I recently discovered Vinnie’s Sub Shop. I’m still partial to Bari down the street, but Vinnie’s is a worthy choice. They put this homemade basil oil on the subs that is just perfect.

I was in there a few days ago for a late lunch around 2:45. I didn’t see the hours posted so I asked the woman behind the counter when they closed. She said, “When we run out of bread.”

I said “Oh yeah?” She said “Yeah. We get our bread from the bakery down the street early in the morning when it’s the freshest. Once we run out (usually around 2 or 3) then we close up shop. We could get more bread later in the day, but it’s not as good as the fresh baked bread in the morning. There’s no point in selling a few more sandwiches if the bread isn’t good. A few bucks isn’t going to make up for selling food we can’t be proud of.”

I just loved that. Authentic, genuine, passionate, opinionated. Freshness determines when they lock the door, not a little plastic sign with some numbers on it. The food version of context over consistency (context as in variable good bread inventory, consistency as in a steady closing time).