Spark’S Bright Idea Full-Time Firefighter Transforms Craving For Good Submarine Sandwich Into Thriving Restaurant Business

All Mike Sparks ever wanted in this town was a high-quality submarine sandwich.

His craving has turned into a successful business - four Sparky’s Subs around town and possibly another to come.

He says his high standards have made the difference.

A couple of weeks ago, Sparks met with a marketing agent who was giving him some advertising tips.

The marketing guy had a bunch of glossy photos of mouth-watering sandwiches that he thought could be part of a slick ad campaign.

But there was a small problem, at least in Sparks’ mind. Some of the ingredients in those pictures - like kale - aren’t available at Sparky’s.

When Sparks objected, the salesman suggested there doesn’t have to be complete truth in advertising.

“I told him, `You will not take a picture of something that isn’t my product,”’ Sparks said. “It’s too bad that consumers are led on like that.”

But Sparks doesn’t believe for one minute that his sandwiches are less mouth-watering than those glossy ad photos.

Sparks, a full-time firefighter with the Spokane Fire Department, has spent the past five years building his sub business. He’s got a fifth restaurant in Tucson, Ariz., where his grandparents live. He said opening a store there was just an excuse to visit them more often. It opened a year ago and, so far, has done well, he said.

And recently, all the Sparky’s, except for the downtown store, began delivering sandwiches from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sparks and store general manager Benjie Mason opened the first Sparky’s Subs at the corner of Indiana and Monroe on the North Side.

Subsequent shops have opened at the North Division Y, the Crescent Court downtown and a Spokane Valley store near Sullivan and Sprague.

Sparky’s used to have a South Hill location at 30th and Regal streets, but it closed recently. Sparks said he is considering reopening the store.

Despite the restaurant’s popularity, Sparks said he has no dreams of being the next Subway, which has more than 12,000 stores nationwide.

“I determine my success by meeting someone who says they enjoy my product,” Sparks said. “When they say, `After I had sandwich from your place, I never went back to Subway,’ then I know we’re doing something right.

“I believe we put out twice the product for comparable prices,” he said. “Nothing is pre-packaged or pre-cut.”

Sparks, who is 28, and Mason, 29, grew up together and graduated from Walla Walla High School. Sparks said he patterned the restaurant’s format off a sub shop in their hometown.

Every Sparky’s is adorned with a variety of firefighting paraphernalia such as uniforms, hoses, even uniforms and T-shirts from other towns.

So while Sparks described Sparky’s Subs as “more like a hobby,” he credited the businesses success to Mason. “He does 90 percent of the work,” Sparks said.

“Most of it is a lot of paperwork, bookkeeping and buying products,” Mason said.

Mason said his friendship with Sparks has made for a good business recipe.

“It’s not tough at all. We can both sit down and talk about things, and we can come up with a decision together,” he said