Tri-Cities to get 3 Jersey Mike’s Subs and other new eateries

A 2019 Richland High School graduate and his dad are bringing two Jersey Mike’s Subs to Richland.

Derek Tonn, the president and CEO of the Roasters Coffee chain, and his son, Dylan Tonn, 19, will be opening their first store in Vintner Square in Richland by the end of the year.

The space at 2729 Queensgate Drive is currently occupied by GameStop, but they said the spot will be vacant by August.

A GameStop spokesperson could not be reached Wednesday about the change. A GameStop on Columbia Center Boulevard closed in January.

The Tonns’ second location will open in the Columbia Point area of Richland near Winco by the end of 2022 — although Dylan Tonn said they still are working with corporate officials to find the right site.

A third Jersey Mike’s store opening in Kennewick on Columbia Center Boulevard is owned by a different franchisee.

It will join the new Starbucks and MOD Pizza in the parking lot of Columbia Center mall in front of JCPenney.

While Dylan Tonn has only been out of high school for a couple of years, he said working at Roaster’s since he was 16 made him realize he wanted to work in the food service industry.

“The guy who started Jersey Mike’s bought it when he was still in high school,” Derek Tonn said. “At a lot of companies being young is a disadvantage, but at Jersey Mike’s they really enjoy the young energy.”

That attitude melds well with Dylann Tonn’s determination.

“Jersey Mike’s is a really great brand — really community-driven and quality focused,” Dylann Tonn.

The company’s dedication to giving back to the community and requiring franchise owners to identify a charitable group is the kind of working model he can get behind.

He also was instrumental in organizing March for Our Lives-Tri-Cities in 2018.

Dylann Tonn is in the process of hiring and said he will have 10 to 16 employees at the Queensgate restaurant who will spend eight weeks out of state for training before the sandwich shop opens.

Derek Tonn will be supporting his son behind the scenes but Dylann is the frontman and leading operations.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the members of my community where I grew up my whole life,” Dylann Tonn said. “And just handing out that first sandwich.”

Subs, cheesesteaks

The sandwiches are in the style of a quintessential Northeast cheesesteak with white American cheese and cold subs with vinegar, oil and spices — no mayo.

“We cut the cheese and meats right in front of our guests so it is as fresh as it can get,” Dylan Tonn said.

Sub sandwiches come in mini, regular and giant with gluten-free bread available as an option. They also can come as a wrap or in a tub without the bread. Prices range from about $5 to $16.

The company also offers a dessert that is so iconic on the other side of the U.S. that you can buy an Christmas ornament replica of the spongy cake desserts called Tastykakes.

Some of the flavors include a Butterscotch Krimpet, Koffee Kake Juniors and Chocolate Cupcakes.

J-Dawgz Hot Dogs & Catering

Jason Niebel is offering quick and easy lunches at his new hot dog cart that opened at the beginning of March in front of Ace Hardware in Richland.

He includes combinations such as the Seattle dog with sauerkraut, onion, cream cheese and mayo or the Aloha with ham, pineapple, cheese and mustard. J-Dawgz also has a polish and vegan dog.

Prices range from $4 to $8 for hot dogs. Nieber also has a cheeseburger on the menu for $7.

The stand is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday at 103 Keene Road in Richland. Phone: 509-438-9737.

New Age Tacos

New Age Tacos is moving from catering to designing and opening a food truck with a built on patio for smoking meats.

Business partners Stevan Garcia, Ruperto Peraza and Martin Figuero hope to have their food truck open by the end of summer.

In the meantime they are doing pop-ups at different breweries and businesses.

Garcia said they work on fusing different flavors for their tacos and have featured chorizo nachos, carne asada and mesquite-smoked chicken.

March 26 they will be at Tri-Cities Cider House at 5 p.m. at 1082 George Washington Way in Richland serving smoked pork butt tacos that have been injected with cider and topped with mango salsa.

May 1 they will be at Thunder Alley in Pasco. Other times and locations are posted on their Facebook page.

Email Allison Stormo at astormo@tricityherald.com to share news about business openings, closings and other changes.

This story was originally published March 25, 2021 at 5:00 AM.