It all began in Boulder, Colorado back in 1980 when a
man named Woody Hitchcock bought a small sandwich business called "The Ragged Edge." Woody immediately
changed the name to "Out to Lunch" and strictly sold VEGETARIAN sandwiches, such as their Middle Eastern
Delight w/hummus and assorted veggies on whole wheat, their Cream Cheese & Herb Bagel w/tomatoes and
sprouts, their Cheddar Cheese w/apples and shredded carrots, and their still-famous Nature's Garden,
an all vegetable sandwich on whole wheat.
In 1982, the owner of Alfalfa's grocery store in Boulder approached Woody and asked him if he could
start bringing in turkey sandwiches. Woody said, "I'm sorry, but we don't carry any meat sandwiches."
The owner then said, "Well, if you won't, I will find someone else that will." Woody replied, "How about
if we start those turkey sandwiches on Monday!"
His first-ever meat sandwich was his Smoked Turkey & Swiss w/lettuce, tomato and mayo on rye, which
quickly became a huge hit! Today, it remains one of Out to Lunch's top-selling sandwiches. In 1986,
Woody moved to Austin, Texas and brought Out to Lunch with him. He, with help from his wife Willa and
their six children, continued running the business for almost 25 years.
Today, the business is owned and operated by Kathy & Bill Whitehair in partnership with Woody, who
remains a part-owner and manager. In 2007, the name was slightly changed to "The Original Out
to Lunch" in an effort to distinguish it from another business in town with a similar name. Our
labels, too, have gone through a couple of changes recently, but we guarantee that our recipes have not!
Kathy & Woody remain dedicated to producing and delivering fresh, high-quality sandwiches to our many
accounts here in Austin, Texas.
Our burritos and salad tubs, however, can be found in many of the Whole Foods Markets in this region,
from Dallas to Baton Rouge. If you haven't tried one yet, you don't know what you are missing!!