For Tom Saia, a phone call from his wife Donna eight years ago turned out to be one of the most important in his life. His wife had visited a Newk’s Eatery in North Carolina on the recommendation of a friend.
“Donna called and said, ‘I just absolutely fell in love with the quality of the food, the variety, and ambience. It was just so comfortable, so family-oriented,’” Saia recalls.
Once his wife came back to Maryland, the couple quickly got on a plane and flew right back to North Carolina. Saia fell in love with Newk’s just like she had. He also saw it as the opportunity he’d been seeking.
After extensive research and much time consulting with other Newk’s franchisees, the Saias opened their own franchise in Gambrills in 2013. “I felt the area needed a soup, salad, sandwich kind of lunch place,” Saia says. “It’s Panera Bread on steroids.”
The 59-year-old Tom was well prepared to become a franchisee. He spent 36 years at various chain restaurants, including International House of Pancakes and Burger King, where he worked his way up to franchise consultant and vice president of operations. He also has co-owned a Burger King since 2003.
But he’s having the most fun he’s ever had with food as a Newk’s owner. We recently sat down to talk to Tom about customer favorites, what’s different about the restaurant, and how he got involved with Newk’s Eatery.
Why did you decide to open a Newk’s?
“I thought the market was right for the brand. People in [our area] have a very discerning palate and our food is definitely head and shoulders above our competitors.
There’s a lot of restaurants in Gambrills. How do you keep the customers coming back?
We believe if we serve a quality product, and we deliver that with a smile on our face every single time, then our food and service will speak for itself. We don’t look at other competitors. We compete against ourselves to be the very best for our guests.
What is different about your Newk’s?
Many of the Newk’s down south don’t have beer and wine. My location has beer, wine, and white and red sangria on tap. Moms and dads come out with the family and we want them to be able to have a nice glass of wine or beer with their dinner. We also have curb side take away, It’s like a drive through in a sense. You place your order online through our app, and pay for the food. All you do is pull upfront and we bring the food right out to you. We try cater to those folks who might now be going to Chic Fil A instead.
How have things gone since opening?
We are still working hard to build brand identity and get people to know us. We have a lot of work to do and that’s why it’s really important to get the word out of who we are and what we offer. We are very kid friendly. Kids eat free on Tuesdays and Sunday. We do all kinds of community events. We are involved with the chamber of commerce. We do things with local businesses and work together.
How would you describe Newk’s as a restaurant? Is comparable to other places?
I would say we are where casual intersects with culinary. That’s how I would describe it. It’s the quality of the food, the flavors and the spices that are used. It’s like no other. It’s like a symphony in your mouth when you eat the food.
What is your top-selling item?
We are selling a ton of pizzas. It’s 10-inch, thin crust pizza. All ingredients are freshly prepared. We grate our own cheese. The quality of it is just superb. We even stretch our own dough. We just recently added a cauliflower dough. It wasn’t up there before. It’s $6.95 with a beverage. It’s just phenomenal.
What else are some other popular items?
Our Newk’s-Q is very popular. It’s a grilled chicken sandwich with our secret ingredient, white barbeque sauce. It has Maryland swiss cheese and bacon slices. It’s served on White Persian French Bread or 11-grain. You can buy the sauce in our grab-an-go case as well. Our salads and soups are very popular and head and shoulders above the competition. Our salads ae very filling. It’s probably 50 percent more compared to our competition.
Tell me about your catering service.
All our meats are hand sliced in-house. We have the classics: turkey, ham, and roast beef. When we do our deluxe trays, we have homemade chicken salad. Then we use some of upper-end sandwiches, which be the Italian, the Royal, and the grilled chicken sandwich. We have homemade pasta salads. We make our coleslaw in-house as well. We have the world-famous “Tippah County caviar.” The salads are part of the catering menu and we also appetizer trays. We have shrimp cocktail, bruschetta, and antipasto. Pimento cheese balls. Not many restaurants sell Pimento cheese sandwiches. We do southern.
Looking back at your time with chain restaurants, has it worth it and enjoyable?
Absolutely. I have learned a lot about being a business owner and the importance of community involvement. The people business. That’s what I am really in.
Chili Mac
Serves four to six
Ingredients
- 32 oz. Newcomb Family Recipe Beef Chili
- 6 cups elbow pasta, cooked
- 2 1/2 cups Mexican
- cheese blend
- 1 cup extra sharp
- cheddar cheese
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl toss and combine all ingredients, except a half cup of the Mexican cheese blend. If mixture looks too thick, add half to two-thirds cup beef broth. Transfer mixture into a Dutch oven sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle remaining half cup of cheese on top. Bake until cheese is melted, approximately 25 minutes. Enjoy!
