By AJ MERRIMAN
The Ramspondents
For nearly a decade, Elevated Sandwiches has brought a taste of home to Fort Collins through regional favorites, local ownership, and loyal customers.
In a city filled with familiar lunch spots and chain restaurants such as Jimmy John's and Subway, Elevated Sandwiches has established its unique identity in northern Fort Collins. Located at 1612 N. College Avenue, the sandwich shop has spent the last nine years building a steady following by serving sandwiches inspired by comfort food favorites to bring a home-cooked feeling to each customer.
Elevated Sandwiches is owned by Matt and Holly Lafelice. Not only is the shop an easy place to grab lunch, it’s a business rooted in a family history in the restaurant industry. Matt and Holly wanted to create something with lasting power in Fort Collins. This was a gamble for the restaurant owners, but their shop has since become a staple in the northern Fort Collins area, known for quality food and a hometown feel.
The Lafelices’ foodservice backgrounds made opening a sandwich shop feel natural. After years working for various restaurants, they decided to create something of their own.
“We just kind of wanted to get back into the roots of what we did, like a sandwich shop,” Matt said.
That sentiment carries throughout the restaurant, with a menu built around recognizable dishes. The atmosphere reinforces the idea that food can connect people. In a city like Fort Collins, diverse people from many walks of life have moved here from elsewhere, making local connection vital. For some, a sandwich can be more than just a lunch; it can bring back the nostalgia of where someone grew up.
The shop’s placement in northern Fort Collins was a deliberate decision on the Lafelices’ part. Instead of trying to compete in Old Town, they decided to renovate an old Pizza Hut building. The location was less desirable, but they believed their food could attract customers without being in the center of town.
“It was a gamble,” Matt said. “We knew how to make good things, and we were hoping that people would drive to us, and they did.”
Fortunately that gamble paid off. Over the past nine years Elevated Sandwiches has developed a loyal customer base and become a beloved restaurant in the local area. Elevated Sandwiches is takeout-friendly, which helped the restaurant adapt during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and continue growing afterward. Matt said that being locally owned is a very important aspect of the business because it keeps Elevated tied to the city and the people who support it. Both he and Holly prioritize connections to their community , and they see their business as a personal endeavor rather than a source of income.
“This is our love,” Matt said. “This is our child.”
He went on to describe how they cook their food as they would for their own family. The care they put into each meal matters just as much as the ingredients themselves. With that philosophy, they have built strong and lasting trust with their customers.
Looking to the future, Matt said that the couple’s goal is to continue to serve the community, keep the restaurant thriving, and enjoy the business they built.
“Every year when you hit another milestone of an anniversary in this business, it's special,” Matt said. “Continue having fun. Continue having great people around us that are making things happen, and just keep going.”
AJ Merriman is a reporter for The Ramspondents.