W.g. Grinders, located at 1666 N. High St., was recently sold to Jersey Mike’s Subs.
Credit: Eileen McClory / Design editor
W.g. Grinders had been a campus fixture for more than a decade, but had gained notoriety among students. The sub shop often seemed empty, leading students to joke about it being a drug front and question how it has stayed in business.
“It didn’t look established,” Emily Makowski, a second-year in chemistry, said.
Grinders’ luck ran out last week when it vacated its High Street location. It is set to be replaced by another sub shop: Jersey Mike’s Subs.
The lease was transferred to Jersey Mike’s Subs in the past 10 days, said Scott Solomon, one of the owners of Oxford Realty, a Columbus-based realtor that owns the property.
Steve Minnich, one of the franchise owners of Jersey Mike’s Subs, said the restaurant is set to open in June.
Minnich said for the first five days of the opening, Jersey Mike’s plans to partner with an Ohio State-affiliated charity to provide free subs to customers in exchange for a charity donation. Minnich said Monday that the company was still considering charities with whom they would partner.
Minnich said he and his partners, Jeff Sponsler and Brian Hoffman, chose the location because all three of them are OSU fans, and Minnich and Sponsler are both graduates of OSU.
“We think there are a lot of students around OSU who would like a quality product,” Minnich said.
There are currently three Jersey Mike’s Subs locations in Columbus, according to the Jersey Mike’s website.
Maria Riley, a first-year in biomedical sciences, said she wasn’t excited about the new sub shop.
“I’m more of a Panera person,” she said. “I go there nearly every day.”
Makowski said she was excited for the new Jersey Mike’s.
“I used to live where there were a lot of them,” she said. “Very established.”
