‘We took a leap of faith’: 30 years later Moe’s Italian Sandwiches still a staple in Exeter

EXETER — Patti O'Leary said it's hard to believe that she's been behind the counter of Moe's Italian Sandwiches of Exeter for three decades.

"I think a lot back to the good old days... to the first customers that opened our doors...right up to our customers that continue to keep our doors open," she said. "How blessed we are to still be in business."

O'Leary is celebrating her 30th year as owner and operator of the Moe's franchise in the Globe Plaza.

Over the years, she's seen Exeter change and society in general change, and she's seen other fast-food options pop up on Portsmouth Avenue. The Moe's shop has stayed on, and she looks forward to another 30 years serving Exeter its subs.

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A family business

O'Leary said she was working at Cabletron in Rochester in 1992 and had no clear career goals.

That changed, when she along with her late father, Paul, late brother Dan decided to go in on starting a franchise of the venerable Moe's Subs, founded in Portsmouth in the 1950s.

The trio, with support from other family members, opened their sandwich shop on Lincoln Street.

A year later, they moved into Globe Plaza for more visibility. The spot was pricier than their Lincoln Street digs, but they went for it.

"We jumped at the opportunity. We took a leap of faith," O'Leary recalled.

None of the three O'Learys had restaurant backgrounds, but they made it work. O'Leary ran the shop, her father did the bookkeeping, and her brother added support where he could while working a full-time job.

"My mom, Lucia, used to come in and cut pickles," O'Leary said with a smile. "She did that for 25 years."

O'Leary acknowledged that she, her father and Dan could have started their own restaurant, with their own recipes and brand. But they liked Moe's.

"It's a family atmosphere," she mused. “And it's a fantastic product. It's stood the test of time since 1959."

She said they established a close relationship with Phil "Moe" Pagano, the founder, and his wife Rosalie.

Secret to success: ‘Moe's makes a really good sub’

O'Leary credits her longevity with Moe's to several factors. One is that “Moe’s makes a really good sub,” O’Leary said, and they're known for their fresh ingredients.

The menu originally had one sandwich, the Original Moe's, featuring salami and provolone cheese. In the late 90s, the parent corporation began to add items such as turkey, chicken salad, tuna salad, ham and meatball subs. Wraps and gluten-free items are now on the chalkboard. The bread is fresh every day, and she'll stack up her gluten-free rolls against any around.

Another factor in their success, O’Leary said, is her second-in-command, Meredith Stamnas. The two met at Cabletron and became best friends, with Stamnas racking up 20 years at Moe's.

The two are completely in sync, O'Leary said: "We can work without talking."

The women got married about the same time, had their children around the same time, and got divorced around the same time, O'Leary added.

And though her father and Dan have passed on, Moe's of Exeter is still a family affair.

Her daughter Kaili, a student at UNH, was "born and raised in the store" and comes back to help out, O'Leary said.

Changing with the times

O'Leary said in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, they entered a "whole other world": online ordering.

The store had been low-tech for all of its time in Exeter, but they knew that had to change, and just as the original trio did, they worked at it until they knew what they were doing.

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O'Leary is thrilled that Exeter has stuck by her. She has a cadre of customers who come in every week, and she splits them with Stamnas. "Meredith calls her people 'honey' and 'sweetie,' and they love it. I'm not a 'honey' person," O'Leary explained. "She has her following, I have mine."

O'Leary remembers an earlier Exeter. "It used to be an old-fashioned town," she recalled. "It still has that old-fashioned feel, but a lot of the mom-and-pop stores are fading away. Corporate entities are coming in, and so many places are gone."

But the heart and soul of the town is still here, she added. Her earliest customers come in with their children, and now their grandchildren. They ask after Kaili and Stamnas's family. And when they're not well enough to walk inside, she brings their order out to them. "It's like 'Cheers,'" she said. "Everybody knows your name."

O'Leary is 50, Stamnas 53, and they have no intention of retiring, she said. She would miss the customers.

While O'Leary owns the rights to any future Moe's in Epping, she's not yet ready to take that leap. She's happy in Exeter. "I'm blessed with what I have," she said.

As the door opened and a new customer came in, O'Leary excused herself. "I can help you," she said. "What can I get for you?"

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Moe’s Italian Sandwiches celebrates 30 years in Exeter NH