Coming Soon: Hector’s Deli To Open Its First CBD Location, Inspired by East-Coast USA Luncheonettes

American-inspired sandwich shop Hector’s Deli has found a site for its fourth store. The small chain’s first CBD location will be on the corner of Little Collins Street and Club Lane.

The store will open in August, and founder Dom Wilton tells Broadsheet there are plans for CBD-only specials. This includes both the occasional meatball sub and club sandwiches (a nod to both the brand's American influence and the new location).

Inside, there’ll be a timber bar where guests can sit, enjoy a sandwich and watch the chefs at work as they make Hector’s signature tuna melts, salad sandwiches and fried chicken potato buns. Given the nature of the CBD lunch rush, the team will also focus more on fresh sandwiches, which are faster to serve than toasties.

Wilton says the new 65-square-metre CBD store will draw inspiration from old-school luncheonettes in places like New York and Chicago. “When I think it Hector’s Deli CBD, I think of refinement, people in suits and sitting up at a bar. We want to play into that,” he says.

Wilton says the store’s relatively small footprint will allow them to fit in with the “hustle and bustle and sort of utilitarian nature that is the city”.

The store will add a North American-influenced option to the stretch of Little Collins that already has plenty of sandwich options on offer including Raya (home to an Ice Spice-approved tuna salad sandwich), Indonesian sandwich shop Warkop and banh mi staple N Lee Bakery Cafe.

But Wilton isn’t worried about sandwich competition from his new neighbours, or from any of the many American-style delis popping up around town. “I’m focused on making sure that we there’s a sense of longevity, and that we stand the test of time.”

Hector’s Deli CBD is expected to open at 61 Little Collins Street this August.

This article was updated on Thursday June 6 to reflect a change in the expected opening date.