No :-( Stefan's review (Jul 18th 2006)

People don’t ask me If my job is both to make a sandwich and also take money should I wear one pair of gloves the entire time?

I always say No, you can use your bare hands to handle money(or credit cards even) but when it comes time to make that sandwich you should wash your hands then put on a pair of gloves.

I’ve covered quite a spectrum of jobs in my life. For a short while I worked at a retirement home as a waiter. One of my duties was to make sandwiches and take them to the apartments of the residents who couldn’t get out very easily. It was probably the best part of an otherwise awful job. I got to talk with lots of people (who loved me) and occasionally would stay awhile and watch Matlock or Murder She Wrote.

What I did learn learn is maybe too strong a word was that their is an a time and a place for gloves. Doctors understand gloves but I’m pretty sure they have to cover a lot more information during their educations then just when to put on gloves.

It’s not hard to see what I’m getting at.

Last week I went to the Sourdough Place. I was filled with mixed emotions. On one hand I was optimistic that I might find a sandwich that would forever change my life. But on the other hand I was realistic in that I probably would not find a sandwich that would change my life. The non life changing hand was ultimately correct.

The sandwich was good but I had a difficult time eating. The entire time I wondered How long has he had those gloves on?. I imagined him starting his shift in the morning sliding those plastic food handler’s gloves on and not changing all day. I’m sure it took a good sandwich down a notch or two.

So what’s the dish?: The Sourdough Place has a pretty good sandwiches but they need to work on their whole cash, hand-washing, glove sequence.

Yes :-) Mary's review (Nov 14th 2006)

I have not encoutered the “glove” problem but I have noticed that several of the employees do not seem the most motivated, especially during peak times, lunch for example. It’s great that a sandwich gets made fresh but peak times seem to take a toll on them. On the bright side, they do have good sandwiches, I think they are worth a try and if I do encounter the “glove” thing, I’ll be saying something to them directly.

Yes :-) Laurie's review (Jan 19th 2007)

I ate there and loved it. I had the meatball sandwich and although it was messy, it was really good.

No :-( John's review (Mar 5th 2007)

I travel to Europe a lot. The bread there is outstanding and the bread adds to all meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have to say that I love the bread and it makes the sandwiches at the Sourdough place.

But the help there is some of the worst I have ever experienced. I was introduced to their food by a vendor of mine that wanted to treat me and my three coworkers to a lunch to show his appreciation for our continued support of him. He called us around 12:30 and did not show up with our lunch till 3:00. He told us that they had to cook more of the bread and this was the wait time even though he had called our order in right away. I had a hard time believing this. I loved the sandwich when he finally came with it and decided to go myself and get another one the next day. I arrived around 1:20 and found very unenthusiastic and unhelpful employees.

Got the sandwich it was great and the chips and pop were the same as at the grocery store, but the bread was great.

Hey what’s wrong with wanting some decent service with a $10 combo meal?

Food it great, service is beyond lousy, and the value is definitely not there. Hate to see this.

No :-( Rob's review (Apr 1st 2007)

There are quite a few really good sandwich and/or submarine type shops in town, so I think it would be hard to compete in this space.

What I ordered: a 4” pastrami and provolone sandwich on sourdough with mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a horseradish/dijon sauce. I got the combo meal with Tim’s Cascade chips and a soda for a little over $7.

Things I didn’t like about my experience today: bland veggies (no flavor at all – may be a seasonal issue), problem bread (top split and 1/2 the veggies fell out), non-uniform meat thickness (from deli-super-thin to over 1/16”.) And the MIA items: onions and the horseradish/dijon sauce were either non-existent or so without flavor as to blend into the sandwich without notice.

Things I did like: the chips. And the soda. Hmmm.

Service was ok. For the money, I’ll keep going to places like Kowalski’s, Something Else Deli, Staggering Ox, Spokane Subs, Sparky’s Firehouse Subs, and Sub-Division. Heck, I would have been happier today with a grinder from Pizza Pipeline!

No :-( Addie's review (May 16th 2007)

On BOTH of our visits to The Sourdough Place, we did not encounter the omnipresent “glove” (no, not Gary Payton), but we did experience much of the same low quality service as described above.

In addition to getting the distinct feeling that the staff is unable to handle a large crowd, they apparently are also unable to keep the restaurant tidy. I’m not asking for eating off the floor quality clean, but for someone to lose their appetite (as I did) because of the overflowing trash cans, food left on the tables, flies, and a group of young kids working there seemingly not able to bus tables, is just not what I had in mind on a for lunch on a weekday or on a Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately for us, TSP had just as poor of service the second time around as it was the first.

The bread was delish, but I only got in about two bites worth before that atmosphere ruined it for me. I hate to write such a scathing review for a relatively new place, but geeze, hopefully the owners will take notice!

Yes :-) Mercedes's review (Aug 24th 2007)

My financ’ and I have eaten there a couple times and we love it! We try to buy their loaves of bread every time we go in. We love the bread and I’ve never had a bad sandwich. My fiance loves it too, we go there whenever we get the chance. I’ve never seen them use anything less than good hygiene and every one that has worked while we were there has been very nice to us. I’m sorry that other people have not had the same experience, but give it another try!

Yes :-) berry's review (Apr 19th 2008)

The sourdough bread is good. I like a simple turkey/provolone/mayo/lettuce sandwich, and I go back for them, on this bread. The problem is their service and environment. The open kitchen displays not only their fresh baked bread, but also the slow pace of the workers… and the giant cans of Stagg’s chili, and giant cartons of Reser’s potato salad. I could swear the first time I ate there shortly after it opened, the potato salad tasted somewhat original. Not anymore. The last time I was there, sitting and waiting for my to-go order, some new customers walked in and while figuring out which end of the counter they were supposed to order from, asked one of the employees stocking the bread display case, what’s in the pasta salad? She pointed to the guy at the cash register and repeated their question. He said, I don’t know, it’s Reser’s. Then they asked about soups of the day and two of the three soups on the board were out. Everyone was too busy to come out and wipe those off?

Still, I like the sandwiches.

No :-( Eric's review (Oct 20th 2008)

Why anyone would decide to open a chain like this instead of just creating their own, unique-to-Spokane restaurant is beyond me.

I’m a big bread bowl/chowder fan. Except not from this place. The soup is obviously canned badsgoods. The bread was a little crusty. And to put the icing on the cake it was incredibly overpriced for what you get.

I’m blown away at how busy this place tends to stay during weekday lunch hours. It’s so… average.