Life is Service: Ian Bracken x Ideal's Sandwich and Grocery

“My grandfather was very business-oriented, always asking, ‘What’s next?’ From the moment I started cooking, he’d push me to think ahead—from cook to sous chef, to manager, until I realized that the final step was to own my own place. He always knew the right way to push me. His advice stuck with me, and I knew that if I was going to take the leap, I needed to do it while I was young. He told me it’s better to fail young, so take the jump. Well, I did it, and I do my best to keep his legacy proud.

When I saw this building, it spoke to me. This place is truly perfect. Red has always been a prominent color in my life — I’ve got a red beard, I drove a red car, my wife and child have red hair, and then 2108 had that lovely red brick exterior. Without this building, I don’t know if Ideal’s would even exist.

Now we have lines that can extend down the street. I wish we could serve people while they wait, because I know there will come a day when the line isn’t there. But it’s just part of the business now. When we first opened, we had nothing in the store, and we were doing everything ourselves. Now we can make over 150 hoagies a day, and it’s both humbling and confusing to see people travel miles and miles and wait for their food. I will say, our space is perfect, but we are truly limited by it. It would be impossible to have the volume we need to avoid the lines that build up. We’re just trying our best.

Starting all of this was terrifying. It’s like I did 10 years of work in 2 years, and now we’re here. It’s exhausting—I work 6-7 days a week, from 8 to 5. Some days I’m making bread, some days I’m power-washing the dumpster, but I’m living my dream.

I went to the Culinary Institute of America, where I met Paul, and then I went to Boston University. It wasn’t a traditional experience—I lived at home, worked 30-40 hours a week at restaurants, and I loved every minute of it. From the first time I came to Durham, it felt like home. It really is home now. I want to set up a future for my son and pay our employees well. They make more than I made when I was an hourly sous chef, and that’s something I’m incredibly proud of. I don’t know if life could be better.”

— Ian Bracken
Co-Founder: @idealsdurham

Photo series: Life is Service
Pt 7.
Photographed + Interviewed by: Jordan Abdur-Ra’oof @shotbyjbot

Location: Ideal’s Sandwich & Grocery 2108 Angier Ave, Durham, NC 27703