The term “grinder” can be traced back to the east coast, where during WWI, Italian immigrants set up sandwich shops close to the shipyards.  Their freshly baked Italian rolls were filled with generous amounts of meats and cheeses, and were baked and garnished with lettuce and tomato. These super-sized sandwiches were a favorite of the hard working men who ground off rivets on the old metal warships. The friendly shop owners referred to these men as “grinders” and their ever popular sandwiches also came to be known as “grinders”.