Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe to Close After 87 Years
Several summers ago, I was hired by Chevrolet to drive a Chevy Malibu from Boston to Washington, DC on one tank of gas and then write about the experience. It was an absurd assignment, made even more ridiculous by the macho photographer they hired to take shots for their glossy magazine. It was a brutally hot day and seeing that he was following my wife and me in a convertible, I asked if he needed any suntan lotion. "Oh no, I don’t need that," said the guy. By the end of the drive around 9 pm, he was as red as a boiled lobster.
Anyway, we needed an iconic Boston locale to start the drive and I thought there was nothing better than Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe. “That sounds like that Seinfeld episode where they try to drive as far as they can without running out of gas,” said Chris Manjourides, when he heard of my assignment. Together, with his brother Arthur and sisters Marie and Fontaine, the siblings run the restaurant, founded by their father in 1927. Lisa and I sat on the red stools across from photographs of all the celebrities and famous politicians inluding President Obama who wisely made their way to this small breakfast joint nestled amidst the fashionable brownstones of the South End. Since the age of 12, Arthur has arrived every morning at 3:30 am to cook the freshly made muffins. Locals stand in line for a chance to dine on their gigantic three-egg omelettes, tasty turkey hash, and blueberry pancakes. Now the siblings can finally sleep in. I just found out that the place will close in June. They’ll be sorely missed in this town.