The “Salvation” Sandwich at Alvin Ord’s Sandwich Shop is the original creation of Alvin Ord Johnston. In 1970, Alvin Ord Johnston was living in Longview, TX. Alvin Ord had devoted his life to the church and spent a great deal of time reading & studying.

Alvin’s mother, Gertrude Wallace, was locally famous for her family bread recipes. Alvin, who enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen, developed a sandwich which became very popular w/ family & friends. The sandwich, prepared on Gertie’s famous bread became so popular that Alvin was encouraged to open a sandwich shop & sell his creation to the public. Austin, TX was chosen as the first site to market this unique product.

Alvin’s two nephews, Rick and John Skinner, both students at U.T. Austin, helped Alvin Ord w/ the restaurant. In the small shop on South Congress Ave., they baked bread daily in strict accordance with Gertrude’s recipe & instructions.

On January 31, 1972, Rick opened the shop to find the business books & records lying open in the kitchen, up to date & in perfect order. There was no note of explanation, but Alvin Ord was gone. Since that date, the only contact Alvin has made with his family was to let them know he was all right & was trying to gain acceptance into the order of Trappist Monks in Washington State.

Rick & John continued to operate the shop. However, as business grew & school became more demanding, the brothers left the restaurant business.

In June, 1978, Rick opened a new sandwich shop on Guadalupe St. in Austin. Rick named the shop after his uncle, Alvin Ord. The shop was an immediate success. Since then, many additional shops have opened. Each works hard to live up to the high standards set forth by Alvin Ord.

Our symbol, the little monk, is a daily reminder to uphold his principles.

Thank you for your patronage.

Alvin Ord’s