The term
"Grinder" can be traced back to the East Coast where during World
War I Italian immigrants set up sandwich shops close to the
shipyards. Their freshly backed Italian rolls were filled with
generous amounts of meats and cheeses, and were then baked and
garnished with lettuce and tomatoes. These super-sized sandwiches
were a favorite of the hard working men who ground off rivets on the
metal warships. The friendly shop owners referred to these men as
grinders, and the ever popular sandwiches also came to be known as
GRINDERS.
