One of NJ’s best sandwich joints is closing but with a catch

It was five years ago this month that Rey De Le Cruz was brave enough to open a small restaurant in the middle of a pandemic.

Additional kudos for giving his sandwich shop the most Jersey name I could imagine.

Salt Pepper Ketchup

From local sandwich shop to statewide sensation

Three years later, they claimed the No. 2 spot on NJ.com’s 25 best breakfast sandwiches in the state.

Showtime’s “Desus & Mero” even stopped by the shop to try their chopped cheese sandwich.

But it hasn’t been just breakfast sandwiches they became known for. They do wings and empanadas, cheesesteaks and burgers, and much more.

So much more, De Le Cruz began to branch out with a mobile model where he brought his food to festivals, private parties, farmers markets, and things grew.

Pop-ups and festivals become the main attraction

It got to the point that these pop-up events were being booked and even double-booked every weekend.

People loved that on one outing he could create mouth-watering breakfast sandwiches, but at another he could be serving up empanadas, wraps, Cubans, etc.

In the end, this could be a sad story because De Le Cruz has announced he’s closing his shop in Hawthorne. But the plot twist is his pop-ups have been in more demand than his store, so he’s changing the entire business model.

I loved the brick-and-mortar,” De La Cruz told nj.com. “But doing these pop-ups and festivals helped me get to these markets that I couldn’t get to on a regular basis.

SPK pivots to mobile food residencies across North Jersey

Salt Pepper Ketchup, or SPK, will now be doing residencies at places like Ghost Hawk Brewing Co. in Clifton, Weehawken Farmer’s Market, Montclair Brewery, and Glenbrook Brewery in Morristown on a rotating basis.

Where SPK will go and when will be announced on social media so fans can always find them.

I love this for them! It’s so nice to see a successful path for a restaurant that had the guts to start in a pandemic and I wish Rey luck with his pop-up adventure.

May he always keep the name Salt Pepper Ketchup, and can we please pronounce it Jersey-style as all one word? Saltpepperketchup!

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.

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