The line forms before the doors open. By noon, it snakes out onto the sidewalk. By early afternoon, certain sandwiches have sold out. This is life at The Wedge, the West Ashley sandwich shop that opened in October and immediately became the neighborhood’s most talked-about lunch destination.

Owners Gerry Meehan and Erin Sorbanelli have built something that hits differently than the polished fast-casual spots multiplying across Charleston. The space is compact. The menu is tight. The focus is absolute: sandwiches made with obvious care using quality ingredients stacked between excellent bread.

The concept sounds simple because it is. But execution at this level is anything but. The bread matters. The meat matters. The ratios matter. Details that lesser sandwich shops neglect become the foundation at The Wedge.

West Ashley has long lived in downtown’s shadow when it comes to food destinations. Residents crossed the Ashley River for special meals while their own neighborhood offered mostly chains and workmanlike neighborhood spots. The Wedge changes that calculation.

The lines themselves have become part of the experience. Regulars know to arrive early. First-timers learn patience. The wait creates anticipation that the sandwiches, by all accounts, satisfy.

Meehan and Sorbanelli’s backgrounds prepared them for this moment. Both logged time in Charleston kitchens before striking out on their own. They knew what they wanted to build and found a neighborhood hungry for exactly what they were selling.

Whether The Wedge can maintain its momentum as novelty fades will test the sustainability of the model. Lines thin eventually. Buzz quiets. What remains is the product itself, and on that front, early returns suggest they’ve built something with staying power.