Introducing the 1904 Sandwich Video
View Announcement Video
View Photos from Today’s Announcement
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced a one-of-a-kind partnership with two of New York City’s iconic sandwich shops, Katz’s Delicatessen - most commonly referred to as Katz’s Deli - and Alidoro, to introduce the creation of the 1904 Sandwich, a limited-edition sandwich named after the year the first subway line opened to the public. MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, Alidoro CEO and Owner Jon Streep, and Katz’s third-generation owner Jake Dell celebrated the announcement today with a few samples at Moynihan Train Hall near the Alidoro shop. In celebration of the subway’s 118th anniversary, Oct. 27, 1904, the sandwich is being sold at four of Alidoro’s shops in Manhattan, listed below, from Thursday, Sept. 29 through Monday, Oct. 31.
Katz’s Deli and Alidoro created a sandwich featuring Katz’s pastrami, confit garlic cream, Calabrian pepper dijon slaw, and aged provolone, served warm on a fresh rye sourdough baguette custom-made for this collaboration. The bread is hand-rolled and baked daily by Newlight Breadworks.
The sandwich, wrapped in a Massimo Vignelli-inspired subway map design, costs $14, and is also available for purchase as part of an MTA Away lunchbox deal for $17, which includes a cookie and a bag of chips. The wrapper features the MTA Away logo and an integrated Katz’s and Alidoro logo, with an illustration of the subway stops of Alidoro’s locations reminding customers of how to get to those locations with public transit, along with a QR code directing customers to an About page of the 1904 Sandwich.
“A big thank you to Katz’s and Alidoro for helping the MTA find new ways to engage with New Yorkers,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “The sandwich is a sweet (and savory) deal, especially with the chances to win an OMNY prize, and a great reminder that mass transit is the best way to get around New York as you test out everything there is to eat."
“New York City subways and buses are as iconic as deli sandwiches,” said New York City Transit President Richard Davey. “Today, we celebrate our transit and culinary history with the introduction of the ‘1904’. Today’s transit inspired sandwich is the proverbal icing on the cake, as we continue to improve service reliability, offer new fare options and promotions to welcome back riders to the MTA.”
A sandwich may not be the only thing customers get out of their visit to Alidoro. The MTA randomly placed $50 OMNY prizes for subway and bus fare inside 75 lunch boxes. Customers who purchase the $17 MTA Away lunchbox deal may win a preloaded $50 OMNY card or $50 of fare value to be added to a transit account with instructions on how to redeem the offer. There are 25 preloaded $50 OMNY cards and 50 $50 gift certificates to add to a smart device or contactless card.
The launch of the sandwich aims to provide a fun, creative way of engaging with customers, while raising awareness of the MTA Away website and deals program with discounts offered across the MTA’s agencies. The MTA does not receive any proceeds from the purchase of a sandwich. The sandwich is being advertised across all Metro-North Railroad, Long Island Rail Road, and subway platforms, and on trains and in terminals.
“This is a dream collaboration for us,” said Alidoro CEO and Owner Jon Streep. “The NYC subway is both the figurative and literal lifeblood of the city; the arteries that in many ways connect us all while we’re here. We wanted something that perfectly represented the city's culinary beginnings, and what is more perfectly NYC than Katz's Deli pastrami on rye? Then combined with our Italian heritage, food, and creative approach, you've got a pretty cool marriage. Our mission was to bring the Alidoro experience to as many people as we could; and it is our hope that in this time of recovery and return to normalcy, we can spread love through food to those coming back to this great city.”
“What would New York City be without our iconic food institutions?“ said Katz’s Delicatessen Owner Jake Dell. “And without the MTA, how would people get to us? Katz’s Deli and Alidoro welcome thousands of New Yorkers and tourists to our establishments weekly, and the MTA plays a large role in how customers can visit us. We are proud to partner with Alidoro and the MTA on the 1904 Sandwich, and encourage New Yorkers to hop on a bus, subway, or commuter line and explore everything NYC has to offer. Throughout your travels, stop in to Alidoro and get a taste of Katz’s Deli Pastrami on a Fresh Rye Sourdough Baguette. It’s a wonderful reminder of all of the delicious adventures that can be had in NYC.”
The sandwich is available at the following four Alidoro locations from Sept. 29 through Oct. 31:
• Bryant Park at 18 East 39th St from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. every day
• Rockefeller Plaza at 1 Rockefeller Plaza, Concourse Level from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday
• Moynihan Train Hall at 383 West 31st St, from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday
• The Hugh at 601 Lexington Av from 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. everyday
While the 1904 Sandwich is available in-store only and not available for delivery, it can be ordered for shipping nationwide. Customers are encouraged to tag @MTAaway @AlidoroNYC and @KatzsDeli and use the hashtag #the1904.
About MTA AWAY
The MTA AWAY website and deals program was officially launched last year and combined all of the agencies’ existing deals and getaway programs into one location, alongside articles offering further travel inspiration off of subway and bus lines, Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road. The website offers regional travel inspiration across New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley via public transportation. By creating an umbrella for all agency promotions, customers can explore different options available outside their normal zone of travel. Follow @MTAaway on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more.
About Alidoro
A top-rated Italian sandwich shop, born in Soho in 1986, Alidoro has cultivated itself into a New York brand through its culinary creativity and use of the finest Italian ingredients, whether sourced locally or directly from Italy. Alidoro takes pride in offering a taste of New York’s most authentic Italian sandwiches. Each sandwich is prepared with special attention to detail that traces back to one of the original owner’s Italian roots in Italy and the European influences of applying certain precision to the process of preparing food; including the folding of certain meats versus the lying flat of others and the slicing densities depending on the meats. Alidoro’s signature recipes and processes showcase both their authentic and creative approach to sandwich-making.
About Katz’s Delicatessen
Katz’s Delicatessen is an iconic restaurant serving traditional Jewish deli fare in NYC’s Lower East Side. Since 1888, Katz’s pastrami and corned beef sandwiches have been the gold standard for an ‘authentic’ NYC deli experience, thanks to Katz’s emphasis on traditional slow-curing processes and hand-carved slicing techniques. Today, Katz’s serves thousands of hungry customers daily and ships their deli classics nationwide. Katz’s storefront is considered a NYC landmark and is a popular destination among locals, tourists, and celebrities. For more information, visit katzsdelicatessen.com.