GEWL: Where are They Now?
Checking in with past WOTW client Laura Cahill to see how she has thrived since launching her restaurant’s new site.
Who are the brains behind your organization?
Good Eats with Laura — which we now go by GEWL — was created and is owned and operated by myself, Laura Cahill. What started as a passion project in the middle of the pandemic turned into a full-on career change.
What is your mission?
GEWL is the Deli with a Soundtrack, and our mission is to bring a new take on sandwiches to Orange County. We are a gourmet sandwich shop with the love of music behind every bite.
Tell us your origin story.
It’s funny, GEWL completely started out of the blue in April 2020. The idea to sell food came to mind late at night and I just ran with it. Like so many people, I found myself out of work due to COVID, and about three weeks into being unemployed and completely restless, I took a gamble and started selling my homemade sandwich creations and chips on Instagram. People have always told me for years, I should start a blog, sell my creations or get more involved in the industry. I figured it couldn’t hurt, so I gave it a try.
I got started by going to the store one day, getting enough ingredients to make three different sandwiches, one vegan option, and of course, my famous homemade chips. I came home, went to town in the kitchen, and made them as if they were already sold, photographed, and posted it on my social media. I basically said, “Hey who’s hungry, I got food.” I sold out in an hour and there was a waitlist the next day. I couldn’t believe it. My heart was beating out of my chest. The excitement was like something I’d never felt before. I honestly had no idea what I started.
When we first started selling, we were only open every other week; orders had to be placed in advance via Instagram on a Sunday or Monday for a Wednesday or Thursday delivery. I started to realize quickly that I needed to move this to a more advanced platform. While building the sandwich shop, I was also taking some time to build out a website and finally have a space to host my recipes. Squarespace ended up being the perfect platform for my sandwich business. I have been able to grow GEWL from bi-weekly to weekly, keeping the same ordering schedule with hopes of expanding in 2021.
In late spring, we started to work on branding, and coming from a marketing background every little detail mattered to me. I had to think of something to make the shop unique, fun, and somehow different than our competitors. My first thought was to name the sandwiches after famous movie titles or quotes, but I finally ended on a music theme and ran with it. Our Cali Club changed to “2Pac’s California Love,” and our Italian Club is now known as “Big Poppa from Notorious BIG.” The list goes on and on. I honestly think naming is the best part of it — who else can call their chips “The Groupies” or vegan desserts “Blurred Limes.” It makes it a fun, enjoyable experience not only for me, but for our customers too.
Social media played a huge role in keeping GEWL alive — we are so thankful people started to order, share, and repost. Knowing people kept coming back — and told their families and friends about us — brought us to the level we are today. We have gotten noticed by some amazing brands and have been able to cater for Whole Foods Market, MeUndies, and Live Nation, to name a few. I started Good Eats with Laura as a passion project. We shortened the name to GEWL, got ourselves a catchy tagline — “because good food deserves a soundtrack” — and added some amazing people to the crew. We are still a small business, creating art through sandwiches, and we’re enjoying every minute of it.
Where was your company when you contacted WOTW?
I didn’t even have a company! I always wanted to create a website and have space for my clients or fans to check out recipes or blog posts, I just never had the time, and didn’t even know where to begin. When I first contacted WOTW, I just barely launched my sandwich shop via social media and I was just doing that as a side hustle to help get my family through the pandemic. Now I have an entire e-commerce business because of WOTW help.
How did your website help your business grow?
Having a website really helped with the visibility of my brand. Whether someone was looking for lunch that day or a recipe to make for dinner that evening, people started to recognize the brand. I went from having 30 hits a month to well over 500+ within a few months, and my orders grew week by week because of it. It helped provide a hub for my customers to order food, but also a place for me to have a creative outlet and publish recipes. Overall, I don’t believe my business would have been as successful if it wasn’t for my site and the team at WOTW.
Where is your business now?
GEWL has grown so much over the last year and I’m excited to say we just opened our first sandwich shop on October 6th in Costa Mesa!
Who is your dream client?
I don’t really have a dream client, but my goal when I started this was to work with musicians and I’m excited to announce we will be doing our first band collaboration next month!
What are your plans for the future, both short and long term?
As for a long-term plan, I hope to continue to grow GEWL and potentially look at opening more locations throughout SoCal and beyond. In the meantime, we will continue to push the envelope on what a sandwich can be and ideally look for a food truck so we can go tour and set up food stations at some local festivities in 2022.
What advice do you have for other small businesses?
I never thought I would be a business owner, and now that I’m living it day-to-day, the best advice I would even give myself is to always ask for help and do your research! Never give up on your dream, and hire people smarter and that have the same vision as you.
