ONTARIO, Ohio – Sub lovers have a new option in Ontario with the addition of Penn Station East Coast Subs, and city officials were on hand Tuesday morning to celebrate with a ribbon cutting.
Franchise owner Phil Adkins and Ontario Mayor Randy Hutchinson cut the ribbon Tuesday morning at the location at 2166 Walker Lake Road, but the “fast casual” restaurant has been open since Jan. 12.
General Manager Sharon Brooks said the community has been very welcoming to the new restaurant, which employs 27, including four managers.
Brooks, who spent her whole career in restaurants including Five Guys Burgers and Fries in Columbus most recently, said Penn Station’s use of fresh ingredients is what sets them apart. Penn Station East Coast Subs offers freshly grilled subs, fresh-cut French fries and hand-squeezed lemonade. All subs are prepared fresh while the customer watches.
Adkins, who lives in Findlay, owns and operates two other Penn Station locations in Bowling Green and Findlay. Adkins previously lived in Ontario and opened O’Charley’s on the corner of Lexington-Springmill Road and Fourth Street. He said his experience in the community prompted him to target Ontario when he was looking for a site for his latest addition.
“I knew Ontario was a great community. That’s why this location was my first choice,” Adkins said. “They’ve been very receptive to us.”
Adkins said he and his partners are eying two new locations in the next year: two in Lima and one in Sandusky. He said they’d like to continue at a growth rate of three locations a year until they have 15-18 sites.
“We’re trying to do our part to keep the unemployment rate down,” Adkins said. “We give people a job where they can have fun and make an honest living.”
Hutchinson said Ontario is very glad to have Penn Station as part of the community and having a variety of food options is a good thing for Ontario residents. “This is a very good organization,” Hutchinson said. “I really like that they are very interested in and involved in giving back to the community.”
Founded in Cincinnati in 1985, Penn Station has approximately 290 restaurants in 15 states including Ohio, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
