“I’ve always had a lot of ideas. This is the first one I’ve had that’s really had any measure of success.” -Jimmy Seidel
THE SHACK Seidel would name is concept Snarf’s, his nickname in college. He had an artist friend draw some of the artwork used in the restaurant’s branding. He worked for a few months in sandwich restaurants learning what it took to do the job. He worked with a bakery on the recipe for the fresh-baked bread he would use in the restaurant. And he also developed the recipes from memory. “I remembered every great sandwich I ever had, and I pretty much put them on the menu,” Seidel said. That includes his favorite: The Hot Dog, Bacon and Cheese sandwich. “It was one of my father’s favorite sandwiches,” Seidel said, though the elder Seidel made them on a hamburger bun. Seidel then looked for a location and came across the “shack.” It wasn’t in good shape. “It was a dingy little hole,” he said. “It hadn’t had a coat of paint on it in five-six, maybe 10 years,” he said. But he also saw something in the building. It was in the middle of town, on Pearl Street, for one thing. “It had potential,” Seidel said. “It just needed some love and a lot of elbow grease.” Seidel did a lot of the work to spruce it up and make the location look colorful and “eyecatching,” including much of the demolition work and the painting. “Anything I could get away with,” he said. But the location was tiny. It featured doors on both sides, a front counter and no seating other than a few barstools. The menu featured about a dozen
sandwiches, all of which remain on the menu today, such as an Italian, Roast Beef, Egg Salad and Tuna. They come in three sizes, from five to 12 inches, and are toasted. Seidel used guerilla marketing to get people in. He printed menus and delivered them door-to-door and put them on windshields. It was enough to get business in the door when he finally opened in 1996. HARD WORK Opening a restaurant is a lot of work. And Seidel’s career as a restaurant owner was just beginning. “I did a lot of the work myself,” he said. “Open to close, for two-to-three years at least, seven days a week. I had to miss some pretty big things in my family because of that.” “It’s all been worth it, for sure,” he added. “I’ve never regretted anything.” Seidel also realizes that hard work alone doesn’t guarantee success. He mentioned “luck” multiple times during an interview. And when we asked him to give advice for aspiring restaurateurs he turned more skeptical, acknowledging the difficulty of getting a restaurant off the ground. “I would tell you not to go into the restaurant business,” he said. “There are much better businesses to get into. We’ve been very lucky. “I am certain there are people out there that have more knowledge and are more prepared than I was. It’s a very tough business.” Still, the restaurant would become a local favorite and drew plenty of customers.
“Even that first year we opened in the late spring of 96, people would be standing out in the snow and rain waiting to get in the door,” Seidel said. That commitment and reception made him realize the brand was a success. It would take about five years for Snarf’s to open its second location. That one would be bigger. “The second location was seven times larger,” he said. “From day one we were bursting at the seams. It just took off from there.” Today, Snarf’s operates like most growth chains. It has catering, mobile ordering and a loyalty program. Its menu features salads and smaller sandwiches for kids. The company has added a few options since, such as a brisket sandwich and a New York Steak sandwich. Search the website and you will find a secret “Not on the Menu” featuring sandwiches created by customers and team members over the years, such as the German Dog featuring a hot dog, bacon, Swiss cheese, mayo, mustard, horseradish, sauerkraut, onions, hot peppers and Parmesan. There’s also the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich with rotisserie chicken, cheese, lettuce, tomato, bleu cheese dressing and Frank’s hot sauce. The brand has locations in Colorado, Missouri and Texas. The chain plans to open another 10 locations this year, meaning its growth is likely to continue. And while Seidel may warn others about the work involved in getting that crazy idea off the ground, he also doesn’t regret the move, or all that work. “It’s been the joy of my life,” he said.
JULY 2025 RESTAURANT BUSINESS
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