Eastgate Subway to move, get drive-thru The move to a stand-alone eatery is expected to take place in September or October.
By VICKI HILLHOUSE of the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
WALLA WALLA -- Owners of the area's Subway franchise plan to move their Eastgate sandwich shop to a new freestanding building.
Customers won't have to travel far from the existing store at the Eastgate Marketplace, 420 N. Wilbur Ave. In fact, they won't even have to get out of their vehicles once they get there, said Russ Cazier, operating owner of Kennewick-based Cazier Enterprises, which owns more than a dozen Subway shops in Eastern Washington.
The new facility, under construction at 541 N. Wilbur Ave. directly behind the Melrose Avenue building home to the Modern Restaurant, will include a 12-foot drive-through window so customers who don't want to go in can watch their sandwiches being made to order from their vehicles.
"Customer participation -- more pickles if that's what they want -- that experience is part of the reason Subway's successful," Cazier said.
He said the enormous windows are unique to the Cazier stores. The Eastgate Subway will be the fifth of Cazier Enterprises' 14 stores to have the window. A 15th Subway is expected to open in the Tri-Cities next month.
Cazier said restaurants -- from fast-food eateries to sandwich shops -- average a 23 percent mistake rate at the drive-through. With a larger window and more visibility, customers have a chance to see everything as it's coming together, an important feature for a place with far more choices than your average burger joint, Cazier said.
"This opens it all up for better interaction," he said.
He said the move down the street is expected to take place in September or October. Trademark Construction is the contractor on the building, which has been under construction for weeks. In addition to the sandwich operation, the building includes another roughly 700 square feet, which will be available for lease.
Cazier said the relocation from the Eastgate Marketplace continues a movement among the owners to operate in freestanding buildings. This will be the seventh standalone operation in the Cazier family of Subways. The other preferred location is an end-cap placement in a strip mall, as is the case at Meadowbrook Plaza in College Place. He said Walla Walla's Main Street operation is an exception because it's downtown.
The timing for the new building also comes as the Eastgate shop is due for an update and remodel, Cazier added.
"We're several years past the remodel update, and we just knew that we wanted to move," he said.
Walla Walla's Eastgate Subway has been at that location since its opening in 1992. The operation had changed hands at least one other time before Cazier Enterprises purchased the local franchise in 2004.
This is your opportunity to speak out about the story you just read. We encourage all readers to participate in this forum.
Please follow our guidelines and do not post:
Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo, such as accusing somebody of a crime, defaming someone's character, or making statements that can harm somebody's reputation.
Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
Personal attacks, insults, threats, harassment, or posting comments that incite violence.
Comments using another person's real name to disguise your identity.
Commercial product promotions.
Comments unrelated to the story.
Links to other Web sites.
While we do not edit comments, we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct.
If you feel someone has violated our posting guidelines please contact us immediately so we can remove the post. We appreciate your help in regulating our online community.
Your comment will be posted after it has been verified.
eastgate owner wrote on Jul 25, 2008 3:26 PM:
" This will be an nice addition to the Eastgate. "
eastgate owner wrote on Jul 25, 2008 3:26 PM: