Posted on 12/19/2002 7:23:08 AM PST by MrLeRoy
TEMPE, Ariz. – Chewing a turkey submarine sandwich, Kevin Small can't help but grin just a little about the joint he picked for lunch this day.
There are the two 6-foot-long mock marijuana cigarettes that proudly hang from the ceiling in torpedo-like fashion. The obligatory picture of Grateful Dead legend Jerry Garcia. A poster from the Cheech and Chong drug cult classic Nice Dreams.
After all, the 35-year-old salesman said, he can expect nothing less from a place with the motto: "Where the only thing fried is an occasional customer."
With locations near two colleges, the marijuana-themed Cheba Hut sub shops are proving popular eating places for customers in pursuit of something besides the typical fast-food franchise. They're so successful that founder and owner Scott Jennings is considering shops near campuses in Tucson and Flagstaff, Ariz., Fort Collins, Colo., and possibly Austin.
"We're rocking and rolling," said Mr. Jennings, who was at one of his stores during a recent busy noontime lunch crunch. "We're still in business, and business is good."
Since he opened his first shop in 1998, the formula used to court customers has been the same – fresh food at reasonable prices, and stick to the theme.
Take the name. Cheba is slang for pot. The shop offers "toasted" subs. And there are no 6- or 12-inch sandwiches on the menu. Instead, patrons order nugs, pinners and blunts, terms that describe the sizes of marijuana cigarettes.
The sandwiches include Jamaican Red (spicy chicken), Acapulco Gold (barbecued chicken) and Arizona Homegrown (southwest chicken salad). There are no appetizers here, just munchies such as chips and hemp brownies.
Mr. Jennings said he is under no false illusion about why people eat at his shops.
"It's the food," the 33-year-old proprietor said. "The theme is the bonus. If this was just a gimmick, I would have been out of business a long time ago."
Mr. Jennings, a December 1993 Arizona State University communications graduate, said the idea for wrapping his business tightly around marijuana came from the Cheech and Chong movie. In it, the two open an ice cream stand with some unusually named flavors and decorations.
But that was Hollywood. Unlike the movie, Cheba Huts do not sell drugs.
He said he sought his own operation since college, learning the trade by delivering food for a variety of places. Working for someone else never sounded all that good.
Mr. Jennings opened his first store on a popular strip near Arizona State with three credit cards and $15,000 in the bank, working 90 to 100 hours a week. With no money for advertising, word-of-mouth had to suffice. He vowed to be unconventional.
"A lot of people want to get away from places that are corporate," he said. "We're definitely not corporate. I don't want drones behind the counter."
But there are some house rules he enforces: No drug talk. No drug use on the job.
"I don't want to be a hypocrite, but they can't come in stoned," Mr. Jennings said. "I need them to be coherent while they're here. This is a busy place."
Store manager Karyn Jackson said the store attracts a heady mix of young and old, college students and professionals who come for the food, music and relaxed atmosphere.
"A lot of people make this place out to be something bigger than it is," said Ms. Jackson, who has been at the store for almost three years. "It's not about the weed."
That's not to say there are not critics. They contend that the place glamorizes drug use and makes a mockery of anti-drug efforts.
Barnett Lottstein, special assistant to the Maricopa County attorney, said the restaurant's general message is in bad taste.
"Maybe they should spend more attention on making better subs," he said. "Maybe they should spend more money on ingredients instead of on a subtle pro-drug message. What it does is ... trivialize the anti-drug message that most Americans support.
"Drug use is not a joke," he said. "Marijuana use is not a joke."
Mr. Jennings tells critics to inhale deeply and relax. He's not glorifying drugs.
"All we're doing is trying to put a funny spin on the whole thing," he said. "No one's smoking any joints in here. There's no harm here."
As for Mr. Jennings, he is, at best, noncommittal about his personal drug habits.
"All I can tell you is I don't smoke anymore," he said, pausing for a moment and looking around cautiously. "Or any less."
Man, I miss the 70's. Imagine doing that now.
This toaster is what all the Quiznos Sub Shops use. It's not a very far toss from the conveyor BK broils their burgers with.
I personally don't like toasted subs as much as cool ones. And I like 'em WET. I like to leave a trail of extra-virgin olive oil dripping off my subs.
Michael
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