Black Box Sandwiches coming to downtown Morganton this summer

A father-daughter duo with deep roots in the restaurant industry is preparing to bring bold flavors and creative flair to downtown with the upcoming launch of Black Box Sandwiches, a gourmet sandwich shop slated for a late summer to early fall opening at 510-A S. Sterling St.

Behind the venture, Shawn Mull and his daughter Claire Mull bring more than four decades of combined experience to the project. Shawn, a veteran of food service management, and Claire, or “Claire the Baker,” a former pastry chef with a decade in the restaurant world, began working full-time on Black Box in December.

The 920-square-foot space, next to Hannah’s Wash Dry Fold, will house a quirky, colorful, art-filled interior with plants, seating for 10 to 12 guests, and plans for an outdoor area and mural.

Upon entry, guests will be greeted by a 4-foot ordering wall, but behind it is where magic happens. Shawn will be leading the kitchen operations and production process. He was spotted on a Wednesday afternoon hauling in a three-compartment sink as the shop gets ready for plumbers and electricians.

“It just kinda felt perfect because we didn’t want a huge space,” Claire said. “We didn’t want to do full service; we want to focus on the food.”

Black Box will offer grab-and-go style sandwiches served in black compostable boxes for takeout and metal trays for dine-in customers. The Mulls are developing a menu of six to seven signature sandwiches, served with a side. Shawn emphasized bold flavors as the key to setting Black Box Sandwiches apart.

Customers can expect prices to range from $12 to $14 for gourmet sandwiches, plus beer, wine, and Claire’s handmade macarons.

“We’re going to have one to two really great veg [vegetarian] options,” Claire emphasized. “We’ll treat the veggies as much as we treat the meat; they need the same attention.”

Black Box will emphasize seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. Meats will be roasted in-house, and tomatoes will be supplied by Big John’s Hydro Farm in Lawndale.

“We’ll focus on seasonal produce, local produce, and we like punchy flavors. You can expect some things with some spice, some garlic, and in-house roasted meats,” Shawn said. “Definitely a quality over quantity situation here.”

The shop is designed as a lunch spot, open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Claire and Shawn noted they’ll be open on Mondays and Tuesdays, when many nearby restaurants are closed, a strategic move for attracting the downtown lunch crowd.

The Mulls plan to hire six to seven employees in the coming months. In the interim, the focus is on final equipment installation, followed by plumbing, electrical work, and inspections.

“Our foremost thoughts are we want to support local as much as possible … and we want to maintain quality in our food, but also a small but excellent staff,” Claire said. “Keeping people happy, supporting the community, however we can.”