Uncle G’s Pizza quickly captured hearts across Birmingham when they opened their first food truck in 2021. The time since has seen the Detroit-style focused mobile pizzeria upgrade to two food trucks, with one being stationed at Ghost Train Brewery six days a week. It would seem that Uncle G’s has led a pizza renaissance of sorts in the Magic City, but little did we know that was only the beginning. The business recently announced a new sandwich and pizza slice shop located inside of Cala Coffee in Cahaba Heights, bringing even more new meal items to the good people of Birmingham.
“Sandwiches and pizza are kind of in the same vein as far as food goes. A lot of pizza shops serve subs and the two go hand-in-hand on a culinary level but also in a food for the people kind of way,” Uncle G’s owner George Gilliam shares, “There are a ton of great sandwich options in Birmingham but I never found a sandwich that really reminded me of the East coast sandwich shop places from back home, so I wanted to fill what I sort of identified as a void in the market here in Birmingham with something I know and that brings me back to my childhood and growing up. I wanted to share that with people around here. Doing it at Cala Coffee just makes sense because they wanted to expand their food offerings in the cafe and we were already using their kitchen space as commissary space.”
It’s a win-win for both businesses. Cala customers now get pizza and sandwiches alongside their delicious caffeinated beverages and Uncle G’s customers have new menu items from their favorite restaurant at a consistent location 7 days a week. The sandwich shop has been open for about a month and a half, and the city’s response so far seems to have been two thumbs up. Uncle G’s recently added deals like the Pick Two which gives customers the choice of choosing two items from a half sandwich, salad, and a pizza slice. The focus on sandwiches is also a big step in the company’s renewed attention to catering work lunches and other events.
While Uncle G’s is known for their fun marketing, the major selling point of the restaurant is giving a high-quality food experience that can’t be found elsewhere in the city. This goal was kept in mind during the making of the new shop’s four sandwich menu items. “I wanted all the meat to be hand-cut and freshly sliced every day. I didn’t want to buy pre-sliced meat because that’s something that people can make at home. I wanted to have really high-quality, important, fine, premium, Italian meats. We do the high-grade mortadella with pistachios in it. We do imported prosciutto. We carefully selected the bread that we use. Every detail down to the butcher paper that we wrap the sandwiches in was all chosen to evoke this East coast deli feel,” George explains, “We just wanted to execute it in our own style - I think the Uncle G’s way is no nonsense and high quality, but it’s not snooty. Now we are doing sandwiches in that way.”
While coming up with sandwich concepts doesn’t sound like the worst job in the world, it’s one that George made sure he took seriously. “We keep our menu really small and that’s by design. We want to do a few things, and do them well - just knock them out of the park. I think the menu’s really well balanced but in my personal opinion the crown jewel is the Italian sub,” Uncle G’s front man states, “The deeper I got in the research I learned that there’s no right or wrong, it’s just what area (are you in). Is it an Italian sub from the Jersey suburbs or from Connecticut or a Baltimore Italian sub? It’s just like pizza - there’s so many variations.” Different subs drew different inspirations, which has led to an original Alabama take that respects those that came before it.
Many of the sandwich ingredients found in the shop are shared ingredients with Uncle G’s pizza items, which is both economical and follows the traditional strategies of pizza and sandwich shop owners along the East coast. One sandwich in particular may look familiar to frequent visitors of the pizza trucks. “The Cool It Down is our regulars’ most popular favorite pizza. We have the best customers. (It’s a) super dedicated, passionate, and loyal customer base at Uncle G’s. Those people are the people that recommend people try the Cool It Down. The pepperoni is always going to be the most popular, but the people that know are the people that order the Cool It Down and add pepperoni to it or something similar. I wanted to put a sandwich (the Bag It Tag It) on the menu that was a nod to those people and for people who pay enough attention would know that it’s like the sandwich version of the pizza. Almost like a little Easter egg on the menu. Having said that, it works as a sandwich too. Breads, melty cheese, and a sweet element to go with the savory works on a really functional level so that was a really fun one. I think that was the best seller from our first month.”
In addition to delicious sammiches, Uncle G’s seemed to be serving another important item to the city of Birmingham: gratitude. This extended to the shop’s new home, Cala Coffee. “Cala has the best coffee in town,” George proclaims, “I want everybody to know that. Cala is a young business as well and that’s one of the reasons that we’ve hit it off so well. What Josh, Mel, and the staff here are doing is really special and there’s a lot of people around who maybe have heard of them but still haven’t come in. If you don’t buy one of our sandwiches or come in to eat that’s fine, but come in to grab an espresso or cup of coffee.”
Another area of thanks and focus for Uncle G’s founders in 2023 has been their employees. “This is our second year of business. For us, it’s becoming way more about community and being good bosses and providers for our staff. Learning what that looks like and trying to take care of our people better. This industry is so easy for people to get burned out or staff feeling unappreciated. The taking care of our employees part of it is an entire world and art in and of itself that I could spend my entire career trying to perfect. The gravity and weight of that is becoming extremely apparent to us as we grow.”
Intentional steps forward with a focus on community seems like a great way to grow a business. It also helps when you serve some of the best sandwiches and pizzas found in Birmingham. (Y'all have got to try the hot honey!)
Cover image provided by Uncle G's
