A sub shop is back in downtown La Salle.
On June 10, the new sandwich shop opened at 113 Wright St. and will be open Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Owner Mark Ross moved from Dallas to open the shop with his husband Nick (Langloss) Ross, a graduate of La Salle-Peru High School. Mark brings more than 20 years of experience in the food industry.
Mark said the pair chose to have later hours because there are very few late-night options.
“For the last four years, coming up here to visit Nicks’s family, there’s not a lot of choices, especially at night. So, when the opportunity presented itself we looked at each other and knew we had to do it,” he said.
The pair “ramped up” the menu, bringing more soups, salads and desserts.
“The menu is more of a build-your-own,” Mark said. “We did want to go with premier meats. It’s not mid-grade, this is top-of-the-line meats. We offer different Italian meats and then of course things from here.”
Customers can choose between white, wheat, Italian parmesan and 4 cheese breads. Italian beef, Italian sausage, meatballs, bacon, top-round roast beef, black forest ham, turkey, salami, pepperoni, steak with cheese option, and grilled chicken for their sandwiches.
The pair made sure to include fresh salads, seasonal soups, and a kid’s meal for $6.99, which includes a choice of PB&J, grilled cheese, chicken strips, 3-inch kids subs with chips, a drink, and a toy.
“In Texas, I got a Cobb salad from Chick-Fil-A every day and that’s the exact Cobb salad,” Mark said. “The only thing we did differently was add grilled chicken. I told Nick I couldn’t move up to Illinois and not have my Cobb salad and we are averaging about 10 a day.”
That’s exciting to have someone who has left and come back and has seen the value in this community.”
Bill Zens, executive director of the Illinois Valley Area Chamber of Commerce
The Rosses have brought back part of Texas, by offering “The Texan” a three-foot sub meal, that includes one meat, three bags of chips, and three medium drinks for $54.99, and the “Big Tex” a six-foot sub meal that includes one meat, six bags of chips, and six medium drinks for $108.99. However, they say the banana pudding has become a crowd favorite.
“Our desserts have taken off,” Mark said. “We have quickly become known for our banana pudding. It’s a Texas homestyle banana pudding. We put it in our milkshakes – you can get it with chocolate ice cream, so we have the banana split milkshake and the banana pudding milkshake.”
The pair have already begun working with the community, pairing with Hero Nutrition next door to create a high-protein sandwich and continuing their sponsorship with the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp. Their new passion project is a rescue wall, which will have pictures of adoptable pets throughout the area.
“We just rescued our adorable dog Shelia and we really want to keep that going in the community and make sure every pet has a home. You know really support and market that to everyone we can so all of our little furry friends have somewhere to go,” Nick said.
Quickie Subs hopes to be in full operation next week, go live ordering on its website and launch with Doordash and Grubhub.
A Quickie Subs opened in December 2022 at the Wright Street location, shortly after Obee’s had closed. That shop closed in April, however.
Bill Zens, executive director at Illinois Valley Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development, said the sub shop will bring new options to the area by extending their hours and providing an affordable option.
“We have someone who has come back home to the area and brought some of Texas with him,” Zens said. “That’s exciting to have someone who has left and come back and has seen the value in this community.”
