Anyone who hangs out at Cheeky Sandwiches, 35 Orchard Street, knows that proprietor Din Yates is a little quirky and a bit of a free spirit. Case in point: a cross-country journey he began one week ago. Din, you see, set out to run the 1300 miles between New York and New Orleans, his hometown.
If you drop by Cheeky’s, you’ll notice a handmade map on the wall, titled “Where is Din?!,” tracking his progress since departing the Lower East Side a week ago Sunday. At first, he was traveling around 15 miles each day. But in the past week, Din had his bicycle delivered, so he has definitely picked up the pace. Yesterday afternoon, the map showed he’d made it to Clear Brook, Virginia (but it hadn’t been updated in a day or so). The Cheeky’s crew has been receiving text messages from Din, so they can keep loyal customers up-to-date.
Incidentally, it’s a pretty busy time at the little sandwich shop. After being a approved for a liquor license, Cheeky’s has installed two taps and is just waiting for city approval before starting to serve beer with their po’ boys. Also, Din recently signed a lease for a space below the restaurant and is making plans to serve breakfast once it’s renovated.
But first things first. Din’s got some serious cycling to do before returning to the city. We’ll be keeping tabs on his progress.
