Subway To Debut in The Garage

Thirty-thousand, two-hundred, ninety six Subway restaurants are currently open around the world, and Harvard Square will soon be host to another. A Subway Restaurant will open in The Garage “somewhere in mid-January” if all goes according to schedule, said Sanjay Kansagra, the future owner of the store.

“The plans are done, now it is matter of just building it,” said John P. DiGiovanni, president of Trinity Property Management, the firm that owns The Garage. According to DiGiovanni, the construction process generally takes a month or two to complete.

“I always wanted to be in Harvard Square,” said Kansagra, who owns another Subway near the Medical School. “I think [Subway] is the right mix of the right price and healthy offerings for the crowd up there.”

Subway will fill the space—between Ben & Jerry’s and Lê’s Vietnamese Restaurant—where Boston Chowda sold soup for nearly a decade.

The Garage location of Boston Chowda “was never really a real good performer for us anyways,” said Stephen D. Post, controller of Boston Chowda. “It just didn’t seem like we had the right offering for the customers that were there.”

According to Post, the other food offerings in The Garage generally sold larger portions for cheaper prices. “You could get a cheeseburger for three dollars...two-dollar slices of pizza, and things like that.”

However, Chris P. Walsh, manager of the neighboring Ben & Jerry’s, said he thinks that Subway will fare better.

“There are some greasy-spoon diners and bar diners” nearby he said, but no simple sandwich shops in The Garage. “It’s not fast food, but it is faster than a sit down meal... I’m going to try to make friends with the people [who work] there and get some free subs.”

Other restaurants in The Garage, though positive about Subway’s prospects, said they were not too concerned about it hurting their business.

“Probably it will hurt but hopefully not much,” said Hoang M. Nguyen, assistant manager of Lê’s Vietnamese Restaurant.

Indeed, some Garage eaters said they do not plan to change their habits. “Subway’s just Subway,” said Charles Frederick, who said he eats in The Garage about twice a week and was eating a chicken quesadilla from Felipe’s Taqueria when interviewed. “It’s just a chain. The other stuff seems more unique.”

However, others in The Garage said they were excited. Nguyen said he may go to Subway for lunch some days. “I’ve tried it a couple times before and I liked it,” he said.

Julia S. Leighter from a nearby high school said she would go to Subway frequently.

“I love Subway... It has good stuff, and it’s fast,” she said.