A Pennsylvania transplant's hoagie shop tucked inside a Butler-Tarkington brewery taproom is once again turning sandwiches into support for Hoosier veterans. Hoagies & Hops is taking part in this year's Devour Indy dining event while gearing up for its 10th annual hoagie-eating contest, a fundraiser benefiting HVAF of Indiana, a nonprofit that provides housing, employment services and other support to homeless and at-risk veterans.
The restaurant, owned by Pottstown, Pennsylvania native Kristina Mazza, is offering a $15.50 Devour Indy special featuring a choice of sandwich, a side, a Pennsylvania Hershey bar and a fountain drink, according to WISH-TV. The citywide dining event, which runs through September 6, includes more than 100 participating restaurants across Indianapolis. Devour Indy is organized by the Indiana Restaurant & Lodging Association, which rebranded to Hospitality Indiana in April 2026 to reflect a broader focus on the state's dining and tourism industries.
Mazza opened Hoagies & Hops in 2015, bringing Pennsylvania-style hoagies to the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood after growing up in Pottstown and moving to Indianapolis. She's a Penn State University graduate who worked as operations manager for LUX Restaurants before starting her own venture, according to Onward State, and the shop originally launched inside the taproom of Holy Cross-based brewery Flat12 Bierwerks before relocating to its current space. Hoagies & Hops partnered with Chilly Water Brewing in 2019 and now operates inside the Chilly Water Brewing taproom at 4155 Boulevard Place in Indianapolis.
East Coast Ingredients, Shipped Straight to Indiana
The restaurant leans hard into authenticity, sourcing bread from Liscio's Bakery in South Jersey and shipping meats, pickles and chips from Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Dutch country. Ingredients are sourced directly from Pennsylvania and the East Coast, a supply chain the shop has maintained since its founding to replicate the sandwich style that Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell officially declared the city's official sandwich back in 1992, according to the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. The hoagie itself traces its name to World War I-era shipyards on Hog Island in Philadelphia, per that same historical account.
Hoagies & Hops has also built a reputation as a gathering spot beyond the sandwich counter. Former Philadelphia Eagles running back Timmy Brown was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame during a ceremony hosted at the restaurant in November 2024, and competitive-eating champion Joey Chestnut, the 15-time winner of Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog contest, has previously dined there as well.
Contest Funds Housing Support for Veterans
This year's hoagie-eating contest, set for September 19 at the Chilly Water Brewing taproom, will mark the tenth time Hoagies & Hops has run the event to raise money for HVAF of Indiana. The nonprofit provides rental and utility assistance to more than 350 veterans annually through its rapid rehousing program and houses over 200 formerly homeless veterans across Central Indiana properties, relying on federal Department of Veterans Affairs grants and community contributions, according to GuideStar records.
The restaurant's ties to HVAF run deeper than an annual contest. After an October 2024 fire displaced 48 veterans from HVAF's largest housing property in Indianapolis, Hoagies & Hops donated 15% of its food sales and collected essential supplies to aid the displaced residents, WTHR reported at the time. That support arrived as veteran homelessness in Indianapolis was already trending downward — 2025 point-in-time data from HVAF showed a 26% year-over-year decrease, with 84.3% of veterans served achieving permanent housing, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal.
A Neighborhood Fixture With Wider Giving Habits
Hoagies & Hops extends its charitable model beyond veterans, too. Every March 24, on National Cheesesteak Day, the restaurant donates 15% of food and beer sales to support the neighboring Martin Luther King Community Center near Tarkington Park, according to the Indianapolis Recorder. Between the Devour Indy special running through September 6 and the milestone hoagie contest arriving September 19, the Butler-Tarkington shop is stacking two community-facing events in the same month, keeping its East Coast roots and its local giving on full display.
