Peppo's Spreads Sandwich Tradition Beyond Palos

When Robert Peplowski was young, he couldn't figure out why all of his fellow classmates were jealous of his lunch.

To Robert, growing up with sandwiches piled high with meats, cheeses and seasoned veggies—known as "the guts"—was the usual. It wouldn't dawn on him until later than growing up in the family business of the Palos Hills-based Peppo's Dili-Deli had its advantages.

"I didn't really understand it much back then," said the co-owner of the newest Peppo's location in Tinley Park. "I didn't really recognize until high school when my friends really started to talk about it."

It wasn't until college in business school that the idea of why Peppo's was so successful became clear to Peplowski.

That long tradition in the community is what sets Peppo's apart of other sub and sandwich shops in the area, said Peplowski, 28, of New Lenox.

Read more: Peppo’s Dili-Deli Opening New Location in Tinley

A tight-knit family has helped keep the shop going for so long.

"You have some part of the Peppo's family in every store," Peplowski said. The business has been around so long that there is second-generation staff working for Peppo's.

Peppo's opened a second location in Tinley Park ?earlier this month.? and appears to have plans for more expansion. Jim Peplowski originally opened the sub shop after people at a nearby motorcycle track complained about a lack of nearby eateries.

“If it works out in Tinley, we’ll open more,” Peplowski told Tinley Park Patch earlier this month. “We’ll continue to move south.”

Both locations are open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Visit Peppo’s Dili-Deli online or friend the sub shop on Facebook.

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