A new popup food vendor called Hoagitos is opening on the Asbury Park boardwalk.
Hoagitos will sell gourmet miniature sandwiches, owner Emma Spagnuolo said. The name comes from a play on words, pairing “hoagie” with a Spanish suffix meaning small.
Spagnuolo will own and operate Hoagitos with her brother, Terence McGill, and husband, Mark Spagnuolo. All three live in Belmar.
McGill has experience working in restaurants in Belmar, and had told Spagnuolo that he wanted to open a sandwich shop over the summer.
“We thought nothing of it,” she said. Then, when she and her husband were vacationing in Spain, they came across a restaurant which sold miniature sandwiches.
“We loved that shop and we thought about it,” Spagnuolo said. “This whole concept of small food like sliders or Mogo [Korean taco stand on the boardwalk] is a really great idea, because it gives people the opportunity to try more than one option … You can get some food without wasting food or spending a lot.”
Hoagitos will offer six sandwiches — turkey, roast beef, soppressata, pork, veggie and a dessert sandwich with Nutella and bananas. Custom-made bread will come from Del Ponte’s bakery in Bradley Beach.
McGill will make all of the meats besides the soppressata himself, Spagnuolo said. Pickled onions, garlic mayo and Creolo mayo are among the other handmade ingredients.
“We’re trying to differentiate ourselves by offering a really high quality product,” she said. “It’s not your typical sandwich or your typical beach or boardwalk fare.”
Spagnuolo’s background is in inventory in the retail industry, and she will apply her experience to the restaurant industry, she said, handling supplies, forecasting, sales, projections and finance. Her husband’s background is in communications, and he will handle marketing and act as general manager, while McGill is acting as chef.
The owners hope the restaurant will be ready for business by June 20 or sooner in the popup located just north of the Asbury Eighteen miniature golf course. They decided to set up shop on the Asbury Park boardwalk because they love coming to the city, Spagnuolo said.
“Everyone has such a great attitude and is always having fun,” she said.
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