Patrick TrautfieldCity Subs, a new sandwich window in The Avenue that specializes in fresh submarine sandwiches, opened for the first time Monday.
Located next to the City Deli sandwich window, the addition offers students 4-inch, 8-inch and foot-long sandwiches for $3.65, $5.65 and $6.95, respectively. Customers design their sandwiches from a selection of meats, cheeses, condiments and French bread – including white, wheat and herb.
City Subs’ key feature is that it uses bread that is baked daily rather than prepackaged bread used by City Deli and Sandwich Factory, said Mike Thornton, assistant director to Campus Dining and designer of City Subs. Also, ordering is done verbally without filling out forms, which makes it easier, he added.
On its opening day, City Subs had enough bread to make 150 to 200 sandwiches, and was sold out by 2 p.m., said Thornton, who worked the window Monday.
“We have had a pretty steady stream of people,” said Kathy Jermaine, an animal science junior and Campus Dining employee.
The reaction to City Subs has been positive, but the sandwiches are similar to what was already available on campus, Jermaine said.
“People like the bread, that’s pretty much the only difference,” she said.
Ray Truman, business sophomore and Campus Dining employee, echoed Jermaine’s sentiments.
“It’s pretty good. It’s not a whole lot different than what you can get at (City Deli),” Truman said.
One advantage the new sandwiches have is that they are not sold in just “one standard size,” physics freshman Kyle Reynolds said. The smaller sizes are helpful because they can be eaten with a salad.
The decision to open another sandwich window was influenced by surveys conducted by Cal Poly and marketing firms, Thornton said. The surveys found that students were interested in having sandwich eateries similar to Subway and Quiznos.
“It’s a test to determine what people want on the campus,” Thornton said.
If City Subs is successful, it may switch locations with City Deli, as City Subs is currently limited in its condiment and vegetable selection due to the window’s size, Thornton said.