Lenny?s Sub Shop: Not Impressing

Three Stars

248 W. Dickson St.

Fayetteville

During a recent lunch excursion to Lenny’s Sub Shop, the folks from our office were … well … unimpressed. The sandwiches weren’t bad, but they weren’t particularly good either.

One diner tried the hot Italian meatball and cheese sandwich ($4.55) with onions, oregano and Parmesan on top. The sandwich was “pretty good,” but it might have been more tasty with the requested onions.

Unfortunately, missing onions weren’t the only mistake. The diner ordered a diet Coke with her meal, but received a regular Coke instead. After explaining the problem to the waitress, she returned with a full cup, but the waitress had obviously just topped off the half cup of regular Coke with diet Coke. Finally, the Lenny’s folks got it right on the third try.

“My sandwich had a bunch of bread on it,” the same diner said. “The meatballs were not spicy, thank goodness, and I recommend people use a fork to attempt to eat the sandwich.”

The turkey fan at our table ordered the “mile-high turkey sandwich” ($4.25) with lettuce, pickles and spicy mustard. Turns out, it was only piled about half a mile high with turkey. The rest of the sandwich’s height could be attributed to the shredded iceberg lettuce, which is basically tasteless and lacking in any nutritional value. He declared it the most bland sandwich he had ever eaten. Next time, he’ll opt for jalapeno peppers to try to give this meal some personality.

Another diner chose the chicken Philly and cheese sandwich ($4.95). “Very filling,” he said. He said the taste was “fine,” but wouldn’t go further with the compliments. Otherwise, he said he didn’t like the chopped style of the meat, wishing rather for more traditional strips of meat found in other “Philly” sandwiches.

The menu at Lenny’s, a Memphis-based chain, includes nine cold submarine sandwiches, four hot sandwiches, five deli sandwiches and three salads. Sandwich prices range from $3.85 for the regular veggie sub to $7.55 for the large Philly cheese steak or chicken Philly and cheese.

On the plus side, Lenny’s has a great location in a space in the Three Sisters complex that for two decades housed Restaurant on the Corner. And the restaurant is spotlessly clean. For a quick sandwich, and an alternative to the usual fast-food fare give Lenny’s a try. Perhaps we just caught them on a bad day.