Ismael Rios believes a business owner should only begin a new project if it’s truly a passion. He keeps a list in his head of things he loves with that exact potential: Mexican food, pizza, coffee, and sandwiches.
The entrepreneur already oversees Mexican dining spots, so when an opportunity arose, Rios decided to branch out.
“Restaurants are really difficult to run. You want to take on something that you like,” Rios told New Times. “I’ve always liked sandwiches.”
Bread and Born Sandwiches opened in the SLO Public Market on Oct. 4, championed by Rios and his wife, Natalie. A small team of three or four employees make sandwiches, wraps, and salads six days a week. Rios wants it to be a shop where locals can come in for a quick and affordable meal made with fresh ingredients.
Lunch date?
Bread and Born Sandwiches would love to make you a salad or sub Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Visit breadandborn.com to view the menu or place an order for pickup. The shop is located in suite 12 at the SLO Public Market, 3845 S. Higuera St. in San Luis Obispo.
Looking back on his career so far, Rios remembered his first job in the industry at an upscale café in Mendocino. It was the summer of 2012, and he was barely a teenager.
“I was a dishwasher there, and I would help with prep. It was a good learning curve because it was a kitchen and a waitstaff that was very serious about their job,” Rios said. “Coming in as a teenager, you were set straight pretty early on. So it was a good environment, and I think I’ve always liked restaurants because I always correlate food with a happy memory.”
“You go, you eat, you get lunch, and you have a good day. You’re out enjoying the weather. You go celebrate at a restaurant,” Rios said. “The food industry has always been a positive memory for me as a customer.”
Working in restaurants brings him a similar feeling. He thrives in the “moving and grooving” flow that a lunch or dinner rush brings.
Bread and Born has already seen its share of rushes. Sometimes preorder tickets await Rios when he arrives to open the shop at 11 a.m. In addition to online ordering, customers can walk up to a cashier with their paper order slip or use a mobile kiosk on their own.
Half-salad and half-sandwich combos have been popular so far. Fan favorite subs include the California Club, which is basically “a souped-up BLT,” Rios said. His wife’s tuna salad recipe is also a hit. Another is The Grinder filled with turkey, salami, Swiss cheese, and “the works” stuffed inside a Dutch crunch roll. Personally, Rios is more of a “French roll guy,” so his go-to is The SoHo.
“That’s what I put on the menu, just like a classic turkey club,” Rios said.
His all-time favorite, though, is The Ciao Bella!, which layers ham, provolone, pesto, oven-dried tomatoes, arugula, and balsamic in between focaccia. It reminds Rios of a sandwich he and his wife ate on their honeymoon in Florence, Italy.
All the salad dressing recipes at the café are the ones Natalie makes at home. Rios said they try to keep the ingredients as fresh as possible, and they source bread from Matt’s Bakery in town.
There are seven signature sandwiches on the menu, but the owners designed everything with customization in mind. Guests may take ingredients off, replace them, or add new ones.
“If you don’t like the sandwiches we offer, you can build your own. You can’t go wrong with that,” Rios said.
‘My focus was I wanted it to be fast and affordable.’
—Ismael Rios, Bread and Born Sandwiches co-owner
You can’t go wrong with their speed, either. Rios said the average wait time is five to six minutes. While building out the restaurant space, the highly experienced team chose equipment to facilitate quick sandwich assembly.
“We have these TurboChef ovens that allow us to toast the bread really fast and bring the time down,” Rios said. “Traditionally, if we were to do it with a panini press or a toaster, we’d have to wait a minute and a half to two minutes per sandwich. The toaster oven allows us to do it in 25 [seconds].”
Another priority is affordability. Rios said he wants customers to be able to get lunch twice a week without having to spend “an arm and a leg.” Most sandwiches cost less than $16 and salads an average of $12.
“My focus was I wanted it to be fast and affordable, and my wife’s like, ‘I want it to be delicious, and I want it to be aesthetically pleasing,’” Rios explained. “It’s kind of like where the two worlds collide. It’s like a spectrum, and we’re just trying to get the balance right.”
Along with her recipes, Natalie also brought creativity to the project. Unlike Rios, his wife saw the vision for the interior design before it was constructed.
“She’s really good at that. She has an eye for it,” Rios said.
Their favorite color is blue, inspiring the tile on the counter and the rest of the theme. Rios said it feels like a deli he’d find in San Francisco or LA. Approachable yet upscale. Minimalist and chic.
The Rios family lives in a nearby neighborhood, as do many of their customers. Some stop at the SLO Public Market for a quick lunch during the workday, and others are drawn there because they don’t want to tackle the hustle and bustle of downtown.
Rios jokes with his wife that the marketplace is like a college cafeteria because they often see the same people dining there, creating happy memories.
“I want it to feel communal,” Rios said. “I want it to feel like somewhere you can come grab a bite. You can take it to go. You can hang out there for a while.” ∆
Staff Writer Madison White loves to build her own sandwich. Reach her at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Pets 2026.
