Check Out George Braun’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to George Braun.

Hi George, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
So I started as a butcher or in meat industry at the age of 14 skinning deer and taking out the trash. So at an early age I was able to take home fresh cuts of meat for free and experiment on how to cook a steak. Because believe it or not cooking steak to a perfect medium rare at the age of 14 seemed to be more challenging than some might think. I also worked at a local restaurant as a busboy and One day I dropped a bus tub and smashed a bunch of dishes. My manager demoted me to dishwasher.. or so he thought it was a demotion. After proving I wasn’t such a klutz. I moved to salad and dessert station helping with simple salads and plating up pre-made desserts. Shortly after the restaurant shut down and I just kept cutting meat at the USDA facility until eventually taking over as a manager at the age of 19. Although the opportunity was great, I decided to quit at the age of 20 and move on to retail food service. I was a journeyman meat cutter for a local grocery chain known as ShopRite. Did this for years until I had a strong itch to open up my own small sandwich shop. At around the age of 25 I was determined to open up a scratch made sandwich restaurant. I had a friend who was also in the food industry and we decided to partner up to try and create a awesome little place called Slamwich Scratch Kitchen The business did great and we had a bunch of accolades including New Jersey monthlies critics choice best lunch spot in New Jersey. The restaurant had a great product but has struggled with business logistics and payroll with a very large overhead. After roughly 6 years of business and dwindling numbers alongside with covid, we closed the doors to this project. My wife being from Colorado. I decided to move back to Colorado and restart on my own this time. I was so determined to get back in the restaurant game. I was literally selling sandwiches out of a cooler while I was working for another grocery chain during covid. I started working three jobs to save enough money to buy a food trailer. I bought my first food trailer in 2023 and named it Slamn Sandos We are now cranking out some of the best scratch made sandwiches that Colorado has to offer. We cure brine and smoke almost everything ourselves along with our signature bread recipe and incredible sauces. People have been raving about the quality and flavor. I can’t wait to to see how far I can take this new project and look forward to the next chapter whenever that may be!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There has been nothing but obstacles and challenges. As I mentioned before with the restaurant in New Jersey and the struggles of dealing with a business partner and different visions. To dealing with a global pandemic and staffing issues. To now running a one-man show for the most part and also having an 11-month-old baby, I can only begin to describe the challenges on a daily basis.. lol

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
So I am definitely known for my butcher and chef qualities. I specialize in smoked meats and am known for my brisket, burnt ends and baby back ribs. However, I do a ton more than that. I’m very proud of all the food I put out because anyone who tries the food will tell you it was made with love and care. There are no shortcuts in what I do and that’s what sets me apart from the rest

What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is making sure I can put out a consistent product that people will turn around and say that is the best sandwich I’ve ever had. Why that matters is because I have dedicated my life to this industry and if I’m going to dedicate my life to something it needs to be the best and that’s why I thrive for that

Pricing:

• $16

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.slamnsandos.com
• Instagram: @slamnsandos