Soup and sandwich

The soup and sandwich combination meal consists of a soup accompanied by a sandwich. It has been a popular meal in the United States since the 1920s. Some U.S. restaurant chains specialize in the meal, and it has been mass-produced as a prepared frozen meal.

A grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup

Overview

The soup and sandwich combination meal is common in the United States.[1][2] Depending on the intended size of the meal, the sandwich might be either half or a whole sandwich, and the soup may be served in either a cup or bowl.[1] The combination of a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup is a common example in American cuisine,[3][4] and has been described as a comfort food.[5][6]

History

The soup and sandwich combination became a popular lunch dish in the United States in the 1920s, and remains as a common dish at American luncheonettes and diners.[7] It was also a common lunch dish in some earlier U.S. department stores that had dining rooms.[1] In contemporary times, it is sometimes consumed as a light dinner.[2] Some soup kitchens, outreach organizations and churches routinely provide the dish to the needy.[8][9][10][11]

Restaurants
A soup and sandwich meal, served with chips

Some American restaurants specialize in soup and sandwich meals, such as the Panera Bread Company, Hale and Hearty, and Zoup! restaurant chains.[12][13][14] In September 2016, the fast casual restaurant Panera Bread had a total of 2,024 stores at North American locations, some of which go by different company names.[15][16] Panera plans to expand its product delivery availability, which began in early 2016, to include 35% to 40% of its store locations by the end of 2017.[16] In October 2016, Zoup! has a total of 96 stores in the United States, with 93 franchise stores and three company-owned ones.[14]

Prepared meals

The soup and sandwich combination has been mass-produced in the United States and purveyed to consumers on a national level,[17][18] the Campbell's Souper Combo frozen soup and sandwich meal being one example.[17][18] Initially, the product realized promising sales revenues, but consumer interest later tapered off, with the initial high sales attributed to consumer curiosity about the new product and "one-off" purchases per this initial interest.[17] The Souper Combo was a short-lived product, and was eventually discontinued.[17][19]

A Stouffer's frozen prepared soup and sandwich meal after heating

The Corner Bistro is a line of mass-produced frozen prepared soup and sandwich meals marketed under the Stouffer's brand.[19] The sandwiches are manufactured as stuffed melt sandwiches.[19]

See also

References
  1. Siple, M. (2009). Low-cholesterol Cookbook for Dummies. For dummies. ReadHowYouWant.com. p. 233. ISBN 978-1-4587-3661-1. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  2. Hoffman, S.; Wise, V. (2013). Bold: A Cookbook of Big Flavors. Workman Publishing Company. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-7611-7863-7. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  3. Freehof, I.; Catton, P. (2005). The Comfort Diner Cookbook. Clarkson Potter/Publishers. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-4000-8108-0. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  4. Lean, L.; Bastianich, J. (2011). Made in America: Our Best Chefs Reinvent Comfort Food. Rizzoli International Publications, Incorporated. p. 77. ISBN 978-1-59962-101-2. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  5. Gunst, K.; Duivenvoorden, Y. (2016). Soup Swap: Comforting Recipes to Make and Share. Chronicle Books. p. 58. ISBN 978-1-4521-4851-9. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  6. Zinczenko, D.; Goulding, M. (2014). Cook This, Not That! Skinny Comfort Foods. Random House Publishing Group. p. 290. ISBN 978-1-101-88446-1. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  7. Elias, M. (2014). Lunch: A History. The Meals Series. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-4422-2747-7. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  8. McKinley, Jesse (July 16, 1995). "Neighborhood Report: Villages East & West; Soup Kitchen Draws Hungry -- And Trouble?". The New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  9. Kershaw, Tayla (September 6, 2016). "Salvation soup and sandwiches". The Star. Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  10. Brimer, Justin (December 8, 2014). "Volunteers, supplies needed for annual homeless count". Archived from the original on January 16, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  11. "Church on the streets". Christian Today. May 3, 2010. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  12. Halzack, Sarah (September 13, 2016). "Panera comes out swinging against Happy Meal-style kids' food". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  13. Johnson, Hollis (December 3, 2016). "This New York City-based soup-and-sandwich chain should make Panera nervous". Business Insider. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  14. "Zoup! hires outside company to keep its strategic plan focused". Crain's Detroit Business. October 9, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  15. "Our History" Archived 2015-09-26 at the Wayback Machine. Panera Bread. Accessed January 2017.
  16. "Panera is rolling out delivery at restaurants across America". Business Insider. January 11, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  17. Haig, M. (2005). Brand Failures: The Truth about the 100 Biggest Branding Mistakes of All Time. Kogan Page Series. Kogan Page. pp. 61–62. ISBN 978-0-7494-4433-4. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  18. Hodock, C.L. (9 September 2010). Why Smart Companies Do Dumb Things: Avoiding Eight Common Mistakes in New Product Development. Prometheus Books. p. 227–. ISBN 978-1-61592-178-2. Retrieved December 23, 2016. (subscription required)
  19. Wyman, Carolyn; Leblang, Bonnie Tandy (February 15, 2011). "Supermarket Sampler: Sandwich, soup combo is not so hot". Deseret News. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
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