(Portland, Maine) One of Maine's best-known names in Italian food is banking on its hard-won reputation for freshness and quality to resume a leadership role in the sandwich shop industry it helped found with a plan to bring its unique, full menu of quality take-out Italian food to the rest of New England and beyond.

Amato's, the inventor of the true Italian Sandwich in 1903, got its start selling breads, meats and cheeses to immigrant dock workers in Maine's largest city. In short order, the "Real Italian" was born - a sandwich on bread baked fresh daily featuring ham and cheese paired with a much larger portion of fresh vegetables -- tomato, onion, olives, green pepper and "extra-zesty" pickles. And unlike other parts of the country, where "Italian" came to mean sacrificing flavor in favor of Herculean portions of meat on dense bread, leaving little room for taste-enhancing vegetables, the Maine Italian has remained true to itself.

"For 100 years, the freshness, quality and value of an Amato's Italian has made us the sandwich shop of choice here in Maine," said Amato's owner and 40-year veteran Dominic Reali. "We think people across New England will embrace the traditional "Real Italian". A real Italian sandwich is light and eating it is a sensational experience - a crunchy, tangy, sweet mix of texture and flavor."

Now, after a century of building and operating free-standing take-out operations - currently at 14 - the company is looking to franchising to expand outside the southern and central Maine footprint it has come to dominate. Amato's is currently in the process of opening four new "Amato's Express" operations in Irving Mainway locations. "We're excited to be partnering with Irving in this growth opportunity," Reali said. "The Amato's menu is perfectly tailored to people on the go looking for quality food without a significant wait."

The anticipated success of the Irving/Amato's Express partnership could mean large-scale franchise opportunities similar to Amato's 14 current full-menu stores, which in addition to sandwiches feature pizzas, pazzo breads, salads, and pastas. "We're just looking for the right partner in the right location," Reali concluded, noting that despite its dominance in many areas, much of Maine and New Hampshire remains an untapped market for the company.

About Amato's
Amato's, with 18 locations in southern and central Maine, is one of Maine's best-known names in Italian food. Families looking for homemade taste and quality enjoy Amato¹s freshly prepared pizza, pazzo bread, pasta, salads, and sandwiches.

Amato's is best known for its "Real Italian" - that unique blend of ham, cheese and crisp vegetables on a fresh baked bun enjoyed by Maine natives and visitors alike for more than 100 years!

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