THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 15, 1996 TAG: 9609120181
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 56 lines
It's the lunch rush.
A steady stream of tourists, courthouse employees and others form a lengthening queue that snakes to the screen door at Poor Richard's Sandwich Shop in downtown Manteo.
The diners, many of them in uniform, wait quietly. But with only an hour for their meal, they want their food hot, fast and good.
``I'm not a chef. I'm an engineer,'' Poor Richard's owner Richard Brown says. ``The reason we're able to work like we do is because I've got good people who know how we do things. We have to make sure we get it out there fresh and fast, and done the same way every time.''
Consistency is the key for a number of Outer Banks eateries that do high volume, big turnover businesses. Poor Richard's is smaller than most - only 50 seats. But at the peak of summer, Brown has seen days when he runs out of certain items.
``I feel like I'm juggling three balls in the air at once sometimes,'' Brown said. ``Because we have such a varied menu, we don't keep track of how much we sell of roast beef or pastrami or turkey. But I do know that at the hottest time of summer, we run through eight to 10 gallons of iced tea.''
To ensure a quick turnaround and good food, preparation is the key.
``A lot of it is prep work,'' said Shirley Tauber. She and her mother Pauline run Mrs. T's Deli in Nags Head. ``In the morning, Mom cuts up all the lettuce, tomato and onions, and makes sure we have plenty of mustard and mayonnaise and pickles. That way we don't have to stop in the middle of a rush. Sometimes, I'll make macaroni salad the night before, and add the sauce in the morning. It saves a lot of time.''
Tauber says her family-run business has a simple rule.
``We won't serve anybody anything that we won't eat ourselves,'' she said. ``We don't buy crap. Unless it looks good to us and tastes good to us, we won't serve it.''
Brown says that sometimes public tastes can be surprising.
``We'll run a special on roast beef sandwiches, and all of a sudden, we'll have a run on Reubens. You just never know.''
Both Poor Richard's and Mrs. T's have been in business for 13 years.
``We've had record-setting days this summer,'' Brown says.
Tauber says Mrs. T's has had its share of big-number days as well. ``We've had 300 to 400 people come in on a given day. Not all of them buy sandwiches. Some just come in for a Coke, or to look. But it's worked well.''
``You have to keep track of what you have,'' Brown said. ``And you have to have good help. I'm very fortunate to have that. All we want to do is keep people happy.'' MEMO: Main story on page 6. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
Assistant Chef Matt Pipetti of Ocean Boulevard Grill in Kitty Hawk
prepares food for the evening rush. by CNB