From auto repair to sandwiches

After building a successful auto repair business in Highlands Ranch, Parker couple Jaime and Jared Beard are now venturing into the food industry.

Over the summer, the Beards opened Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop in Highlands Ranch. In buying into the national franchise, Jaime and Jared bought the rights to open stores throughout both Douglas and Jefferson counties.

The Beards opened Christian Brothers Automotive in 2014, with one location in Highlands Ranch and another along Arapahoe Road in Centennial. Jared said after the couple sold the store on Arapahoe Road, they had more free time to start considering a new adventure.

In looking at options, Jared said he came to work one day saying how much he loved the sandwiches at Jersey Mike’s. In response, Jared said a member of his staff said Jersey Mike’s has nothing on Capriotti’s sandwiches.

Having never heard of Capriotti’s, Jared said he started researching the franchise, leading him and Jaime to take a trip to Salt Lake City in the middle of a pandemic to try a sandwich.

“I liked the franchise, we like the value, and we liked the food enough that we decided to bring it here to the Denver area,” Jared said. “When we were looking at expanding, we really did not know what we wanted. We landed here. Really, there is always a market for sandwiches.”

The original Capriotti’s opened in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1976. Sibling founders Lois and Alan Margolet named it after their grandfather, Philip Capriotti.

By 1987, more stores opened in Delaware, continuing to expand throughout the U.S., with locations in Utah and Las Vegas.

Capriotti’s is known for its unusual selection of sandwiches, including The Bobbie, made with oven-roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and mayo. The Capastrami is made with hot pastrami, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing and homemade coleslaw.

Jaime and Jared said they were happy with the quality of the sandwiches the Capriotti’s franchise offers, noting that everything is made fresh and cooked on site daily.

Jaime said a sandwich might take longer than a basic fast-food restaurant to make, but that is because the sandwiches are made to order.

Since opening, Jaime said she has been happy to see the growing number of regular customers coming into the store, while noting that more people coming in to enjoy lunch in person is nice given all the restrictions and obstacles the pandemic has created.

Moving forward, Jared and Jaime said they will open a new location in Castle Rock in February and in Parker by June of next year.

Jared said the plan is to build in most Douglas County cities before they start opening stores in Jefferson County.

The Highlands Ranch Capriotti’s, located at 1100 Sergeant Jon Stiles Dr., offers a order-ahead option, in addition to third-party delivery services. The new brings 20 new jobs to the Highlands Ranch community.

The new sandwich shop is also located in the same shopping complex as the Beard’s original business, Christian Brothers Automotive.

Capriotti’s is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. For additional information, visit www.capriottis.com.