Two more quick-service eateries have opened in the latest Meijer out-lot building in Scio Twp. Penn Station East Coast Subs and Wing Snob have joined Five Guys (Marketplace Changes, June) and an upcoming UPS Store.
It’s Penn Station’s debut in Washtenaw County and the first of what will eventually be three area stores for Jeff and Monica Van Overmeer and their son Joe, according to Zach Albers, the company’s head of field training, who’s on site during their early weeks. The family also has a Jet’s Pizza location in Saline, where Monica was named the Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year in 2022.
Albers says Penn Station, a forty-year-old founder-led company based in Cincinnati, is known for its Philly cheesesteaks and its “East Coast Style” subs. The subs are served cold or grilled, with toppings that include provolone, mayo, lettuce, red onion, banana peppers, Roma tomatoes, oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and oregano. The sub fillings are also available on a salad base or in a cheddar-jalapeño wrap.
The buttery, dinner-roll-like white and multigrain breads are baked on site. Hand-cut fries, fresh-squeezed lemonade, and chocolate chunk cookies baked daily help round out the menu.
“It’s sometimes nice when you have a brand-new franchisee like this, with a brand-new store and a brand-new market. Everybody’s new to the product, so when you train people, they just absorb everything you say and take it to heart so well,” Albers says. “And it’s a fantastic crew. They’re gonna do excellent.”
At Wing Snob, which features never-frozen chicken wings, tenders, and sandwiches, the tongue-in-cheek branding seems aimed at suggesting a quality difference in a competitive market segment. It’s one of four chicken-forward chains to emerge in the area in the past year, with two more—Raising Cane’s and Chick-fil-A—on the horizon.
Local franchisee Johnny Pritchett doubles as the Warren-based company’s director of corporate training. His son manages another location he owns, in the Michigan Union dining pavilion (Marketplace Changes, November). Pritchett deferred further comment about the business to headquarters, which didn’t respond to an emailed inquiry.
Penn Station East Coast Subs, 5627 Jackson Rd. (734) 757–4343. Mon.–Sat. 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–9 p.m. penn-station.com
Wing Snob, 5609 Jackson Rd. (734) 610–9464. Mon.–Sat. 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun. noon–9 p.m. wingsnob.com
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