Subway Debuts After Construction Delays

For students longing for five-dollar footlongs, Subway is opening in the Garage on JFK St. today after three weeks of delays.

The original launch date was slated for Jan. 29 in the space that was once filled by Boston Chowda, nestled between Ben & Jerry’s and Lê’s Vietnamese Restaurant.

Sanjay Kansagra, the franchisee of the Harvard Square location, said the new Subway experienced minor construction delays such as the late installation of a Coke machine and labor delays in late January due to Martin Luther King Day.

Construction originally began at the Garage a week after Thanksgiving—since then, the storefront has been boarded up with a “coming soon” sign above it.

Kansagra had been in talks with Trinity Property Management, which owns and leases the space, for the past four years.

There are already Subway franchises open at 1105 Mass Ave. and 260 Western Ave. in Allston, along with locations in Somerville and Central Square, but Kansagra said he decided to open a branch in the Garage since there were not yet any locations directly in the Square.

Kansagra said he chose this specific space because it offers a mix of tenants and a strong customer base—thousands of college students.

The Garage location of Boston Chowda “was never really a real good performer,” said Stephen D. Post, controller of Boston Chowda in an interview with the Crimson in December.

Post attributed the outlet’s poor performance to competitors’ cheaper prices for larger portions.

The location is bracing for opening day with plenty of staff, said Kansagra, who added that they are “pretty much trained.” Opening hours today will be from 10 a.m. until midnight.

Undergraduates said that they were excited about the new Subway location.

“If I remember that it’s there and they advertise well, I’ll go,” said Jessica L. Flakne ’11.

For others, the new Subway presents a wholesome new choice for a meal.

“It’s a healthy alternative,” said Gabrielle K. Gould ’11, who added that she enjoyed Subway sandwiches and appreciated the variety of options typically offered.

—Staff writer Lingbo Li can be reached at lingboli@fas.harvard.edu.