Which Wich is plotting a comeback in the Richmond region, with plans to open a new sandwich shop at Chesterfield Towne Center in January 2027. The spot will take over the mall space formerly occupied by Jimmy John's, complete with its own entrance next to Canastas. It marks a return for a chain that pulled out of the local market roughly 17 to 22 months before the planned opening.
According to Richmond BizSense, the opening comes via a building permit recently filed with Chesterfield County. Company spokesperson Hala Habal confirmed the plans, and the chain will be operated locally by married franchisees Don and Carolyn Carden — their first Which Wich. Don Carden brings management experience from MKG Enterprises, which operates McDonald's restaurants in Virginia, according to Habal.
A Market Which Wich Never Wanted to Leave
The Dallas-based chain, known for customizable sandwiches ordered by marking up sandwich bags with Sharpie pens, previously ran locations at Westchester Commons in Midlothian and on Willow Lawn Drive, but it shuttered both by spring 2025, leaving the region without a Which Wich, according to Richmond BizSense. The company has said that retreat was driven by pandemic-related economic pressures rather than any lack of local interest.
In a prepared statement, the company said its belief in the region's strong customer base never wavered, and that it intends to tap back into what had been a strong market with a high-traffic location. The Chesterfield Towne Center site, with its standalone entrance near Canastas, fits that description.
From Boom to Retrenchment and Back
Which Wich's Richmond-area struggles mirror a broader contraction the chain went through nationally. The company had more than 430 locations around 2018, but closed a net 134 of them between 2020 and 2023, a period of contraction for the chain. At the time of its Willow Lawn and Westchester Commons closures, the chain's website listed just seven locations remaining in Virginia, out of 183 nationwide — nearly all of them in the United States. Which Wich was founded in Dallas in 2003 and began selling franchises two years later, in 2005, as reported by Richmond BizSense.
New Neighbors at a Growing Mall
Chesterfield Towne Center, billed as the largest enclosed shopping center in the Richmond region with more than 130 stores and restaurants, has been drawing fresh retail interest lately. Fast-casual bowl concept Flavor Hive is also planning to open a second local location at the mall, according to a separate report from Richmond BizSense. Together, the additions suggest the mall is shaping up as a landing spot for food brands looking to expand or re-establish a footprint in Chesterfield County.
