Before Blimpie, Subway, Sub Shop and Quizno’s invaded every strip mall on earth, there was Tubs Gourmet Subs.
In the early ’80s hoagie hysteria had yet to spread to the masses, so Marleen Zimmermann was navigating her fledgling submarine sandwich business through uncharted waters.
“We were the only sub shop around. No one knew much about subs back then,” said Zimmermann, whose parents were both in the restaurant business.
Two decades later, Tubs Gourmet Subs continues to motor along in the face of escalating competition from the heavy hitters of the billion-dollar sub industry.
Zimmermann launched the first Tubs in North Seattle in 1983 and a few years later added two more shops. But the grind of operating three stores became overwhelming for the 26-year-old, who sold the Seattle and Mountlake Terrace outlets and focused her efforts on updating the Lake City Way location.
“I knew I needed to recreate the store,” Zimmermann said. “That’s when we turned into more of a gourmet sub shop that makes all different types of sandwiches.”
The retooled Tubs Gourmet Subs built such a consistent customer base in Lake City that in 2000 Zimmermann returned to Snohomish County and opened a second store just off Highway 99 at 168th St. SW. in Lynnwood.
As part of the fastest growing segment of the fast food market, Tubs Gourmet Subs aims to separate itself by offering a diverse lineup of tasty, toasty sandwiches and homemade soups and salads the litany of sub chains can’t copy.
Some of the more imaginative selections are the result of an ongoing competition between Zimmermann and Kristin Baerg, who manages the Lake City store. The two have worked side-by-side for 12 years and Zimmerman credits much of her eatery’s success to Baerg’s contributions.
“We see who can come up with the most creative subs,” Zimmerman said.
The most popular subs include the hot and spicy Firecracker (with chicken, smoked gouda, bacon and jalapenos) and Cajun (with seasoned-turkey, cheddar, bacon and Tabasco) and the classic Joker’s Dip (with ham, turkey, roast beef, smoked gouda and bacon with BBQ dipping sauce).
There are more than 30 other sandwiches to choose from, ranging in price from $3.25 for a mini to $8.29 for a large, with such intriguing titles as the Gobbler, Funky Chicken, Phoenix, Southern Belle, Tokyo Club, Godfather and Thanksgiving on a Roll.
Most of the subs are served on a toasted baguette, but whole wheat is also available. The Aegean and Greek sandwiches come on focaccia bread.
“It’s hard to get tired of us because we’ve got such a wide variety of subs,” Zimmerman said. “Every sandwich has its own unique taste.”
Three lettuce wraps were added to the menu at $5.29 apiece shortly before the low-carb craze took off. The garlic chicken and turkey with avocado wraps come with Caesar dressing and the New Orleans wrap comes with bleu cheese.
“You can take it on the road,” Zimmermann said. “It’s tightly wrapped like a burrito. You don’t even notice there’s not any bread.”
Both Tubs Gourmet Subs locations benefit from a steady stream of high school students and teachers. The Lake City store was even the subject of a documentary film by a group of Lakeside School students.
Word-of-mouth has helped the Lynnwood store steadily increase its pool of regulars over the past four years.
“Our return business is probably 99 percent,” Zimmermann said. “Once people try us, they usually end up coming back.”
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