"Shame on Them" Says La Sandwicherie Owner Regarding Case of Deja Chew At La Baguette

By Jackie Sayet Fri., Nov. 13 2009 at 2:40 PM

Categories: Food Fights, Making The Call

Jackie Sayet

Seeing Double: Can you tell the difference? We did when we tasted both. La Sandwicherie had the decency to shmear a bit of mayo on the bread, which actually made a huge difference. And they didn't forget the olives.

La Baguette, the sandwich counter that recently opened up shop at 427 SW Eighth Street on the outskirts of Brickell, may be new, but its concept isn't. So says Olivier Farrat, owner of South Beach's La Sandwicherie, a favorite of New Times restaurant critic Lee Klein. Farrat says the new restaurant is a ripoff of his business model, down to the vinaigrette.

"Shame on them. It's not really fair to copy like this. They have no decency," explained Farrat in a phone conversation this morning." They did not come to me, but I found out a couple months ago... They did it behind my back so they could get away with it."

It doesn't take a sandwich expert to notice the obvious overlaps. On the surface, both sandwich offerings consist of identical:

bread
topping selections
vinaigrette
sandwich-making stations (down to sandwich-filling technique using tongs!)
sandwich wrappers
late night service (La Baguette is 24 hours; La Sandwicherie, 22)
open-air counters
similar French names
logos (La Baguette employs the Arc d'Triomphe; La Sandwicherie, the Eiffel Tower)

With 21 years in the business, Farrat is not worried. He says his product is of much higher quality, something the new shop on the block cannot repeat. As far as this Frenchman is concerned, the sore loser is La Baguette owner Anselmo Hernandez.

"He was my customer," says Farrat. "And he's not even French! I could try to fight it, but I will not give him that favor. I believe if you do something bad, you know, it will come back to you eventually."

We went by La Baguette last week to check it out, and the resemblance is uncanny. Hernandez was there, so we asked if there was any relation to the South Beach doppelganger. He was clear that his place is not the same."We're doing something different here. Many of my ingredients are organic."

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words...

La Sandwicherie
305-532-8934
229 14th Street, Miami Beach

La Baguette
786-270-1757
427 SW Eighth Street, Miami

Jackie Sayet

La Sandwicherie website

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La Baguette, La Sandwicherie

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Hernandez is a scumbag! I will NEVER go there!!! Viva la original!!!
ur right its exactlyyyy the same. but i will tell you this. i much rather go to brickell and eat where i will be treated nicely, where my patronage will be appreciated. instead of sitting in a cramped up little hole in the wall where the staff is so rude bc they are "french" that it makes you want to throw up your food while you are eating it. so yes, la baguette may be an imitation. but a lots of respect for doing it even better, with friendly service that keeps you coming back for more. maybe if la sanwicherie wasnt so "french" and stuck up i would enjoy eating there more. stop criticizing other and take a look at yourselves! u got lots to work on also.
ur right its exactlyyyy the same. but i will tell you this. i much rather go to brickell and eat where i will be treated nicely, where my patronage will be appreciated. instead of sitting in a cramped up little hole in the wall where the staff is so rude bc they are "french" that it makes you want to throw up your food while you are eating it. so yes, la baguette may be an imitation. but a lots of respect for doing it even better, with friendly service that keeps you coming back for more. maybe if la sanwicherie wasnt so "french" and stuck up i would enjoy eating there more. stop criticizing other and take a look at yourselves! u got lots to work on also.
ur right its exactlyyyy the same. but i will tell you this. i much rather go to brickell and eat where i will be treated nicely, where my patronage will be appreciated. instead of sitting in a cramped up little hole in the wall where the staff is so rude bc they are "french" that it makes you want to throw up your food while you are eating it. so yes, la baguette may be an imitation. but a lots of respect for doing it even better, with friendly service that keeps you coming back for more. maybe if la sanwicherie wasnt so "french" and stuck up i would enjoy eating there more. stop criticizing other and take a look at yourselves! u got lots to work on also.
O_o
I worked for Anselmo a few years back and knowing the scumbag firsthand I dont doubt for one minute (w/o needing to go and try it) that he ripped Olivier off. The guy plays dirty and has been for years. I dont know how hes managed to stay afloat for so long. He's been owing more than he can pay for years now and the time will surely come when he will pay for all the dirty deeds he's done. KARMA's a bi**h!
well i know la sandwicherie for a long time. the guy who created the sandwicherie is not that french guy. he use to work for a brazilian fellow who started la sandwicherie. after he died in the late 90's the french guy's bought it from the widow. he got lucky. the kid that use to work at the sandwicherie is the one open that la baguett. good luck to you son. and keep up the good work. you will make it. for the french man who slave the people that work for him. he will get it . remember what goes around comes around. life is too short. and pay back is a bitch. be nice to people.
Olivier should have patented the sandwich ... i imagine the guy going to the patent office: " i would like to patent this sandwich ... this one is called extra pickles " FBI busting your house door cause you re making a pickle sandwich with vinaigrette. he ll have to stamp a warning on all sandwiches, where you can eat it and with whom... like get 5 years or/and 500 000 dollars fine if you eat it outside his restaurant ...
Give me a break! First of all I can believe with all the important things going on these news paper takes time to interview an angry French man who thinks Americans are stupid enough to believe he invited the sandwich. This is defiantly the "land of opportunity" giving an entire article to such an as whole like Oliver. Because of these I will never go again to your stupid sandwich place, believe me I make better sandwiches at home.
Go Jorge!!..you are the best!!...at least your place looks like something....Oliver is too greedy...wait for his partner to go and la sandwicherie will go bankrupty...
I've been to both, they're different. La sandwicherie it's stuck in the past. I'm glad a new place with fresh ideas is now available. They're far apart and La Baguette has an unbeatable ambiance, it's not a dirty alley. Enjoy both, welcome new ventures and help new entrepeneurs build a better Miami.
who the hell said that la sandwicherie invented the sandwich with the worst quality of meats available.. olivier is a dickhead, his ego is uop the roof.. grow up. u had your chances of expanding your biz, u didnt take advantage, now suck it up. by the way that stupid sauce they make is just, vinegar, dijon mustard, olive oil and pepper combined in a blender.
Then you can go to this website: type in a search for "Idea Home Design" which is the same person and what you see is a lot of liens, lawsuits and judgements http://www2.miami-dadeclerk.com/public-records/Search.aspx
Not accusations. Its a fact. Check city and county records. Here in case u are ignorant - click this link: http://egvsys.miamidade.gov:1608/wwwserv/ggvt/txcaw01.dia?folio=0102040901140
Tax Man. You are a dick. Make accusations like that and not share your real name? Coward
Don't worry Olivier. La Baguette owner Anselmo is in foreclosure on the land and building with Wachovia. He hasnt paid Real Estate Taxes in 2 years ($60k in arrears - see county records) and all his other business have gone out of business! Now he is so broke he keeps his boat at the sandwich place for storage
Oliver talks like if he is the owner of Coca Cola ha ha! i do better sandwiches at home.
been to la baguette and it definitely is a ripoff, quality does not resemble that of La Sandwicheries, I will stick to la baguette even if that means that i have to drive from Hialeah for my sandwich!
He could always close down the restaurant so nobody steals his secrets just like Willy Wonka
often imitated, never duplicated
I agree with David and will always honor the original. However I will take pleasure in trying them once and saying loudly, "This reminds me of the great sandwich place on South Beach by Club Deuce!"
Did Olivier Farrat invent the sandwich? I think not! Get off your high horse. Who cares, we are at war! Stupid sandwich shops!
I agree, we heard Oliver is coming to sunset drive, we cant wait!!! sunset is in needs for a great restaurant!
First off I would like to say that you should remember the old adage: "Imitation: The Sincerest Form of Flattery!" Don't get me wrong I love La Sandwicherie but this happens all the time around the world. For instance, McDonalds - Burger King. Walgreens - CVS. K-Mart - Wal-Mart. The list goes on and on. The packaging and product might be similar but there are differences. Take a look at the picture of the cereal boxes in this post and come back to me and see if there is another upset company out there. http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/shortorder/2009/11/about_6500_food_buyers_and.php Also, La Sandwicherie more than likely won't be competing for the same business since La Baquette is located on 8th Street near Brickell and La Sandwicherie is located smack dab in the middle of South Beach. I say hold your head up high Olivier and be proud that you have a successfull business that someone wants to copy.