A $38 prime rib sandwich has become a culinary talking point at the U.S. Open, drawing significant crowds and considerable attention at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Fans are willing to invest 15-20 minutes waiting in line for the sandwich, which features prime rib, onions, aioli, and provolone.
The sandwich's popularity is fueled by a combination of social media hype and word-of-mouth, according to attendees. "The thing is that when you hear about somebody who had it, say, ‘You know what? It’s really good,’ and then you see the line, [those are] two facts that actually say, OK, you know what? It’s worth the wait,” said Rob Carlson, a tournament attendee. “When people really like it and they want to wait in line and you see other people validate it. Sure, why not [wait]?"
The vendor, Salt Hank's, is the brainchild of Henry Laporte, who gained a following on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic through viral cooking videos. His success led to brand deals and a cookbook before he opened a brick-and-mortar shop in Manhattan's West Village, which specializes in the French dip sandwich now popular at the Open.
Daniel Zausner, chief operating officer of the national tennis center, noted that Salt Hank's has been selling three times its normal daily volume compared to its West Village location. "It hasn’t surprised me that the interest was going to exceed everyone’s expectations,” Zausner stated. “What I’ve been very pleased about, not surprised, but pleased, is that doing for them three times the volume of what they do in their space, they’re able to maintain that consistency and that quality of the 1,500 sandwiches as good as the first one is during the day.”
Salt Hank's closed its West Village shop for the duration of the three-week U.S. Open to focus operations at the tournament grounds. Zausner expressed hope that the arrangement has been successful for the vendor and indicated a desire to have Salt Hank's return for future tournaments.
“I’m at the stage now where I just don’t want them to feel like they made a mistake to give up that commitment to their flagship location,” Zausner said. “Because I’d like to see them come back. We just want to see them be really successful, feel really good about what they’re doing.”