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Albert (left) and Agon Demi work together to run the sandwich shop. (Photos by Darcy Sprague / Community Impact Newspaper)
When Albert Demi and his wife adopted Melanie Cooper in college, the retriever did not eat anything.
Then one day he stole a bite from her sandwich and it seemed like all of his behavior had changed.
“He seemed to relax afterwards,” said Albert. “He became a much calmer dog.”
Years later, when Albert and his brother Agon had the opportunity to rent the business premises next to their parents’ restaurant, they knew what it had to be – sandwiches in Cooper’s honor.
“Somehow everything fell into our lap,” said Albert. “It all came together and made sense.”
Cooper is older now and his face is turning silver, but he still travels to Cooper’s restaurant in South Austin to pet customers.
The Demi brothers grew up in North Austin, “where The Domain was before The Domain was.” Her parents opened the Milano Cafe in a mall near the highway. 290 and MoPac in southwest Austin.
The brothers worked in the restaurant and met the other tenants and neighbors. When they returned from college, the brothers both knew they wanted to connect with South Austin. When they heard that the square next to Milano would be open, they jumped together.
“After all, I’m a South Austin guy,” Albert said.
Albert and Agon set up the room themselves – they built the tables, laid the floor, painted and furnished their kitchen. Albert and his mother Giki came up with the sandwiches in the redesigned kitchen while Agon worked on permits and other business matters. Cooper’s sandwich is buffalo chicken to complement its golden red coat. Albert and Melanie’s Great Dane, Apollo, has the biggest sandwich on the menu – roast beef, ham, bacon and cream corn on a baguette.
Each of their sandwiches exemplifies a dog in the family. The bread is baked daily in a bakery in San Marcos. Meat and cheese are cut in the house. They also sell pizza, Amy’s ice cream, and cookies from The Bearded Baking Co., another South Austin store. On the walls there are paintings of each dog, made by her father Sami. Sometimes he goes over and watches his sons at work, but tries not to interfere – he takes pride in the fact that they are doing their own thing.
Coopers
4601 Southwest Parkway, Ste. 106
512-614-4941
www.cooperssandwiches.com
Opening times: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sun. closed.
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