Olivia Dulaney, assistant manager at Which Wich in Loves Park, takes an order from Machesney Park Mayor Steve Johnson on Wednesday, July 18, 2024, at the grand opening for the shop inside Applewood Mobil on Riverside Boulevard. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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LOVES PARK — A national sandwich chain centered on custom-crafted sandwiches, wraps and salad bowls celebrated the grand opening on Thursday of its first location in the area.

Which Wich has opened inside the Applewood Mobil at 5542 E. Riverside Blvd. It started with a soft opening about a month ago before celebrating its grand opening and ribbon-cutting Thursday with the Parks Chamber of Commerce and local political officials.

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Kelley Williamson Co., a Rockford-based fuel company, is franchising the Which Wich location here. This is the second location it has opened with the first in Pingree Grove off Illinois Route 47.

“We really like the quality of food and the notoriety that it had,” said Stacy Sherman, food service director for Kelley Williamson Co. “We really just wanted to start expanding in our gas stations and offering good, quality food.”

A bacon and egg sandwich comes out of the conveyor belt oven on Wednesday, July 18, 2024 at Which Wich in Loves Park. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

Sherman said you can expect more pairings between Kelley Williamson and Which Wich in the future. The restaurant is expected to be included in future projects coming to the McHenry County area.

There’s no plans in place to add it to other Rockford-area Kelley Williamson Mobil stations, but Sherman didn’t rule that out in the future.

“Who knows? We might put some more in Rockford with the great response that we’ve gotten with this one,” she said. “We really like the brand and what it’s doing for us.”

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Which Wich founder Jeff Sinelli opened the company’s first shop in downtown Dallas in December 2003. It began franchising two years later.

The company has now grown to more than 450 locations in 39 states and 11 countries, according to its website.

Which Wich offers toasted sub sandwiches that are customizable with more than 50 topping options. You can also order straight off the menu of more than 50 sandwiches such as the Gyrowich, PB&Jwich, reuben and Elviswich, which comes with bacon, peanut butter, banana and honey.

“We’ve always wanted to put some sort of food service offering in this location. We thought it was a great place and we had the space for it,” Sherman said. “Once we got on the Which Wich bandwagon it was a no-brainer.”

Tina Aguilar hands a sandwich to Alyssa Thompson on Wednesday, July 18, 2024, at Which Wich on Riverside Boulevard in Loves Park. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

Assistant manager Olivia Dulaney cuts the ribbon on Wednesday, July 18, 2024, for the new Which Wich on Riverside Boulvard in Loves Park. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas