Toasted subs from Portland trek to Lansing

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Owner Josh Nowell (left) and manager Scott Day.

Offering hand-sliced meats, cheeses, vegetables and house-made prostini, J-Dubb’s Signature Subs brings its “Super Slam” toasted sandwiches to Lansing from its Portland roots.

The business strives to keep everything Michigan made with bread from Grand Rapids, potato chips from Traverse City and meats from Ada.

“We want to support Michigan and we try to locally source as much as we can,” owner Josh Nowell said.

After working as a restaurant investor, Nowell took a crack at operating his own sub shop four years ago. The strategy was simple: hand sliced quality meats and cheeses for the freshest sandwich possible.

“We slice everything right while the customer is watching,” Nowell said. “It’s been an amazing business in Portland. We do a lot with the schools and football teams. We run orders for them. There is not a lot to eat there so they were really excited for us. We like to take care of them.”

Moving between Michigan State University’s campus and the Meridian Mall, the J-Dubb’s is taking over a former Subway sandwich shop. “We got lucky and it is perfect timing. The sub shop being here makes the transition nice. The customer base is already accustomed to sandwiches,” Nowell said.

The location is super convenient between the two commerce hotspots, he added.

“We are both huge Michigan State fans and are hoping to get some college business as well as the Okemos community.”

J-Dubb’s most popular sub is the “Signature Super Slam” with ham, capicola, salami, pepperoni and house-made prostini with a choice of toppings.

The prostini is a black pepper ham slow roasted and dried for three hours.

Another crowd pleaser is the meatball sub with massive two-inch diameter meatballs, Nowell said.

For its grand opening, J-Dubbs will sell subs at 50 percent off from March 14 to 17. “We hope there are lines at the door,” Nowell added.

Pending the success of the Okemos location, the sub shop owner said he would like to expand to the Lansing area. “I believe if you get too big too fast the quality goes down. With bigger stores going from 0 to 9000, you can’t keep the quality and customer relationship consistent, which is important to us.”

Seeing progress is what drives Nowell to expand.

“I like investing in something and chasing the possibilities. I like a challenge. I like business and like to grow things,” he said.

J-Dubbs also offers homemade soups, gluten-free, vegetarian options. At home delivery will also be available through Doordash and Grubhub.

The sub shop will bring around 15 new jobs to the area.


J-Dubb's Signature Subs

11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to Saturday

11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday

2160 W. Grand River Ave., Okemos

jdubbssignaturesubs.com

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