FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Sub shop fires one up in Eugene

BY ILENE ALESHIRE
THE REGISTER-GUARD Appeared in print: Friday, Feb 26, 2010

Cheba Hut Toasted Subs has opened its first West Coast location, at 339 E. 11th Ave. in Eugene. A second Cheba Hut is planned for Portland.

The company -- which describes itself as a "counterculture themed restaurant franchise" -- offers sandwiches, salads, soups and desserts. The counterculture theme is evident in the names of the dishes, including the Acapulco Gold barbecue chicken and the pakalolo sandwich, made of smoked ham, Hawaiian pineapple and Swiss cheese (pakalolo is Hawaiian for marijuana).

Company CEO Scott Jennings said that he founded the company in 1998, near his alma mater, Arizona State University. Jennings was working as a delivery driver and noticed a severely underserved market for late-night deliveries, according to the company Web site.

"He also noticed that on most of his late night deliveries, his customers were...um...inhaling!" the corporate Web site says. "Scott put two and two together and developed the Cheba Hut Toasted Subs concept."

Chief operating officer Matt Tretheway said that the company had been looking at Oregon for some time and that the state is a perfect cultural fit.