The address currently houses a 28,700 square foot vacant Captain D’s fast food chain.
The building that has served as the sub shop’s home for more than 50 years is being sold and demolished to make way for a new commercial development.
“They tell us nothing,” said sub shop manager Junwei Hua. “We still don’t know nothing. We think still two or three months, but we don’t know.”
Hua said the store is setting up an open sandwich-making bar with similar characteristics to the original at its new location.
“We wanted to find a place big enough so customers could see us making the sandwich,” she said. “It was hard to find a place big enough to fit the open style of restaurant—the openness of seeing us makes the sandwiches.”
It’s important to bring the memories to the new restaurant, Hua said.
“Everything will be the same. We take the tables, chairs and the sign,” she assured.
She’s currently figuring out a way to bring the more than 40-year-old hanging lantern style lights to the new location.
Hua and Chen plan to continue to employee anyone who is currently helping them run their current business.
The women who have been building the perfect combination of meat and vegetables on a customer’s choice of hard or soft bread will continue to do so.
Alexander Construction LLC is listed as the project’s contractor under a $141,000 building permit for an interior and exterior renovation of the existing restaurant.
Since filing the building permit in mid-March, the contractor has filed a plumbing permit to install hub drains and two hand sinks. As well as a mechanical permit to install rooftop electric cooling and gas heating units.
On the building permit, restaurant owner Peili Chen listed the business as “Highland Super Sub Shop.”
University of Memphis anthropology graduate students Traci Petty and Jennifer Earheart come to the sub shop at least once a week.
“We’re heart broken, but definitely plan to visit the new location,” Earheart said.