Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop reopens

The area manager of Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop at the Pahrump Nugget has a message for local residents.

“We are open for business.”

“We opened on Thursday, June 4th, which was the official reopening for the casino, so we wanted to be on top of that,” said Salvatore Carbone. “We wanted to make sure that we were here. Our customers have been excited and we are happy to have them back. In Las Vegas, we have been great, but this was a little different out here because being inside a casino, we were required to shut down.”

Employment opportunities

Carbone also said that at present, he’s looking for additional employees for the sandwich shop.

Prior to the closure, the location had six employees, including the general manager.

“Anyone who wants to apply for a job, just stop by the shop and ask for Antonio, but don’t do it during the lunch rush, and bring a pen,” he advised. “We have a couple of the original employees who stayed with us. Restaffing is always an issue because you‘ve got to find the right people for this kind of place. We had four of the original employees return, and we actually kept a few of them on payroll while we were closed. Right after we opened up, a couple of them left within the first couple of days. It just happens.”

Ensuring safety

On the issue of changes for the business, Carbone noted that all employees are required to wear face masks, while noting that all of the food handlers always wear gloves, as standard practice.

“The face masks should become like your pants, and your shoes, and your health card,” he said. “The health department has told us that we don’t need the health card right now because they are closed, but having the concept of one, is a big deal. We will supply your first face mask and after that, you shouldn’t be leaving your house without it until this is over, especially if you are in the food industry. I literally wear my face mask all of the time regardless of whether I’m supposed to or not. It’s for the perception of the customer, so they will feel positive about it.”

Back to business

Additionally, Carbone said not much has changed by way of daily operations as a result of the closure.

“We didn’t really change anything, because we didn’t have to,” he said. “We already wash our hands all the time, and we already sanitize everything. A bulk of our business was always pickup and go anyway. We are ‘dinner on a roll to go,’ so we’re not necessarily a dine-in establishment. Most of the other shops that I operate in Las Vegas and Henderson got busier, because everybody else closed. We had a couple of fantastic months. We really did.”

Carbone, a resident of Summerlin, also provided a message to the local community in regard to the reopening.

“We are back, and we are here, so come back again and say hello,” he said. “It’s still the same great food with the same great service, and that’s never going to change. It’s one of the reasons why I’m out here right now, because it’s kind of between myself and the owners. We are extremely hands-on with the operation. We will be taking turns being out here, to keep an eye on things and get stuff back up and running. It never happened to us before.”

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes