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