FREEDOM OF SPEECH

SUB SHOP HOPES TO 'WEED' OUT RIVALS: CHEBA HUT TO OPEN ON THE HILL IN SEPT.

By Alicia Wallace | The Daily Camera
Published: August 13th, 2005

A new University Hill restaurant is giving a different meaning to the phrase "sandwich joint."

Meet Cheba Hut and its "toasted subs."

At this business, one can order Cronic Blunt and a Panama Red Nug and get a 12-inch barbecue beef or a 4-inch chicken marinara in return.

The marijuana-themed sub shop that has reefer-related murals and a tagline of "Where the only thing fried is an occasional customer" is just that ? a theme, said Scott Jennings, the company's founder.

"It is just a play on words," said Jennings, 35. "It's obvious we're not selling weed out the back. We just want people to lighten up on their views."

Jennings, who was a delivery driver during his college years, opened the first Cheba Hut in Arizona in 1998. Now, along with three Arizona locations, the company has shops in Kentucky and Fort Collins. The Boulder shop is the company's sixth.

The Hill Cheba Hut replaces Silver Mine Subs at 1315 College Ave. Cheba Hut, through its broker Colorado Group, was able to negotiate a buyout of the lease at the 1,300-square-foot location, said Jim Howser, who represented Cheba Hut in the deal.

Silver Mine "closed for the summer," Howser said. "We happened to make the phone call at the right time."

Fort Collins-based Silver Mine could not be reached for comment.

Jennings said he plans to open Cheba Hut around the Sept. 3 football game between the University of Colorado and Colorado State University. The in-state rivalry could allow for some promotions between both of his Colorado locations, he said.

"It's not all about the dollars. We like to give stuff away," he said. "That's why I'm really excited to have two here."

When it opens, Cheba Hut will become the sixth sandwich-specific shop on the Hill, joining Deli Zone's Brooklyn Heroes, Half Fast Subs, Jimmy John's, Salvaggio's and Sort of Snarf's. The Subway at 1311 Broadway is now vacant.

"I understand there's a lot of sub shops on the Hill," Jennings said. "I think they should be the ones worried about us."

What it will boil down to is the quality of the subs, said Jennings, pointing to ingredients such as prosciutto, portobello mushrooms and Genoa salami.

"We're not just this theme," he said. "We have good food and that's why I'm ready to go neck and neck with anybody."

And the theme? Well, that just makes for a comfortable and fun environment for customers, from college students to baby boomers to families, he said.

"They're really open-minded (in Boulder). That's why we like to stay next to colleges," he said. "We're about having fun."