Iconic Missouri sandwich shop has closed after nearly 50 years: ‘Forever grateful’
Sub Shop, a Columbia, Missouri, sandwich destination since 1975, has closed, ownership announced Monday on Facebook.
“It was a good run, 49 YEARS, serving the best sandwiches ever, on the BEST BUNS IN TOWN!” read the post. “Although the last several years have been rough for us both professionally and personally, we are forever grateful.”
Owner Kirk Wacker and a former business partner, Dave Eagle, opened the original Sub Shop on Walnut Street across from Ernie’s Cafe, later relocating to its longtime home at 209 S. Eighth St.
The shop served oven-baked sandwiches and carried the spirit of the 1970s college-town counterculture in which it was incubated. Records from the Grateful Dead, The Beatles and Bob Dylan lined the walls. To-go cups were illustrated with bread-related puns and artwork inspired by classic rock acts (“Bread Zeppelin,” “Keep on Subbin’”). It was not uncommon for employees’ wardrobes or demeanors to convey a familiarity with the cannabis plant.
Wacker, who did not respond to a request for comment, opened a few other Columbia area locations, all of which have since closed. The downtown location, set back from the road on Eighth Street and a half-block from Peace Park, was the last remaining Sub Shop.
The restaurant will auction off its equipment, furniture, decorations and artwork in the coming weeks through Asset Auctions Group, according to the Facebook announcement.
“Truly locally owned businesses are what makes a community unique, and we hope all our customers continue to support local businesses,” Wacker said in the post.
He added a kind of sandwich-shop motto, honed over the past half-century: “Stay grateful, eat bread, play the Dead.”
