Cinema-themed sandwich shop with central PA roots opening soon to State College area

A new, cinema-themed sandwich shop is going to be arriving at the Benner Pike Shops soon, and it’s one that the area’s sandwich-lovers might have already heard of.

Moxmoe Pictures Famous Sandwiches, owned by married couple Moe and Kate Thompson, is a movie theater-themed sandwich shop that, in addition to feeding its customers, aims to create a movie-like experience for every customer that comes in.

The Thompsons do this by leaning into the restaurant’s theme, and incorporating a unique philosophy into what each customer orders.

“I’ve heard people tell me over the years that ‘life is like a movie,’ or ‘life is what you make it,’ — I believe that when a customer comes into this store for a sandwich, they should be able to make it whatever they like, just like their life, or a movie,” Moe Thompson said. “That’s why we allow customers to put whatever they’d like from our selection on their sandwiches, and why we allow them to change what comes on our menu sandwiches, if they choose to do so.”

Diners in central Pennsylvania may already be familiar with Moxmoe — the Thompsons operated a popular sandwich shop in Huntingdon from 2022 until just recently, when they decided to make the move to State College.

Thompson hopes that if customers come in to their shop and create a memorable sandwich-eating experience, they will, in turn, be inspired to go out and make new experiences in their own lives.

The Thompsons also want to give people good experiences without visiting their restaurant, too — that’s why a small portion of each purchase goes to the “Make Highlights” fund, which donates money to single parent families and those in need.

“Whether it be a fun trip somewhere with your family or a new toy for a kid, we really want to see the fund make special experiences for folks,” Moe Thompson said. “Having grown up with just a single parent, I understand how hard it can be sometimes to provide cool experiences for your children in that situation. That’s why we want to do what we can to help out.”

The sandwiches on the menu — albeit easily changeable —are named after different careers and lifestyles, such as “The EMT,” “The Hiker” and “The Mobster.”

Sometimes, according to Kate Thompson, the staff members will pick a profession to dress up as for the workday in homage to that career choice for the day.

“We’ve dressed up as all sorts of things in the past — one time we dressed everyone up in scrubs and paid tribute to all the nurses that came through for a bite to eat,” she said. “We just want to pay homage to people in general. People are important, and they deserve to eat like they are too.”

After successfully securing the lease to their new storefront, located in the Benner Pike Shops between Trek Bicycles and Fine Wine & Good Spirits, the Thompsons closed down their Huntingdon location in favor of putting all their effort into the new location, although Moe Thompson won’t rule out a return.

“If we get this new location off the ground and it does well enough for us, I could definitely see us opening up a few different franchises in the future,” Moe Thompson said. “A return to Huntingdon could definitely be possible, but at the moment we’re just focusing on right now.”

With all the work on their new eatery nearly finished, the Thompsons expect to open sometime within the next few weeks.

The store looks to employ around eight to 10 staff members, and will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

More information on Moxmoe Pictures Famous Sandwiches’ opening can be found on its website or Facebook page.