CRYSTAL LAKE – Which Wich Superior Sandwiches has been consistently busy since it opened in Crystal Lake last week.

“It’s going great,” franchise owner Brijesh Patel said Tuesday. “We’ve been very busy and new people are coming in every day.”

Which Wich, a Dallas-based sandwich chain, opened its first McHenry County location Feb. 23 at 5899 Route 14, Unit A, Crystal Lake.

The Crystal Lake location features a touch-screen drive-thru menu, which has proven popular with customers. Patel said the drive-thru served more than 350 customers in the first week.

Brijesh Patel partners with friends Harry Patel and Divesh Patel.

Harry Patel, who operates the store as manager, said he worked as a chiropractor in Huntley for 21 years before opening the franchise with his friends.

“I woke up one day and wasn’t having any fun,” he said, adding he always wanted to get into the service industry. “I’m having fun doing this.”

The chain sets itself apart by offering customers more than 60 ingredients and letting them customize orders by checking boxes on their sandwich bag.

For example, customers can pick a turkey base and add American, Swiss, cheddar, provolone, pepper jack, mozzarella, Cheez Whiz, blue, feta and Parmesan cheeses. They can top it off with everything from lettuce and Sriracha sauce to honey mustard and candied walnuts.

“I just like that it’s got a lot of different varieties and you can make it your own,” said customer Diane Webb of Crystal Lake as she finished up her lunch Tuesday afternoon.

Which Wich has more than 307 stores in four countries. The Crystal Lake location is part of the chain’s expansion efforts in Illinois.

– Web editor Nicole Franz contributed to this report