Subway coming to Mattawa
The new Subway sandwich shop scheduled for Mattawa will be housed in the same building as NAPA Auto Parts on Government Way.
MATTAWA - The Subway international sandwich chain will do business in Mattawa in the near future, operating in the west end of the NAPA Auto Parts building on Government Way.
The owner of the local franchise will be Hank Lee, owner of the NAPA business and the building. The permit to allow remodeling should be secured this week, City Clerk Robin Newcomb said.
Lee would like to open the new business "sooner rather than later," but he doesn't have a solid opening date yet. It all depends on the permit and construction inspection process.
According to Newcomb, the permitting process was slowed by an initial application that was incomplete. The completed application was received last week, and the remodeling plan was approved.
According to Steve Wadsworth of The Building Department, a private company with which the City of Mattawa contracts, there will probably be at least four inspections - framing, plumbing, mechanical, electrical - before the project is complete and ready for opening.
Lee plans to move the work along as quickly as possible after he receives his permit. He said the finished project will have seating for those who want to dine in.
Subway was launched in 1965 by 17-year-old Fred DeLuca. That was how he planned to earn the money to fund a college education that would make him a doctor.
A family friend suggested the submarine sandwich shop. With a loan of $1,000, the friend - Dr. Peter Buck - offered to become Fred's partner, and the idea that became Subway was launched.
The first store was opened in Bridgeport, Connecticut in August, 1965. By 1974, the partners owned and operated 16 submarine sandwich shops throughout Connecticut. They began franchising, launching the SUBWAY® brand into a period of growth that continues to this day.
The SUBWAY® brand is the world's largest submarine sandwich chain with more than 37,000 locations around the world. Recently there was a change at the top of the leadership.
DeLuca, now a billionaire, has turned over day-to-day operations to his sister Suzanne Greco, 59, while he battles leukemia. Her official title remains senior vice president.
DeLuca, now 67, has not revealed succession plans although he has undergone chemotherapy and a bone-marrow transplant that have curtailed his participation in the business.