The Story of the Po-Boy Sandwich
How the Poor Boy Sandwich Became an American Classic
From Poor Boy to Po-Boy
The poor boy sandwich, now known as the po-boy sandwich, originated in 1929 during the streetcar strike at Martin Brothers’ French Market and Coffee Stand in New Orleans. The Martin brothers, Bennie and Clovis, were both streetcar conductors from the mid-1910s, until they opened their restaurant in 1922. The poor boy sandwich was then created in 1929 when the Electric Street Railway employees went on strike, and the Martin brothers gave away sandwiches to the strikers.
The original Martin poor boy sandwiches were typically fried potatoes, gravy, and spare bits of roast beef on French bread. Whenever a striker would walk into the restaurant Benny would shout to Clovis, “Here comes another poor boy!”.
The po-boy quickly gained popularity and started appearing in newspapers and on menus across the country in the 1930s. Po-boys began replacing older New Orleans restaurants sandwiches, called “loaf” or “loaves”. The Martin brothers promised the strikers free meals, and stated in a letter to the strikers, “We are with you till h*ll freezes, and when it does, we will furnish blankets to keep you warm.” With the promise of free meals to strikers, the Martin brothers concluded that they needed a new loaf made for their large sandwiches. They met with their bread supplier, John Gendua, and created a forty inches long loaf that shocked the general public. In the 1970s, the city of New Orleans declared the Martin brothers as the “Originators of Poor Boy Sandwiches”.
Seafood Po-Boys, Delicious and Nutritious
New Orleans is proudly the home to the po-boy sandwich, however the Martin brothers’ famous sandwich has now become a favorite far beyond the reach of Nola. Many po-boys feature seafood as the stuffing, including shrimp, crab or oysters.
Shrimp po-boys are delicious and have serious health benefits because shrimp is calorically low and packed with vitamins and nutrients.
Enjoying a crab po-boy will also promote good health because crab is rich in phosphorus which aids in bone and teeth health.
An oyster po-boy is also a great choice because oysters are packed with antioxidants and Vitamin C and E which boosts immunity.
Check out our signature seafood po-boy sandwich options via our menu below, and enjoy one at one of our three locations in Northeast Florida!