On A Roll After a lull in the '80s, Blimpie is revitalized--and ready to take on the competition.
By Holly Celeste Fisk •
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Three young men left the New Jersey party where they met one night in 1964 to sample a hoagie sandwich they'd heard about at the Jersey seashore. Before the evening was over, Anthony Conza, Peter DeCarlo and Angelo Baldassare, all 24 years old, had the ingredients for their own sandwich shop: Blimpie.
"We were fascinated with the way they made the sandwiches right there in front of the customer," recalls Conza.
Fascinated enough to pursue it as a business venture. A friend lent the young men $2,000 to open the first Blimpie in Hoboken, New Jersey. They sold their first franchise the same year for just $600.
