Subway restaurant to open in Towers Nov. 7
The fifth Subway restaurant in the Mount Pleasant area will open a week later than anticipated.
As reported by Central Michigan Life in July, CMU chose to renovate the C3 Convenience Store in the Towers, adding 700 square feet of space in order to install a Subway. The date of completion was originally set to be Nov. 1, but that date has been extended to Nov. 7.
The extended opening date was caused by Subway franchise equipment delivery delays.
“Subway equipment installation should be complete this week,” said John Fisher, associate vice president for Residences and Auxiliary Services. “The rest of the P.O.D Market installation will take place the week of Oct. 22.”
Despite the change in completion, the project has adhered to its budget of $810,000 for the renovation and expansion, Steve Lawrence, vice president of Facilities Management, confirmed.
CMU paid $50,000 for rights to the Subway franchise, in addition to having to pay royalty fees based on annual sales and installation expenses, which Fisher previously told CM Life could cost a couple thousand dollars.
"Overall, we are 90-percent complete with Subway equipment being installed this week," Lawrence said. "Other casework installation is scheduled for next week."
In preparation for the opening of the restaurant, applications have been accepted, and interviews have begun for student employees.
“(They’re) currently interviewing and hiring approximately 50 student employees for this location,” Fisher said.
Detroit sophomore Menuette Giddens applied for a position at Subway Sunday and was called back the next day.
“I heard about it this summer, and, once I got back to school, I heard it was a go,” Giddens said. “Campus dining came to talk to us about it at an RHA meeting two or three weeks ago.”
The applications can be found online, and, from the description, it gave Giddens the idea it would be similar to The Market on east campus. Her interview is scheduled for Thursday.
“Subway is on campus now because it is a healthier choice than Papa John's,” Giddens said. “It’s a better option for everyone to eat after hours.”
With this addition, Central Michigan University will be host to Starbucks, Papa John’s Pizza, Quiznos and Subway among others.
Camilo Cobos, sophomore from Ecuador, said the restaurant will be convenient for students living on campus.
“I heard about it earlier this week when I was talking with some friends,” Cobos said. “I normally go to the Subway on Mission Road next to the gas station because I live on east campus.”
Fisher told CM Life previously the restaurant will not be considered a retail location.
“We won’t really get the on-campus traffic. That’s not really our intent,” he said in July. “We’re excited about having a Subway on campus because it is a popular franchise with students. I look at it as another option for students and one that is probably seen in a favorable light.”
