Craving Quiznos?

An assortment of sandwich-making materials, the smell of freshly toasted subs and a smiling face saying, “Welcome to Quiznos,” signaled lunchtime for a number of people last week when Quiznos had its grand opening downtown.

Tyler Griffin, a Quiznos manager, said the new shop is exactly what GC’s campus needed.

“We figured that the college environment would really be appreciative of it because there’s only one place downtown that’s quick, easy and accessible, and that’s Barberitos,” Griffin said. “In a sub shop like this, people come in real quick, get out real quick and go to class whether they’re students, teachers or professors – anyone who walks by.”

Although there is a Subway about a block away from the new Quiznos, Griffin is confident that Quiznos will not face any serious competition.

“I manage the other one, and most of the people that were down there were more like business people,” Griffin said. “We had a lot of lawyers and judges come in. Now with our new location downtown, it hasn’t really been affected at all since Wednesday. I think we’re just getting a little niche here.”

This business success was not accidental. Quiznos had marketing teams out in full force to promote the opening of the shop.

“We had people walking around passing out coupons, banners shaking, letting people know that we are opening,” Griffin said.

This level of promotion was important considering the two date changes for the grand opening Quiznos faced in the opening process.

But the success on opening day proved that customers were not discouraged by the delayed grand opening.

“There was a really big line out the door at, like, 10:30 a.m.,” said Jack O’Connor, a junior community health major and Quiznos employee. “That was the biggest rush, but other than that, it was pretty steady.”

According to O’Connor, students were not the only ones craving Quiznos on opening day. Promotional efforts had spread beyond the GC community and received an enthusiastic response.

“We gave coupons to everyone, to all of the employees at the courthouse and other offices,” O’Connor said. “Everyone at the courthouse was really excited that it was within walking distance, and it would be something that they could come get and bring back to eat at their work.”

Since opening day proved to be a success, Quiznos is working on plans to better accommodate the demands of the customers.

“We’ll be open late nights too, like Barberitos eventually, once everyone starts getting the hang of things,” O’Connor said. “We’ll start opening late nights on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.”

Rachel Vandergriff, junior psychology major and self-proclaimed die-hard Quiznos fan, reinforced the sentiment that Quiznos is a great addition to downtown.

“I think it’s awesome,” Vandergriff said. “I’m so glad that we have a Quiznos downtown, so I don’t have to drive to it, and it’s 10 times better than Subway, so I’m really excited about it.”

From what Vandergriff has heard, much of the GC student body agrees with her.

“I think they’re really excited for the most part,” Vandergriff said. “Some people don’t know what Quiznos is, which I think is sad and a shame, and they need to be introduced to it, but I think everyone is really excited.”