Today we’d like to introduce you to Tangela Nelson.
Hi Tangela, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Hi, my name is Tangela Nelson. The owner of SandwichQueen LLC, we started SQ in 2019 when Chef Tangela walked door to door selling sandwiches from a wagon. We started with three signature sandwiches and then created lemonades and teas. SQ grew where we could buy a food truck and then get started in two brick-and-mortar spaces; one was located on 63rd St. in 2020, and the other one was located on Garfield Boulevard in 2021. The location on 63rd We never got a chance to start because of bad business with the landlord. The other location on Garfield Blvd opened and ran successfully from 2021-2023. In May of 2023, we closed our doors due to many factors, like needing to generate more for overhead and be correctly staffed. We were paying out more than we were making. Since then, the owner has been planning to open another location and get the food truck working; we’ve been replanting some of our business plans and looking into other states to relocate to. We see alot of potential in SQ. We need a little more structure. While we await our new location Chef Tangela has been catering events, popup events, traveling catering, and creating new dishes.
Let’s dig deeper into the story – has it been an easy path, and if not, what challenges have you overcome?
Our biggest challenges have been staffing and getting support from the neighborhood; our prices must be lowered, or we didn’t have typical fast food. We catered to guests into healthy living while having food for everyone, like vegans, diets, and families looking for freshly cooked dinners. SQ would have been so much better if we had more customers. Our customers traveled to support us more than the foot traffic. The food was excellent, and the prices were not enough! Next time around, we are doing more training and going extra hard.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
SandwichQueen is a gourmet sandwich shop that caters to guests with many different diet needs. Like vegans, fitness foods, and meal prep., we cater to large and small events like the Naperville Festival and Comcast and national brands like UIC College, Capital One Bank, BMO Harris, and the University of Chicago. We’ve been featured on Power 92 FM and 106.3 Soul FM radio. SQ caters to lunchboxes to buffet-style catering. What sets aside from others is we created all our products from scratch, drinks, seasonings, sauces, and more and continue to create things no one else has. I take pride in my brand for never giving up on my goals and dreams. We trademark our name and products. We offer different services catering to individuals to regularly catering to large companies. Readers can find us on all social media platforms @sandwichueen__ on IG, sandwichqueen on FB, SandwichQueen Grill on FB, and sandwichqueen0 on TikTok.
So, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you before we go? How can they support you?
For all requirements with collaboration or doing any business with us, Tangela can be reached by email at tangela@sandwichqueen.org.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sandwich-queen.com
- Instagram: SANDWICHQUEEN__
- Facebook: SANDWICHQUEEN OR SANDWICHQUEEN GRILL
- Twitter: SANDWICHQUEEN4
- Youtube: SANDWICHQUEEN
- Yelp: SANDWICHQUEEN
- Other: TIKTOK SANDWICHQUEEN0
