Subway to open in August

Danna Webster, KP News

Work is under way to prepare for the opening of Subway in Key Center. Photo courtesy Darrin Tollefson

Subway is closer to opening in Key Center. The permits took longer than was expected for the fast-food restaurant, according to Subway Development of Southwestern Washington Operations Director Jeanne Ryan.

“We are very excited to come out there,” she said. There are some construction projects inside the store waiting on the paperwork for their completion. The diner will open in the new Food Market Center, which includes several spaces for lease.

The Key Center Subway will have the newest company décor, a coffee-house feel. The wallpaper and artwork will be different from the traditional stores and there will be overstuffed chairs and couches. Ryan said it’s the first one in South Puget Sound to feature the new décor.

Service will include a drive-thru window and the store will be open 24 hours. The menu includes breakfast items.

Subway has been looking for an opportunity to come to the Key Peninsula for 10 years, Ryan said. Because of Don Stoltz’s new market and the development around Key Center, the company “felt that the time was right,” Ryan said. Typically, population is a factor in opening new locations.

“We feel it would draw from an area of upwards of 15,000,” she said.

The new owners, Ethan and Brenda Golf, own 10 stores on the Kitsap and Gig Harbor Peninsulas. Currently, they are training staff at the North Gig Harbor and Kitsap Way stores.

Subway tries to support local community-based projects, according to Ryan. “Ethan and Brenda have worked with the schools,” she said and mentioned examples like Read-A-Book, achievement certificates, coupons for work success and sponsoring teams at high schools.