Downtown Branson gains new sandwich eatery

Just a few months after opening a tropical-themed shaved ice franchise in Branson, a group of restaurateurs have launched their newest concept in the Taney County town.

Dec. 22 was opening day for Mythical ‘Wich LLC, a sandwich shop that also offers all-day breakfast. Located in downtown Branson at 113 E. Main St., the venture comes from Brad Leighninger, Derrick Melugin, Jason Roberts and Tammy Zachary. The ownership group is behind Hollister pub Downing Street Pour House and barbecue restaurant chain Gettin’ Basted, which has locations in Branson and Nixa.

The four also are franchisees in Lubbock, Texas-based Bahama Buck’s. The Branson location for the franchise, which specializes in shaved ice with dozens of flavors and toppings, as well as other frozen nonalcoholic drinks, opened on Highway 76 in September, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

Zachary said a phone call from a friend about some available Branson building space led the owners to open their spin on a sandwich shop.

“We’ve always wanted something in downtown Branson. Sandwiches are my favorite thing,” she said. “We just thought it would be fun to do something outside the box from our normal stuff.”

While Zachary said some of the interior work and signage is still needed, she said startup costs will finish around $120,000. She said Springfield brand design and illustration studio Fried Design Co. is behind some of the interiors, including a colorful mural that features an alien hungry for sandwiches.

“We could have fun with the colors and the characters and all of that kind of stuff,” Zachary said of the mythical theme of their shop’s decor and logo.

The 18-employee shop fills 2,500 square feet in space formerly occupied by Dmitris’ Greek Gyros and Deli. The Greek restaurant closed in 2022 after its owner retired, according to the company’s Facebook page. Zachary said the owners signed a five-year lease for $7,000 per month with landlord Nathan Maurer.

The sandwich lineup at Mythical ‘Wich includes The Cyclops, which is a meatball sub, and Holy Hand Grenade, a house-made pastrami hash covered in cheese, sauce and a fried egg. Some of the sandwiches also comprise the breakfast choices, which additionally includes a breakfast burrito and quesadilla mashup called Chupacabra.

“This is the first time we’ve actually offered true breakfast starting at 9 in the morning and going through to close,” Zachary said, adding they wanted to offer a quicker breakfast option for downtown Branson diners.

Mythical ‘Wich is part of the ownership group’s growing focus south of Springfield. Zachary said they chose to close their Springfield location of Gettin’ Basted in November.

“Our focus is really going to be in the Branson market. It allows us to have more of a concentrated effect on what we’ve got going on,” she said.