Mr. Lucky's Reopens Both Sandwich Shops, for Now

"I'm not out of the woods yet," says Galen Juracek, owner of Mr. Lucky's Fine Sandwiches. The business has been a staple in Capitol Hill for 25 years and also has a location in LoHi, but a recent tangle with a fraudulent lender left its future uncertain.

Last month, Juracek decided to close both locations from December 23 until at least the start of the year as he took a much-needed mental break and met with his landlords. While the business is still under a financial strain, both Mr. Lucky's spots have made a comeback...for now.

"We needed to get operating, basically," Juracek notes. "We've slimmed down a little bit, but it's also the slow season."

He's not alone in feeling the strain right now; many restaurant owners are struggling with rising costs — including another minimum wage increase that took effect on January 1 — combined with the traditionally slow sales numbers that come in the cold winter months following the holiday season.

"It's a running theme around town: We can talk about all the places closing or we can do something about it when we have the opportunity," Juracek says. "I just want people to realize that there is an opportunity to help keep businesses open that you love and respect. Now's your opportunity to go to the places you love, to the places you'd be sad to see closing, especially this time of the year."
We would certainly be sad to see Mr. Lucky's go — it's a favorite for affordable sandwiches, including the French dip.

But Mr. Lucky's won't go down without a fight. "We're going to do our best to increase our exposure and online presence and continue to search for the right financial partner and make it to the busy season," Juracek says, adding that he's working on developing an app for easy ordering and "new marketing, new ideas to try to get people in the door."

Although both locations are supposed to be open from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, those hours may vary depending on staffing, particularly on weekdays. But Juracek assures us that Mr. Lucky's will be open for lunch every day.

Mr. Lucky's is located at 711 East Sixth Avenue and 3326 Tejon Street; for more information, visit mrluckysco.com.