Richie's Sandwich Shop — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Everyone at Temple tries Richie's eventually. The line is always super long, but they operate like clockwork, so the wait is never unreasonable. In fact, even at its busiest times, Richie's is faster than most other places on campus.

Their business is all about quantity and execution: selling a ton of food, very fast. And that's also the essential characteristic that defines Richie's quality. When you have so much turnover, everything is always fresh because nothing stays on the premises for very long. No slimy cold cuts, no warm mayo, no slaw with the effervescence that let's you know it's in the early stages of fermentation.

And this is why my go-to order at Richie's is the corned beef special. You get paper-thin corned beef, piled into a big mound, so the center of the sandwich is thick and it tapers toward the outer edges. They top it with coleslaw and Thousand Island dressing. All between two slices of fresh deli rye.

None of the sandwich's elements are particularly extraordinary. It's the most average corned beef special you can imagine, no different from what you'd expect from a grocery store or a diner. But that's okay. I'm not looking for more. This is not a specialty sandwich shop or an upscale deli.

And once you understand Richie's, and set your expectations appropriately, you realize the corned beef special is actually incredible! Why? Because all of the ingredients are always dependably and extraordinarily fresh. That amplifies all the textures. The slaw is crisp, the dressing is creamy, the meat is tender, the bread is soft. Therefore, it is better than almost any average corned beef sandwich you're going to find anywhere. And I suppose that means: it is actually above average and this review is full of contradictions.

One more thing: I'm always struck by the temperature control. The corned beef is perfectly chilled. Seriously. I never think about this anywhere else, and I suppose it's a weird thing to say, but it's true: the person who sets and monitors the refrigerator temperatures at Richie's deserves a raise. The chill elevates the food.

Bottom line: I order from Richie's once every few weeks and as long as they keep doing what they do, I imagine I'll continue to do so...

Eat breakfast here every week as a treat to myself. Have been eating here for years. I guess not anymore.

I came to order breakfast this morning with my young puppy, and I asked if the waitress could pour a little water in a bowl / cup for him. She hesitated, gave a couple canned excuses, and finally admitted she wasn't allowed to give out water. (They did not appear to be particularly busy, and this is the first time I ever made this kind of request.)

Where I come from, if someone is thirsty on a summer day, you give them a drink of water, no questions asked. I have never been told no to a request for water, even when I lived in a poor country.

I thought customer service was Richie's whole schtick, but if this was a Disney film, I think they could be cursed by a witch for failing the most basic and oldest test of human decency. What a policy! (Not the waitresses' fault, of course.)

"We Love Temple" I know my patronage is a drop in the bucket, but you guys lost a regular customer over a few gulps of...

THE WORST customer service! I've called to inquire about their price for an order. The first time, as soon as I said "how much would it be..." they hung up on me. i've called back and someone actually answered with "Kentucky Fried Chicken" and hung up on me. Then, i've called a third time, and the girl that answered told me to hold on after i asked her how much would it be for 2 large pizza trays. She then repeated my question to someone in the store saying "she asks how much is this ho much is that whatever..." she then proceeded to hang up. I've called a fourth time, the person that answered did listen to my question and said that they require a 24 hour notice for large orders- i can understand that. When I asked him why would ll that I've described above as happening, he said they are getting "too many calls". Well, guess they have too...