Hampden Panini Shop: Owner Opens in 27 Days After Layoff

Anthony Lanasa opened PRESSED, a new panini shop in Baltimore, 27 days after being laid off from his position as head chef at Peabody Heights Brewery. The restaurant is located at 3528 Chestnut Ave. in the Hampden neighborhood, near The Avenue.

Lanasa, a self-trained chef who opened his first restaurant at age 21, said he knew he could secure a restaurant license in 14 days. He had previously completed the process in seven days in Baltimore County. He decided to proceed if he could secure a lease within three days of his layoff.

Two days after losing his job, Lanasa submitted an application for a space formerly occupied by Maillard Pastry. He received a draft lease on the third day. He passed a credit check and initiated the licensing process immediately.

Lanasa noted that Baltimore’s licensing systems are now mostly automated. When he began opening businesses in 2011, the process involved extensive paperwork. He stated he was familiar with the required offices and the sequence of visits, which streamlined the early stages of the project.

He received a signed lease on a Monday and approval for initial steps on Tuesday. He then began the health inspection process and scheduled an inspection for the following Thursday. Over the next nine days, Lanasa and business partner Tony Levan cleaned the space, organized equipment, and installed furniture to meet chemical and sanitation codes.

Lanasa said working as an owner-operator allowed him to identify necessary tasks and their order efficiently. He focused on completing administrative work to enable the shop to open. After passing fire marshal and building inspections, he spent an afternoon traveling between the permits office, health department, and circuit court to obtain the final license.

The shop began prepping food on Wednesday night and opened its doors on Thursday, Oct. 29. The current menu includes the CranDaddy, a cold sandwich with oven roasted turkey, cranberry pesto, spinach, and Swiss cheese on ciabatta for $6.00. The hot menu features the F&M Press, which includes fig jam, Manchester Fungi oyster mushrooms, shaved red onion, and spinach on sourdough for $12.00.

PRESSED operates Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lanasa stated the business aims to offer competitive prices by not seeking profit outside of the labor force. He plans to expand through catering and family meal plans. He described his approach as taking a smaller percentage of revenue to bolster employee compensation.