Human Robot Brewery and Poe’s Sandwich Joint are splitting up after nearly seven years together at the craft brewer’s flagship Kensington tasting room, and their more recent partnership at the Human Robot taproom in Brewerytown is also nearing an abrupt end.
News of the breakup came Sunday morning when Human Robot shared an Instagram post about a new, five-year lease the brewery signed at 1710 N. Fifth St., where Human Robot opened its original location in 2020. The brewery said it soon will announce a new food partner for its Kensington and Brewerytown locations.
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“We want to send a massive thank you to (Poe’s Sandwich Joint) for being our food partner for nearly 7 years,” the post said. “Thank you, Poe and team, for slinging some amazing sandos and even better memories. We wish you all the best in your next adventure.”
Poe’s Sandwich Joint owner Richard Tamaccio, better known as N.A. Poe since his days as a local marijuana activist, said he learned about the ruptured business relationship in a letter he received from Human Robot’s lawyers last week. In a video Poe posted Sunday morning, he said his shops were being “booted” due to his behavior on the internet. He didn’t go into detail.
“I guess we’re looking for a home,” Poe, 47, said while smoking a joint.
Poe’s sandwiches have been closely intertwined with the Human Robot experience. Best known for its foamy, Czech-style mliko pours, Human Robot has blossomed into a regional favorite in the craft beer scene. The brewery uses different food partners at its locations in South Philly, Jenkintown and New Hope, where Human Robot has expanded in recent years despite the industry’s post-pandemic downturn.
In an interview Monday, Poe said he’s serving sandwiches at Human Robot’s Kensington and Brewerytown locations through Sept. 3.
The shakeup in Kensington and Brewerytown led to speculation on social media about the nature of Poe’s online transgressions. Some commenters said Poe’s Sandwich Joint posts Instagram Stories and Facebook comments that come across as racist and sexist.
Poe, now facing unemployment, defended himself Monday morning while acknowledging he has a tendency to be a “wacko” on the internet.
“Am I an irreverent person? Of course,” Poe said. “But I mean, if you ask anyone that has done any business with me or has dealt with me in a personal manner — like, that’s not who I am. I think you could literally go back and take a meme from every day that I’ve shared a post over the last seven years and find a way to get upset about it.”
Among other examples, Poe claimed the contract termination letter from Human Robot singled out a specific meme he shared in a recent Instagram Story on the account of Poe’s Sandwich Joint. Poe posted the image after the implosion of his anticipated partnership at the Monto, a new Old City bar led by Fergus Carey, the owner of Fergie’s Pub. Poe was slated to run the kitchen at the Monto, taking his sandwich offerings to new heights, but he unexpectedly “pulled the plug” on the arrangement only days after the bar opened in June, citing irreconcilable differences.
The meme in question depicted Fergie — who is from Ireland — performing a lewd act with a potato. Poe said it only was intended to be a joke and that he was just blowing off steam after all of the attention he got online following the failure of his kitchen venture at the Monto. He said he and Carey are on “good terms,” but his bosses at Human Robot were not amused.
“That made one of the Human Robot partners go through like, the goddamn roof, ya know?” Poe said. “I guess there’s a straw that breaks every camel’s back.”
Human Robot’s owners did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
Carey confirmed Poe emailed him to apologize about the potato meme after Human Robot terminated his contract. Carey hasn’t seen the image, but he said the description Poe shared from the termination letter is “hilarious” and he isn’t losing any sleep over it. Poe’s email was sincere, Carey said, and he feels bad to see the guy lose his job. Both Poe and Carey said the situation at the Monto didn’t pan out due to business-related differences.
“I wish him well,” Carey said. “I’d still have a beer with him.”
Poe’s rise as a notable sandwich maker followed a high-profile federal raid at a marijuana “smoke party” he helped organize at a warehouse in Northeast Philly in 2017. Poe was among 22 people arrested, including his dad and girlfriend, and he was hit with a slew of federal charges at the time. He reached a plea deal to avoid prison time, serving probation and completing community service instead. Poe originally opened his sandwich shop in a storefront in Fishtown in 2018. It closed the next year before he found a new home at the brewery on North Fifth Street, building a symbiotic relationship with Human Robot that he said always felt “tenuous.”
“They knew who they were hiring. I went from being a weed dealer to owning a business,” Poe said. “I’ve always spoken my mind. I’ve always done whatever I wanted to do. And I guess, you know, to a certain point, I’ve abused that freedom.”
The character N.A. Poe is a bit of an edge lord, Tamaccio said, and he thinks the “comedic” spirit of his online persona may be misunderstood.
Examples of Poe’s other memes include commentary about artificial intelligence, criticisms of Mayor Cherelle Parker and jokes about the 9/11 terrorist attacks. When debuting new sandwiches and specials, Poe often would appear in videos smoking a joint and blowing the smoke onto his sandwich.
Being provocative was a way for Poe to promote his food, he said, and he complained that too many businesses have become sanitized and image-conscious at the risk of alienating customers.
“This is America, and you can spend your dollars wherever you want,” Poe said. “I mean, it’s not like there’s people with pitchforks outside of Human Robot asking my restaurant to leave there. I’m widely supported around the city.”
Still, Poe said he understands why people might feel his online antics are toxic engagement bait.
“I kind of used the Instagram Stories to continue that activism and raging against the machine, which has always kind of been what I do,” Poe said. “I guess the character became too much. I’m really just trying to tickle the algorithm, and I think I’m just trying to entertain myself at the end of the day. I grew up on social media.”
As far as next steps, Poe said he’s still processing the end of his stint with Human Robot. He hopes to land somewhere else before the end of the year, ideally in a space where he can be his own boss instead of renting a kitchen. He intends to keep a number of his long-term employees.
“I’m ready to turn the page because I don’t really have any f—— choice,” Poe said.