Name of Business: Lil Papa’s Sandwiches & More
Type of business: Restaurant.
Location: 2947 Fourth Street, Ceres.
Hours of operations: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays; closed Sundays.
Phone: 209-272-1271
Email: lilpapassandwiches@gmail.com
Website: lilpapassandwiches.com
About the business: There were times Brandy and Keith Meyer almost gave up nearly a year in delays caused by endless bureaucratic red tape but now downtown is better off for the opening of their Lil Papa’s Sandwiches & More.
Located at 2947 Fourth Street, the shop opened on July 3 with a variety of sandwiches with promises of expanded products and hours. So far the community has responded with enthusiasm with 60 to 90 customers a day.
Lil Papa’s is on the other side of the wall from the Meyers’ BK Bookstore that opened in August.
Besides their daughter Kendall and her boyfriend Chandler Ellis who are helping out in the opening month, other workers have been hired.
Brandy said she has been paying rent since signing the lease last August despite opening being delayed due to a number of setbacks. The building had to be remodeled with new air conditioning and drop ceiling in the kitchen and some of the restaurant equipment they purchased was rejected by the Stanislaus County Health Department.
“We’re new at this, and we had to learn the equipment that we purchased, even though it said commercial restaurant grade equipment, it didn’t have the NSF rating,” said Meyer.
It took months to sell that equipment and buy new.
Originally the couple wanted to provide an opening between the book store and sandwich shop but learned they couldn’t since it was a loadbearing cinderblock wall.
The couple plans to paint a sign above the awning to grab attention of locals and travelers who pull off the freeway into downtown hoping to find the new sandwich shop.
Aside from her commitments to the Ceres Chamber of Commerce, Meyer also runs Meyer’s CPR and First Aid. The restaurant will require her to scale back since she has CPR instructors so she only has to teach classes in her stead.
Currently the shop is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturday and closed on Sundays.
“We’re going to have extended hours on Fridays and then eventually Saturdays we’re going to have, like, a karaoke night, comedy night, Poetry night. The gentleman who is supplying our syrups for us … actually organizes events like that for businesses.”
Eventually, Brandy Meyer wants to get a liquor license to sell beer and wine and expand into dinner hours with dinner sandwiches like steak, chicken and pulled pork sandwiches.
The Meyers have come full circle in the sense that it was the restaurant industry that brought them together. At age 15 Keith began working at a restaurant in Illinois and worked his way up a restaurant manager.
“We met at Coco’s in San Jose. I was waitress, he was the manager. I was 19 at the time.”
The Meyers had a catering business in San Jose when they first got married called All Occasions Catering and they enjoyed it. Catering became too much when children came along and they believed they would go back to it when they grew older. A sandwich shop fit in perfectly with their plans.
Breakfast offerings consist of warm cinnamon rolls with sugar icing and light and fluffy biscuits with gravy. Or avocado toast with Roma tomatoes and dusted with feta cheese. There is also the toasted New York bagel with cream cheese, the Hailey Breakfast sandwich with an English muffin with Canadian bacon and cheddar cheese. Greek yogurt is available with granola and mixed berries.
Sandwiches are made from fresh ingredients and named after family members or friends. For example, the slice pastrami is named the Keith; turkey sandwich with provolone cheese is named the Brandy; the sliced roast beef is the Scott; the turkey, bacon and avocado is the Kelly; and the toasted club sandwich is the Jadynn. All of them come with lettuce, tomato and sliced onion. Other sandwiches are ham, meatballs, Italian salami, BLTs, white albacore tuna and others. There is even gluten free bread available.
Seven variations of hot dogs are also on the menu as well as chicken Caesar salad, oriental chicken salad and chef salads. Chips round out plate as an option.
The Meyers have decided to price their items reasonably, with sandwiches ranging from $8 to $10.50 (most are $9.50) and soft drinks at $2.
Hot and cold teas, fountain and canned soft drinks and “dirty sodas” are also available.
