A $38 sandwich is taking over the US Open why fans say its worth the price and the wait

Walk onto the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, and you’ll eventually find your way toward the food court area, where on most days during this year’s U.S.Open you’ll be met by a long line of fans waiting to get their hands on a $38 sandwich that has been the talk of the tournament. So what has compelled U.S.

Open goers to wait on line — for some, that has been a 15-20-minute investment of their day at the tournament — to get their hands on the prime rib sandwich, topped with onions, aioli and provolone? That depends on who you ask. For 64-year-old Brooklynite Rob Carlson, the decision to hop on the line has been due to the buzz he’s heard from other people. “The thing is that when you hear about somebody who had it, say, ‘You know what? It’s really good,’ and then you see the line, [those are] two facts that actually say, OK, you know what? It’s worth the wait,” he told The Post after just getting off the line.“When people really like it and they want to wait in line and you see other people validate it.

Sure, why not [wait]?”Allie Struda, 24, and Emma Barrett, 28, both live in the city and are familiar with the “lore” of Salt Hank’s, they explained moments after securing their French dip sandwich. For those unfamiliar, Salt Hank — real name Henry Laporte — gained fame on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic through his viral cooking videos.It led to followers, brand deals and a cookbook before last year, when he opened up his own brick-and-mortar shop in the West Village. The shop became an instant success, serving just the French dip sandwich that is now a hit at the U.S.

Open. “We’re from the city, so we know the lore of Salt Hank’s and how good it is,” Struda explained.“We have not had the chance to try it, so we’re like, why not?”“Sometimes the line draws you in,” Barrett added.“Social media is the reason,” Barrett went on, noting the constant social media post...