“When we first opened, we thought we were going to have like five or six cocktails... and were going to do a little bartending,” said Justin Simmons, who owns the sandwich shop with his wife, Kathleen Roll. “The sandwiches just keep us too busy, so we have paired it down to just one cocktail.”
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Their take on a dirty martini
The pepperoncini martini is their take on a dirty martini. It is made with Tanqueray London dry gin, dry vermouth, honey and pepperoncini brine.
“It’s sessionable. It’s lower proof. It’s briny. It’s a little sweet,” Simmons said. “It’s just a nice balanced, spirit-forward cocktail that also doesn’t have too much ‘oomph’ behind it.”
The most important part, the pepperoncini brine pairs with the sandwiches and gives a little spice and acidity the owners were seeking. When asked what makes a good cocktail, Simmons said it needs to have balance and not too much going on.
“It’s the same approach we have to sandwiches here — keep it classic,“ Simmons said. ”Coax as many flavors as you can, out of as few ingredients as you can. Use high quality stuff, use proper technique, use good tools and the rest will take care of itself."
Lunch beers
Tony & Pete’s offers three beers on draft from local breweries such as Branch & Bone Artisan Ales, Warped Wing and Yellow Springs Brewery.
Beer and wine are served by the glass. For those that don’t want to grab a full pint of beer during lunch, the sandwich shop offers a 10 oz. “lunch beer” for $4.
“A cold beer mixed with some salty, cured meat is just going to hit,” Simmons said.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
A curated selection of pantry staples
Most of the sandwich shop’s alcohol sales come from the retail part of the business where customers can pick up a six-pack or take a bottle of wine home. It also carries THC and CBD beverages.
When Tony & Pete’s first opened in July 2022, it was to be somewhat of a grocery store. Over the past three years, the owners found customers gravitated more toward well-packaged and interesting grocery items.
Simmons described the retail section as a fun, curated selection of pantry staples featuring Dayton and Cincinnati brands, as well as national brands.
How Tony & Pete’s came to fruition
Before opening Tony & Pete’s, the couple had plans to open a neighborhood cocktail bar in Chicago, where they had lived for eight years.
“We were close to signing a lease on a space in March of 2020,” Simmons said. “We were able to get out of that dynamic and we started to think, could we move back to Dayton where both of our families live? And the answer was yes, as long as we do something for ourselves.”
They decided to walk away from the bar industry and focus on a fun, casual lunch spot that they felt like the community needed.
In addition, their dads happened to have great sandwich shop names.
Credit: Katie Blauser
Credit: Katie Blauser
From Dayton to the big cities
Simmons is originally from Atlanta. He moved to Columbus in high school because his dad was transferred to the area for work. In 2007, he enrolled at Wright State University where he met Roll, a Kettering native, and the rest is history.
“Life took root here in downtown Dayton,” Simmons said. “We worked in a lot of bars and restaurants in the Oregon district, downtown Dayton, for almost a decade.”
One of the most influential jobs Simmons had in Dayton was working at Sidebar, a restaurant once located in the Oregon District where Salar is today.
That’s where Simmons decided to pursue a career in the bar industry — focusing on high quality, classic cocktails. He learned technique and spirits from the late Michael Rubel, who was once the head bartender at the Violet Hour in Chicago. The owner of Sidebar would have him come to the restaurant four times a year for training.
Roll was on the opening team at Lucky’s Taproom & Eatery in the Oregon District. Her background was in beer and high volume.
The couple lived in Cincinnati and New York before moving to Chicago where Simmons was a beverage director for a hospitality group and Roll was bartending at a cocktail bar.
“That was our bread and butter and so sandwiches became a new challenge,” Simmons said.
What to get at the sandwich shop
Since then, they’ve found their groove in the sandwich department.
Favorite sandwiches on the menu include the shop’s namesakes:
- Tony (roast beef, turkey, American cheese, roasted red peppers, shredduce, mayo and T&P vinaigrette)
- Pete (soppressata, provolone, red onion, arugula, tomato jam and chili oil)
For customers who like a little heat, Simmons recommends Stretto’s Spicy Salami featuring salami, parmesan, arugula, spicy spread and Calabrian honey or the Gabagool featuring capicola, provolone, pesto aioli, pickled red onion, shredduce, chili oil and T&P vinaigrette.
Credit: Jake Turner
Credit: Jake Turner
A sandwich they have added is Mike’s Midwest Italian featuring hot capicola, salami, Ezzo pepperoni, provolone, banana peppers, shredduce, red onion, tomato, oregano and pepperoncini mayo.
All sandwiches are made on Italian hoagie rolls — baked fresh daily at Grist. All meat and cheese is curated and some ingredients like mortadella or giardiniera are sourced from Chicago.
“There’s thought and intention behind all of it,” Simmons said.
Plans to grow
His favorite part of owning the sandwich shop is seeing the space come to life and contributing something good to their community.
“I think being in a community like Dayton — we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,“ Simmons said. ”We have plans to grow this brand, but this is an excellent first stop for us."
He confirmed they are in active negotiations to expand Tony & Pete’s.
“I want people to know that there’s a lot of heart (and) there’s a lot of passion behind this. Our unofficial slogan is ”where quality people do quality work." We hire to that slogan, we train to that slogan (and) we live by that slogan," Simmons said. “Together, we work really hard to bring this to life every single day, and we’re really grateful for the opportunity to be able to do so.”
MORE DETAILS
Tony & Pete’s, located at 129 E. Third St., is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday and Monday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
For more information, visit tonyandpetes.com or the sandwich shop’s Facebook or Instagram pages (@tonyandpetes).
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