IYKYK: Franklin Butchery Has Dinner Service (And Other Secrets from the Shop)

I take my sandwiches seriously, and Franklin has tested my patience over my 32-year lunching tenure. Very few were better than one I could whip up at home, and soon came the audacity to charge $15 for a scoop of simple chicken salad on white bread. 

When a new butcher shop opened in town promising great sandwiches, I skeptically ordered the chicken salad first, and to my surprise, the quality finally felt worth the price. 

The chicken was cooked with care (read: seasoned and poached), the mixture included a sweet burst of craisins, and the protein was smooshed between artisanal buns. I've since spread the word and gone back for the Reuben and the burger, both of which came dressed to impress. 

Here’s the story behind how this now dining option came to be, and all the ways you can enjoy it. 

Born from backyard cookouts

Co-owners Laurie Salaber and Aubrey Tirado became friends after their oldest daughters did, and the two families got close quickly. Backyard cookouts turned into vacations, turned into, “what if we started a business together?” 

They already had a butcher in the mix. Carlos, Aubrey’s husband, had spent the better part of a decade in the trade, and Salaber kept running into him at a local grocery store, only to leave unable to find the cut she came for. 

"I would go home frustrated, and one day [my husband] Konrad said, 'This is ridiculous. Franklin needs a butcher shop!'" Salaber said. "And he was right."

As the idea took shape, it evolved far beyond a butcher shop.

“We wanted to create an experience that was so much more than that,” Salaber said.

Laurie, Konrad, Carlos, and Aubrey officially opened the shop in March 2026. 

The butcher case

The butcher case is central to the operation, stocked daily with hand-cut beef and pork from Bear Creek Farm — a pasture-raised, grain-finished Thompson's Station family farm using zero hormones and antibiotics.

Much of the seafood arrives from the coast of Maine and rotates based on what looks best that day.

"We wanted to know where our food was coming from, who we were buying it from, and be able to tell that story to our customers," Salaber said.

This comes at a time (post-cyclospora incident) when people are paying much closer attention the origin of their food. Franklin Butchery is all about openness, so much so that they have an open butcher room behind glass if you literally want to know how the sausage gets made. 

The sandwich counter

Between the two families are six kiddos, and every sandwich on the menu is named for one of them. Each one starts with the same meat they’re proud to sell in the case, but carefully concocted into a gourmet sammie. 

The burger caught on almost immediately, though Salaber said you can't go wrong with any of them: a club, short-rib beef, BBQ pork, meatball, and that tasty chicken salad. They also offer Meals To Go, built to reheat well at home, plus craft beer and wine.

Dinner service, and a special hack

Tuesday through Saturday at 5 p.m., the shop switches over to a dinner menu with steaks, a catch of the day, and other plates. A surprising number of people don't even know dinner service exists.

But while dinner service is certainly a hack, we have a better one. During the day, you can walk up to the case, point at the steak you want, and have the kitchen cook it for you in the back.

"You can literally choose your steak straight from the case and then sit down and let us take care of the rest," Salaber said.

Private and group dining

The private dining room has become one of the busiest parts of the business, hosting executive dinners, retirement parties, lunches and family celebrations. Each group gets a custom menu built around what they're after. 

“That’s really what we love most about it,” Salabar added. “We’re not just selling someone a steak or a sandwich. We get to be part of people’s lives and some pretty important moments.”

And if those important moments are better spent cooking at home, that's what the counter is for. You can tell the team what you're making and how many people you're feeding, and they'll happily help you land on the right cut, how much to get, and the best way to cook it. 

The Franklin Butchery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.