FREEDOM OF SPEECH

SATISFYING THE MUNCHIES AT CHEBA HUT

By Gooey Rabinski | Skunk Magazine
Published: November 18, 2007

"Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom." -- Albert Einstein

You know times are good when you can legally pick up a nice eight inch Thai Stick for about five bucks. Okay, not that type of Thai Stick. Even though their “toasted” sub sandwiches don’t contain ganja, Cheba Hut—a small chain of pot-themed sub shops in America’s southwest—beats the hell outta Subway or Quizno’s. Even if you don’t toke.

Scott Jennings, founder and president of Cheba Hub, says the concept for the small sub sandwich chain originated when he used to deliver food in college, frequently smelling the fragrance of mother nature’s finest herb at the doorstep of many customers. More than simply a fan of ganja culture, Jennings is thoroughly counter culture in his approach to business. “The reality that brought about Cheba Hut was a refusal to enter the eight to five world. We wanted to create an escape from that environment,” he said.

REALIZATION OF A NICE DREAM
Jennings’ direct inspiration for the names he attributes to his shops’ toasted subs—including Chronic, KGB, AK-47, Train Wreck, White Widow, Acapulco Gold, Skunk (my personal favorite), and Thai Stick—is the film Nice Dreams starring Cheech and Chong (in which the comedy duo sell ice cream, the flavors of which are named after different strains of herb). The VW Microbus parked outside one of his stores in Colorado sports a bumper sticker that reads: “Cheba Hut: Friends Don’t Let Friends Eat Shwag!!!”

While sandwich names such as The Kind and Thai Stick might make many patrons snicker with a Monty Pythonesque wink-wink, nudge-nudge, Jennings is serious about the quality of his sandwiches—regardless of their names. His munchies menu includes hemp brownies, Stickie Ickie (peanut butter and jelly), and Goo Balls (a nod to the delectable edible made famous by America’s nomadic Deadheads).

Music and bands—most notably the Grateful Dead—have also influenced Jennings and the Cheba Hut image. In fact, when Jennings trains employees and franchisees, he equates them to a band. “We’re playing in front of people every day. There’s the parking lot; then there’s the actual performance, right?”

SATISFYING THE MUNCHIES FOR 10 YEARS
To those unfamiliar with Cheba Hut, the idea may seem half-baked. But reality has proven otherwise for Jennings and his small posse of anti-establishment franchisees. The chain recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and will soon have nearly a dozen shops in four states. But don’t look for Cheba Hut sub shops in strip malls or suburbs. Jennings is purposefully limiting growth to liberal college campuses. One reason few people outside the local range of each Cheba Hut has heard of the toker-friendly chain is because Jennings relies mostly on old-fashioned word-of-mouth.

Cheba Hut currently has nine shops: three in Colorado (two in Fort Collins and one in Boulder) and six in Arizona (the Flagstaff and Phoenix metro areas). “We want to grow smart and keep the independent feel,” said Jennings. The Chief Cheba recently returned from scouting sites in Portland, Oregon and Austin, Texas. “We like to stay in the college towns because they still believe in freedom of speech and they’re a little more easy going,” said Jennings.

Each Cheba Hut features an old VW Microbus, the stereotypical mode of hippy transport. “We cut the tops off and throw Frisbees out and stuff. They have semi horns and flag poles in the back,” said Jennings, who also installed water balloon launchers—often used during events to shoot food at the audience. “We can throw a Rice Krispie a good 300 yards,” he touted, adding “It can’t be all about the buck.”

WHERE’S THE BEEF?
Jennings explained how he enjoys giving his customers a break from the cross-marketing corporate world, rife with fake product shots and other questionable promotional tactics. “We wanted to create a place that’s more about the interaction than the transaction,” said Jennings. As you might guess, there’s no order by number or biggie size at his sub shops.

One look at the menu of Jennings’ Cheech and Chong-inspired collection of sub shops quickly tells you that the only thing missing from the menu is actual cannabis in the subs. Jennings says he’ll be happy to medicate the subs if someone can tell him how to do it for five bucks a sandwich –without going to jail.

Unlike his cookie-cutter corporate competition, Jennings’ goal isn’t a chain of 1000 stores or domination of his particular market sector. “We don’t want to have one on every corner. We don’t want to be in suburbia,” Jennings says proudly. You’ll never see a Cheba Hut at a mall or a food court. “That’s just not our style. We want to stay on college campuses and in liberal cities and keep our shops original—and few and far between,” he said.

"Cheba Hut would be cool enough if all it did was offer funky pot-themed toasted subs made from homemade ingredients on college campuses. But Jennings reports that his stores attract a large percentage of patrons who are too stuffy too care about whether a sandwich is named White Widow or there’s Grateful Dead music playing."

Jennings emphasizes the freshness and customer-centric attitude that he tries to instill in all of his stores. “Sometimes we run outta stuff. It’s not because we’re stoned. It’s because everything is so fresh and I’d rather run out of something than serve up lower quality food,” he said. His stores feature all-original recipes and hand craft their sauces and dressings.

CATERING TO THE CULTURE
A visit to Cheba Hut—even if it takes a bit of a drive—is worth the experience. The fact that patrons get top flight customer service, a unique experience, great food, and a nod to the stoner culture makes Cheba Hut an American gem.

As much as we all wish a Cheba Hut Thai Stick contained a bunch of imported THC, you’re not likely to get that for five bucks—or during the Bush Administration. But you will get a thoroughly unique experience, punctuated by likeminded staff and patrons and great food. Cheba Hut is one of the few restaurants where you’ll find that customer service and the experience override a Wall Street mentality of cookie cutter penny pinching in a sterilized culture designed to please everyone.

Q&A WITH CHEBA HUT FOUNDER SCOTT JENNINGS

GOOEY RABINSKI: You’ve stated that “franchise” and “chain” don’t accurately describe your business model and that you think it’s more of a co-op. You’re probably pretty picky about who you let be a franchisee….

SCOTT JENNINGS: Yea. That’s why it’s been hard to grow. It’s not like we can stick Cheba Huts on every corner or welcome any guy who throws money at us. They have to fit a certain profile. They can’t fake it. We believe you have to walk the walk.

GR: Do you advertise?

SJ: We don’t like to advertise. We believe if you advertise, you’re lying. If you’re advertising and saying “we’re great,” that’s a little biased. We rely on word of mouth. You can’t fake word of mouth. If you talk to someone who’s been to a Cheba Hut, their eyes light up. It’s an escape from the establishment.

GR: I like your Thai Stick sandwich.

SJ: That’s a popular one. I’ve been hooked on that sandwich for the past week, actually.

GR: Do you have some patrons who don’t give a damn about the culture and the tongue-in-cheek? You know, they’re sandwich guys and you simply have a reputation for having good subs?

SJ: We call those “conversions.” The people who don’t smoke weed or are very conservative. But they still eat. It’s the same with the police. We have some cops who come in. I’m not anti-police. Come on in. If I ever get pulled over, hopefully that’s the guy.

GR: And hopefully he liked his sandwich….

SJ: Or maybe when he sees somebody smoking a joint he says “Put that out and quit messing around” instead of some rookie trying to make a name for himself off a dime bag.

GR: How much does the location and local communities surrounding each Cheba Hut influence the atmosphere at your shops?

SJ: Fort Collins is a pretty chill place. Maybe not San Francisco, but pretty close. Every college is different. The more we’re scouting them, the more we’re seeing they have their own feel. That’s why, of course, we don’t want to plop down a big fat cookie cutter, you know? I want my customers to feel good if they’re a pot smoker or not. If they voted for Bush or not, you know? Are we pro-war or anti-war? Make your own decisions. Think for yourself. But kind of a free thinking zone is what we’re trying to create as well. I want an experience. I want those people to leave and tell 10 people.

GR: Why does it feel like fast food in America today has no soul?

SJ: It’s all about the buck. There’s some concepts out there now that are, like, you fill out a bag, and you give it to a guy, and you go down and pick up the bag, you know? Cheba Hut is the opposite of that. If you want food in two seconds, go to a vending machine. It’s gonna be about five minutes at Cheba Hut. Maybe 10 or 15 if we’re busy. The paper’s over there. There’s good stuff around. Good people around. Go relax and we’ll call you up in a bit.

GR: You got your start delivering food, eh?

SJ: I’d been delivery driving in college and a lot of times I left with the green tip, you know? When I first started Cheba Hut, I thought most of my business would be delivery. But there were a lot of people coming to see if this place really existed. We wanted to be a destination. And delivery does take some oomph out of the quality of the product right out of the oven.

GR: Why do you think it’s worth getting off the beaten path to visit a Cheba Hut?

SJ: It’s hard to win the conversions over. Some people come in thinking we’re potheads and their order is going to be screwed up and will take forever. But we’ve coherent; we’ve been winning people over for 10 years. Yet, we still may smoke a little grass….

Hungry for a Thai Stick or feeling like some Acapulco Gold? Cheba Hut can satisfy your munchies like no other sub shop—if you live on a college campus in Colorado or Arizona. Pig out at www.chebahut.com.