this week.

Areas USA, a Miami subsidiary of Spanish Areas S.A. of Spain, takes over a 30-year contract to manage the plazas this week, The Miami Herald reported Wednesday.

New food vendors will also include Checkers, KFC, Nature’s Table, Chicken Kitchen, Earl of Sandwich and Panda Express, among others.

Areas USA will invest more than $180 million in renovations slated to begin next year. Temporary concessions will set up immediately at the eight plazas from Wildwood to Florida City.

After years of sipping cappuccinos at Starbucks and wolfing Whoppers at Burger King, travelers on Florida’s Turnpike will be dunking Dunkin’ Donuts and pounding Cheeburger Cheeburgers at service plazas along the toll road.

Areas USA, a Miami-based subsidiary of the Spanish Areas S.A., this week takes over a 30-year contract to manage turnpike plazas from Okahumpka in north-central Florida to Snapper Creek in South Miami-Dade.

This is the first change of service plaza management in two decades, since HMSHost secured the turnpike contract in the late 1980s.

Areas USA, a highway and airport food and retail service provider, expects to invest more than $180 million in renovations and sales exceeding $4.5 billion over the length of the contract, company officials said.

HMSHost confirmed it lost the contract to Areas USA and thanked the more than 775 employees at service plazas for their services. Turnpike officials said they preferred to release information Wednesday at separate news events at the Pompano and Turkey Lake service plazas.

While Areas USA will take over the plazas, and familiar concessions like Starbucks and Burger King will be gone, the changeover to new outlets and renovation of plazas will be gradual.

Xavier Rabell, Areas USA chief executive officer, told The Miami Herald that renovation will not begin until 2010. Nevertheless, motorists stopping at the plazas will notice immediate changes with temporary locations for new concessions at all eight plazas that span the length of the road from Wildwood to Florida City.

New vendors include Vicky Bakery, a Hialeah-based bakery, Checkers, KFC, Taco Bell, Nature’s Table, Chicken Kitchen, Villa Pizza, Earl of Sandwich and Panda Express — among others.

“It’s a significant, important change,” Rabell said.

Though the company manages highway service plazas in other countries, this is the first time it will manage service plazas on a U.S. highway.

Areas also manages retail and food outlet sites at various major airports in the United States, including terminals at Miami International, Orlando International, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International and Boston Logan International.

Jun 1, 2009 3:42:46 PM

Florida Department of Transportation officials will hold a press conference on Wednesday to detail the contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars recently awarded to Areas USA and Shell Oil Co. to completely revamp all eight of the turnpike’s service plazas.

The politically-heated battle for the contract ended several months ago when two losing bidders dropped their plans to appeal Areas’ win.

On hand will be Shell Oil, Dunkin’ Donuts and Earl of Sandwich. The public is invited to visit the Turkey Lake service plaza between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to sample some of the new food concepts.

BOSTON, May 19, 2009
PRNewswire via COMTEX
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BAA Boston, developer of the AIRMALL® at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), is pleased to welcome Earl of Sandwich to a dynamic line-up of fast-casual food offerings. Located in the Terminal E Food Court, the popular venue features artisan-baked breads, fresh meats and cheeses, and tasty toppings for the perfect sandwich.

"Our line-up of diverse dining options is specifically designed to offer travelers a variety of convenient, premium choices, all at 'Regular Mall Prices...Guaranteed,'" said Mike Caro, vice president of BAA Boston. "With a reputation for fine ingredients and unwavering consistency, Earl of Sandwich is the perfect addition to the AIRMALL® at Boston Logan International Airport."

Earl of Sandwich serves hot signature sandwiches such as The Original 1762 and The Full Montagu, which draw their names and inspiration from John Montagu, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich. Montagu came up with the idea of putting meat between two slices of bread in 1762 during a marathon card game.

All sandwiches at Earl of Sandwich are made to order using quality ingredients and served on fresh bread with unique sauces and spreads. Also on the menu are tossed salads served traditionally or wrapped in flatbread.

Earl of Sandwich at the AIRMALL® at BOS is currently open seven days a week from 1:00 p.m. to a half-hour before the last flight of the day. Beginning June 7, 2009, Earl of Sandwich will open at noon everyday.

About BAA Boston

BAA Boston, Inc. is the developer and manager of the retail and concessions program at the AIRMALL® at Boston Logan International Airport (Terminals B and E). BAA Boston is a project of BAA USA, the master developer and manager of the retail, food and beverage operations at the AIRMALLs® at Pittsburgh International Airport, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. BAA USA is an affiliate of BAA Limited, the world's leading airport company, which owns and operates seven UK airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Southampton, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow). For more information, visit www.airmall.com or www.baausa.com.

Contact:
Jeff Donaldson
412-642-7700
[[com,elias-savion,jeff.donaldson]]

SOURCE BAA Boston
www.baausa.com

April 29, 2008

For Immediate Release

(Orlando, FL April 29, 2008) Earl of Sandwich and Areas USA announced today an agreement naming Earl of Sandwich as the exclusive national sandwich concept to Areas USA for Airports and Turnpikes throughout the United States.

The partnership addresses the traveling public's demand for unique, special, and superior brands. The first Earl of Sandwich location will be in the new North Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport, which serves over 36 million passengers each year, and is slated to open in September 2008.

"With the stress and demands on today's travelers they are craving the comfort of our hot sandwiches. We have proven to be unique by serving the highest quality products while executing at very high volumes and at a tremendous value." stated Seth Makowsky, CEO of Earl of Sandwich. "Our partnership with Areas will immediately bring our brand to major airports throughout the U.S. and give the public what they truly deserve - "The World's Greatest Hot Sandwich."

"We are looking forward to working together with Earl of Sandwich to provide a great service to the traveling public. We know first hand what it takes to provide high quality to travelers worldwide and that is why we have partnered with such an innovative brand to bring a unique, accessible, and quality dining experience to all who visit," stated Xavier Rabell, CEO of Areas USA.

About Areas USA

Areas USA is a leading provider of food, beverage and retail services in the U.S. travel industry. Its parent company, Areas, began doing business in 1968 and is a leader in Spain and Latin America's hospitality and retail market in highways, turnpikes, airports, railway stations, commercial centers and city centers. It currently operates more than 1,200 establishments distributed throughout Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Dominican Republic, St. Martin and the United States.

More information at www.areasusa.com.

About Earl of Sandwich

Earl of Sandwich is a collaboration between Robert Earl and a direct descendant of the fourth Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu, who is credited with inventing the sandwich in 1762. As First Sea Lord, he commanded the mighty British Navy, was a noted explorer, and also a dedicated gambler with a love of day long card games. This lead to little time for food, so he came up with the ingenious idea of putting meat between two slices of bread. From then on it did not matter if you were fighting a great sea battle or laying down a Royal Flush, you could eat great food without too much fuss. Now, more than 240 years later, John Montagu, the 11th Earl of Sandwich and his son Orlando are re-inventing and reclaiming their culinary namesake.

More information at www.earlofsandwichusa.com

September 29, 2003

Two-hundred-and-forty-odd years ago, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich stuck some salted beef between two slices of bread. Now one of his descendants, Orlando Montagu, the 32-yearold son of the current Earl John Montagu, wants to make a few quid off the family name. For several years he's run a London sandwich delivery business, but in December Montagu is opening an 8,000-square-foot eatery called Earl of Sandwich at Disney World.

The multimillion-dollar venture is partly financed by another Earl, Planet Hollywood founder Robert, who received the offbeat pitch back in 1996. Done in calligraphy, it read in part, "My father's an earl and you're an Earl. My name is Orlando and you live in Orlando." The menu will feature more than a dozen sandwiches, including the meaty Full Montagu^®. Montagu hopes for sales of between $3 million and $4 million next year, and he plans to open outlets in Chicago and New York as well.

How does the current Earl feel about all this? Reached at the family estate in West Dorset, Lord Montagu says he's not a fan of "enormous American sandwiches" but supports his son's endeavor. Spoken like a true member of the upper crust.

—Matthew Boyle

December 9, 2002
Start Page: E.1, Section: LIFE & TIMES

What do you call a sandwich without bread?

Your lordship, as it turns out.

In this case the Sandwich is also known as John Montagu, the 11th Earl of Sandwich. It was his ancestor, also John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, who is credited with the "invention" of the sandwich — meat between two slices of bread.

He is also credited with — or blamed for, depending on which side of the Atlantic you're from — helping the American colonies become an independent nation of states, and one of the current states was originally named for him, but we'll get back to that.

Surely within the culinary world there have been few epiphanies so simplistic and yet so revolutionary as the sandwich. And if only that Earl of Sandwich had patented the idea, the current Earl of Sandwich and his son Orlando wouldn't have the need to open a business called the Earl of Sandwich, selling — what else? — sandwiches.

No, the present Earl is not broke, but a British country estate - - in this case Mapperton Gardens near Dorset — is costly to maintain. And as the fourth Earl so clearly demonstrated, everyone has to eat, lords and commoners alike.

So it was that 18 months ago the Earl and his son started the business. And that business has brought together the Earl and Orlando with another Earl and another Orlando.

Robert Earl, the restaurateur behind Planet Hollywood and, before that, Hard Rock Cafe, is teaming with the Montagus to bring the Earl of Sandwich sandwich operation to the Colonies — probably first to Orlando (Florida), where Earl (Robert) is headquartered.

It was Orlando Montagu, 31, who first contacted Robert Earl.

"Orlando started writing me," says Earl, " `You're an Earl and my father's an earl; you live in Orlando and my name is Orlando; you're in the restaurant business and we have the sandwich.'

"I thought he was a crackpot," says Earl, "and for a long, long time I refused to respond."

But with things going slowly with Planet Hollywood, one of Montagu's letters caught Earl's attention. He met them at the House of Lords in London and things clicked. "There was great chemistry," says Earl.

As the Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu has a seat in Parliament's House of Lords, and it is there that he greets a visitor from Florida on a particularly dreary and drizzly London day in November.

Walking through the corridors, quiet and deserted with Parliament out of session, Montagu is more than a learned tour guide. When he comes to an 18th-century painting of members holding session in the chamber, he is able to point to his ancestor, sitting on one of the cross benches. He is amused by how many members were able to fit on the benches when the picture was painted compared with today, a commentary on the average girth of a member of Parliament.

Montagu himself is slender and tall, with longish hair and a boyish appearance. He hits all the high points that a tour guide would — the chamber, with its startlingly bright red benches and the queen's throne; the robing room; and a display of what Montagu calls the prized exhibit, a document signed by Oliver Cromwell and others calling for the execution of King Charles I.

He proudly proclaims that his predecessor refused to sign the document, "But I stop by every now and then to make sure his name hasn't suddenly appeared."

In a simple bar/lounge for members of the House of Lords, Montagu sits sipping a glass of sherry at a table near the window overlooking the Thames and, on the opposite bank, St. Thomas's Hospital ("One must always think of Florence Nightingale, toiling away over there," he says).

Asked for his version of the invention of the sandwich, a question he surely has been asked countless times, he pauses as if to give it some real thought.

"I have to imagine myself standing in the hall — the stairway hall — gazing at the portrait of John Montagu looking at a portrait of Martha Ray," he says.

He's referring to the portraits in the hall of the country estate of the fourth Earl and his mistress, who is not the Martha Raye you're thinking of but who was a singer nonetheless.

"His wife was insane," he explains, "and he lived with Ray openly."

It's a portrait, he says, of a man who was enjoying himself.

"He played cards and needed to keep a hand free," says Montagu of Montagu, giving credence to the apocryphal tale of the fourth earl as a gambler so focused on the game that he refused to leave the table long enough to eat a proper meal.

It was then, the story goes, that he called for some rare roast beef to be placed between two slices of bread.

But Montagu allows for variations in the story.

"You have to look at the whole of his life," he continues. "He also needed to sign a lot of papers.

"I don't think he was immoral, he was just enjoying life."

Part of his enjoyment was the sea. He was a sponsor of seafaring expeditions, including Capt. Cook's voyage that saw the discovery of a group of islands in the Pacific, which Cook named the Sandwich Islands.

They are now known as Hawaii.

The fourth earl was also the First Lord of the Admiralty during the 1770s, responsible for dispatching the British navy.

"One forgets the role of the British navy was formidable," says Montagu. The British empire was spread throughout the world. "They couldn't defend the whole."

And so it was that at the time of such events as the Boston Tea Party, the British navy was elsewhere.

"He assisted the American colonies to become independent," says Montagu, "by being unable to control the seas."

But Montagu would rather see his ancestor remembered for his gustatory discovery rather than his maritime mishandling. That's what drives him in his new endeavor — perhaps the current Earl of Sandwich can conquer the States with his sandwich shops.

July 21, 2003

"Going into trade" used to be one of the worst things an English aristocrat could do — right up there with "buying your own furniture," as the late Tory politician Alan Clark, who lived in a family castle, once witheringly said of a colleague, Michael Heseltine, who did not.

But these are strange times for the upper crust. Being a hereditary peer — someone with an inherited title — may get you a good table in a restaurant, but it counts for little else these days. With their money often tied up in huge country holdings that can be ruinously expensive to maintain, even members of the landed gentry are having to find new ways to earn a living.

That helps explain why the family of the 11th Earl of Sandwich has set up a sandwich-selling business, also called The Earl of Sandwich.

"Trading on one's family name is not derogatory anymore, at least not in my view," Lord Sandwich, 60, said in an interview in the House of Lords. He is one of the few hereditary peers who won the right to keep their seats there after most were evicted by the government in 1999.

Of his illustrious family of naval officers and lawmakers — one Sandwich or another has been in Parliament continuously since the 1660's, he said — the most famous is the fourth Earl. He was first lord of the admiralty and financed the expedition of Captain Cook, who kindly named the Sandwich Islands after him. (Later they became Hawaii.) He was also a bon vivant whose eureka moment, legend has it, came during an all-night gambling session, when, rather than waste time by sitting down to dinner, he ate a hunk of meat between two pieces of bread and gambled on.

Since then, Sandwiches have always been inextricably linked with sandwiches. The earl's grandfather, for instance, was known (to his chagrin) as Lord Snack. "We had a small joke that if one had a small percentage of every sandwich sold around the world, it would give us enough for a few years," Lord Sandwich said.

Beyond that, though, the family has never made too much of the connection, not eating sandwiches more often than anyone else, for instance, or taking a proprietary interest in other people's lunches at picnics. The current earl says, though, that he has long fretted from afar about the poor quality of British sandwiches, which until the early 1990's tended to consist of stale white bread filled with dubious meat or fish products smothered in gelatinous sauce.

"If you're asking me, my preference is to have a sauce that doesn't fall out of the sandwich," said Lord Sandwich, tall and sharp-eyed, with the look of a large wading bird.

In 2001, the Earl of Sandwich (the company) began delivering upscale sandwiches, made with fresh ingredients from small British producers, to businesses across London. The company also sells sandwiches to Waitrose supermarkets; the packages bear the family crest.

The idea for the company was born in 1992 when Lord Sandwich's second son, Orlando Montagu — he has the right to call himself "honorable" but has no title — stumbled upon a snack bar in Milan that called itself the Earl of Sandwich and used the family as its theme (weirdly for him, it even served "Orlando" sandwiches).

"I said, 'Like it or not, the connection between our family and the food product has turned from being a story to a brand,' " said Mr. Montagu, who manages day-to-day operations of the business. Early on, seeking financing, he wrote to the founder of the Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood, named, coincidentally, Robert Earl.

"His first crazy notes to me about eight years ago were infringing on the crackpot," recalled Mr. Earl, who has invested several million dollars — he would not say how much — in the venture. " 'Dear Mr. Earl, my father is an earl and you're an Earl; I'm an Orlando and you live in Orlando — let's go into business.' They were very posh, very stylized, with a beautiful signature and calligraphy, and they went right into the bin."

Similarly, when Mr. Montagu, now 32, raised the sandwich-selling issue at home, he met resistance. "I should think I was a bit hesitant to begin with, as I have no personal experience of going into business," Lord Sandwich said.

This fall, however, the company is to embark on its biggest venture yet, when it opens its first cafe, at Disney World in Florida. The plan is to offer an unusual array of hot and cold sandwiches, fillings and accouterments that will be made on the spot in a décor that mimics that of the earl's own home.

"We'll have three or four elements, from the living room and fireplace to the reading room," Mr. Earl said. "In this day and age it doesn't hurt to have a theme."

Profits from certain sandwiches will go to charity. Other profits will go to the earl himself and his wife, Countess Sandwich, who run a large country estate in Dorset, which they also support partly by charging a fee to visitors.

With the government trying to devise a way to eject the rest of the hereditaries from the House of Lords, Lord Sandwich knows his days there are numbered. He tries to relish it while he can, while also moving forward.

"There's no real security in simply being from an old family anymore," he said. "Today people recognize that you're wasting your life if you're not making the best use of all the advantages you've been given."

While shopping at Waitrose, he enjoys buying Earl of Sandwich sandwiches, each of which bears his signature. It is the same signature that appears on his credit cards. Yes, the cards say "Earl of Sandwich" on the front, where the name goes.

It is as though Chef Boyardee himself had suddenly materialized, wearing a suit and speaking the Queen's English, and trying to buy his own products.

"The cashiers are astonished when they see my cards," Lord Sandwich said. "I think it's quite a good marketing ploy."

May 28, 2003
Start Page: C.1, Section: MONEY

THE 11TH EARL OF SANDWICH AND PLANET HOLLYWOOD'S ROBERT EARL ARE LAUNCHING A CHAIN OF SANDWICH SHOPS.

Good lord, look who's going to sell sandwiches at Walt Disney World.

Lord John Montagu, the 11th earl of Sandwich, and Planet Hollywood founder and CEO Robert Earl have announced they will open the first Earl of Sandwich shop in the United States at Downtown Disney's Marketplace.

The restaurant, which will feature hot sandwiches and freshly made potato chips — crisps in the vernacular — will occupy the Gourmet Pantry space. Ed Baklor, vice president of Downtown Disney, said Tuesday he expects Earl of Sandwich to take possession of the space within 30 days and for the restaurant to be up and running this fall.

"As the world's premier tourist destination, we're excited to have the first Earl of Sandwich in the U.S. located at Walt Disney World," Baklor said.

The 8,000-square-foot Gourmet Pantry will be renovated for the new concept, which will be the flagship for a planned chain. Earl said the capital investment will be slightly less than $2 million. The operation, which will have seating for 220, will hire 50 new employees. The Pantry's current employees have been offered other positions with Disney, according to Earl.

"Based on the success here," said Earl, speaking by cell phone from in front of the Pantry, "it's ironic that this will be the prototype for the restaurants in Great Britain." The business currently operates in London as a delivery service only.

The average per person cost is expected to be less than $8, Earl said. The menu will feature mainly hot sandwiches, many of which were created to reflect the Sandwich family's history. For example, because the fourth earl is credited with sponsoring the expedition that discovered the Sandwich Islands — now known as Hawaii — there will be a ham and pineapple sandwich that will honor that event, Earl said.

Montagu is a direct descendant of the fourth earl, also named John Montagu, who in 1762 concocted a meal consisting of meat, most likely beef, slapped between two slices of bread. The current earl's son Orlando came up with the idea to start a chain of sandwich shops in London as a way to raise money to help maintain the family's country estate, Mapperton Gardens near Dorset. He contacted Robert Earl to suggest a partnership.

"Orlando started writing me," Earl said in December, " `You're an Earl and my father's an earl; you live in Orlando and my name is Orlando; you're in the restaurant business and we have the sandwich.'

"I thought he was a crackpot," Earl said, "and for a long long time I refused to respond."

But when things slowed down while Planet Hollywood was in bankruptcy proceedings, Earl took a closer look at one of the letters and contacted the younger Montagu. During a trip to London, Earl met the Montagus at Parliament, where the earl has a seat in the House of Lords.

"There was great chemistry," Earl said.

Robert Earl has been negotiating with Disney executives since he first became involved in the project in England — nearly three years ago — to come to an agreement to open the first shop at Disney World. He said he is pleased to have obtained the Pantry space.

"I consider it to be the epicenter" of the Marketplace, he said. "We think the number that pass our door is 10 million a year, so it will be a great barometer."

Earl says he is also planning sites in New York and Chicago, but wants to have the Disney store up and running first.

In a statement from Earl's Orlando headquarters, Lord Sandwich said, "It is very exciting to be expanding into the United States and launching at Disney. Robert and my family have worked together for more than a year to ensure that our food is second to none."

The tale of how the sandwich came to be is an apocryphal one, although the current earl gives credence to the most popular version of the story. "He played cards and needed to keep a hand free," he said of his ancestor. But he also allows for variations in the story. "He also needed to sign a lot of papers."

And, "he was fond of women," which also required a free hand.

April 16, 2004
Start Page: 57, Section: CALENDAR

ROBERT EARL AND THE EARL OF SANDWICH CLAIM A SLICE OF THE FAST-FOOD CROWD.

Robert Earl has finally opened his latest project, the Earl of Sandwich. But before you go thinking that giving it that name is a pretty cheeky thing to do, you should know that he didn't name it after himself.

It is, however, named after one of his partners in the eatery, Lord John Montagu, the 11th Earl of Sandwich. The Earl and his son, Orlando, contacted Earl, who, of course, is headquartered in Orlando, and persuaded him to join their project to reclaim the food device that is named for their ancestor.

It was the fourth Earl of Sandwich who is credited with first coming up with the idea to slap some meat between a couple of pieces of bread so it could all be eaten with one hand. Legend has it that the Earl IV was something of a card player and needed to quash his hunger without putting his cards down. Keep in mind this was centuries before Gamblers Anonymous came on the scene to offer help to the chronic card player.

Earl XI tells the Hound that family variations on the story also have it that the other earl also needed to sign a lot of documents and was something of a womanizer. In any case, he needed to keep one hand free, so let's just leave it at that.

That was back in 1762, or thereabouts, and all these years the Montagus haven't made a farthing in royalties off the concept.

But they're set to earn a lot more than a few farthings if the prototype Earl of Sandwich at Disney's Marketplace is any indication. People are lining up to sample Sandwich's sandwiches, and it's not just the tourists, who'd probably eat anything. A lot of the folks in line are Disney workers who remove name tags and other identifying paraphernalia to wait in line for some meat between bread.

Why? Well, one reason is the cost. At $4.95 per sandwich, it's one of the best deals on Disney property. And it doesn't hurt that the sandwiches are really pretty good.

The menu is succinct. There is a sandwich called the Original because it is thought that the fourth earl was fond of roast beef, cheddar cheese and horseradish sauce. There is another called the Full Montagu^®, which is a variation of the original with the addition of turkey. But despite the play on words, it is not served open face.

Other sandwiches include the Earl's Club, with turkey, apple- smoked bacon and Swiss cheese, the Florentine, with chicken and creamed spinach, and the All American, which features roast turkey (just let it go).

There is a Caribbean Jerk sandwich that seems oddly out of context. But then there is a Hawaiian Barbecue that is historically appropriate. Do you know why? Because Hawaii was once known as . . . Anyone? . . . No, not the Barbecue Islands. Anyone else? That's right, the Sandwich Islands.

The fourth earl didn't actually discover the islands but rather sponsored Capt. Cook's expedition. Back then, sponsors got their names on islands; now they put them on arenas.

The Hawaiian Barbecue sandwich was OK, but the others were better, especially the Original with its tangy horseradish flavor, and the Full Montagu^®, which had Swiss cheese on top of cheddar.

There is a small selection of salads available. The lettuce is boxed in a plastic serving bowl on the ordering line. If you want a salad, you just hand a bowl of lettuce to a worker behind the counter who will add and toss the appropriate ingredients. I requested the Earl's Cobb, which had roast turkey and bacon among other things. But it was not finely chopped as a Cobb salad should be. Still, it was a filling salad and a nice option to those who have developed an aversion to bread.

The bread, by the way, was quite good, a soft and fresh-tasting bun that didn't overwhelm the main ingredients. The sandwich fillings weren't what you'd call overflowing, but neither were they stingy.

Earl of Sandwich occupies what was the Pantry in Downtown Disney's Marketplace. It's a large space that isn't well utilized.

The queue for the counter is directly in front of the doors and to the right is seating. To the left is a merchandising space with Earl of Sandwich branded items, such as jams, teas and, oddly, something called bath tea blends, which is a tea you actually take a bath in.

I'm just thinking they could use a little more seating space. There is outdoor dining available as well.

Sandwiches are made to order, and after placing yours, you can take a seat and wait for your number to be called.

According to Robert Earl, the Earl of Sandwich is cranking out thousands of 'wiches a day, which means the concept will likely be on a fast track to chaindom.

Watch for announcements of more sites soon, including one or two in New York.

Earl of Sandwich is open 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Beer and wine are available, and credit cards are accepted. If you want a nonalcoholic drink, try the iced tea, which is made with Earl Grey, of course. The phone number is 407-938-1762.