Togo's
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Togo's Eateries, Inc., is a chain of fast-casual sandwich restaurants owned by Mainsail Partners.
On the East Coast of the U.S. it is often combined with Dunkin' Donuts' donut shops and Baskin-Robbins' ice cream shops, both owned by the same parent company, in the same building. Most of its stores are franchises. Some Togo’s that were co-located with Dunkin' Donuts were rebranded as Dunkin' Deli, with the same menu as Togo’s.
[edit] History
The first Togo’s was opened in downtown San Jose, California, in the late 1960s by two men named Tom and Gordon. The first shop was located in the heart of San Jose State University’s Fraternity district. The original shop was so small that the sign out front read "Sandwiches To Go" with "To Go" on the second line. Some believe it was the students that nicknamed the shop Togo's, but there is another story. There is a possessive apostrophe between the letters "O" and the "S". Tom and Gordon named the shop after themselves. 1st (2) letters of 'TO'm ('TO') and the first (2) letters of 'GO'rdon ('GO'), then add the possessive apostrophe and the "S" ('S'). 'TO'M & 'GO'RDON'S' = TOGO'S, the only problem with this version is the original sign did not have an apostrophe "s". In 1968 a sandwich was 49 cents. In 1971, they sold the tiny shop to a local SJSU student, Michael T. Cobler, who opened many new locations over the years, building and establishing a well-known reputation. Many of the original shops were located in old houses, which maintained the non-chain feel.
Several other Togo’s opened up in the 1970s. Many were still in their original buildings until the late 1990s. The original Togo’s location was closed in 2001, and relocated into a larger space a few blocks away. You can see some of the original hand-carved TOGO'S signs, the original screen door from the first location, and TOGO'S related newspaper articles displayed on the walls of the relocated shop.
In 1997, Togo’s was acquired by the Dunkin' Brands portfolio of fast-food restaurants.
By 2001, there were approximately 350 Togo’s sandwich shops, serving more than 25 different types of sandwiches.
On November 30, 2007, Togo's was acquired by Mainsail Partners, a San Francisco−based private equity firm, in partnership with Tony Gioia, a former president of Baskin-Robbins. Tony Gioia is serving as chairman and chief executive officer of Togo's Holdings, LLC.
[edit] External links
- Togo's official website.
- Dunkin's Brands History
