Port of Subs opens in Spokane, plans in the works for other regional locations

A chef at Manito Country Club recently traded his tuque for a baseball cap to lead Spokane’s first Port of Subs.

The sandwich shop, located at 7808 N. Division St., made its Spokane debut on Thursday and sold so many sandwiches that the crew had to bake more bread in the middle of the day .

“Everybody at Port of Subs is telling me that it’s the most successful open in the history of Port of Subs,” owner Ben Pearson said.

The sandwich shop has 15 employees including general manager Jesse Buche, who has been a chef for 20 years. He says it was the fresh ingredients at Port of Subs that lured him away from the country club. Port of Subs gets new deliveries of produce several times a week and bakes all their bread fresh every morning – which is why the whole shop smells like bread.

“We’re your local neighborhood sandwich shop,” Buche said. “We want to be that. People walk in the door, order and you’re getting a sandwich and a conversation.”

The sandwich shop offers a 2-foot-long sub, which sets it apart from other sandwich chains, Pearson said.

Pearson plans to open around 15 locations in the region, in the Tri-Cities, Spokane and North Idaho. He already has a location picked out in Coeur d’Alene and hopes to have that spot up and running by the end of the year. Pearson also confirmed he has plans for a Spokane Valley location and a second in shop in Spokane.

Pearson knew he wanted to open a franchise in Spokane but had never had a Port of Subs sandwich until a few years ago. After researching the franchise, Pearson visited a Port of Subs shop in Seattle and tried eight different sandwiches. After confirming that he liked the product, Pearson visited the sales team and headquarters in Reno, Nevada.

“That whole process was just amazing,” he said. “I was sold when I went to Reno.”

Before opening the shop, Pearson was managing hydroelectric power plants in Central Washington. He currently lives in the Tri Cities, but is from Spokane. His favorite sandwich on the menu is the Classic Sub No. 1 which has ham, salami, capicolla, pepperoni and provolone cheese.

The restaurants also feature a new sandwich bread every three months, Buche said. The sandwich shop is known for its bread and special sauce: mayo mustard. Port of Subs also has veggie options including iceberg lettuce, green leaf lettuce, spinach, tomato, cucumber, olives, jalapeños, yellow peppers, red onions and pickles.

The sandwich shop is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.