Lenny’s Grill and Subs is slated to make a long-awaited debut in Galesburg as owners have said a grand opening is set for. Feb. 24.
Owner Tammy Weiss was originally expected to open last year but some design changes pushed back the date.
Weiss says the city has been great to work with, but figuring out an optimal design for the building while still meeting code.
Now Weiss can hardly contain her joy.
“I’m so excited I could puke,” she tells WGIL.
They’re currently hiring around 30 staff members and Weiss says they’re looking for warm, friendly types.
“At Lenny’s, when you come in, we want you to feel like you went next door to your best friend’s house for a ‘samich’ and when you cultivate that type of environment you have to start within, with your employees.”
When Tammy’s husband, Anthony, retired from the military, he went to work for the railroad.
He went over for training in Overland Park, Kansas a fellow student employee came in with a sub sandwich that smelled great.
He went and bought his own sandwich, has been in love with the franchise since and always told Tammy if they opened a restaurant he wanted it to be a Lenny’s.
They started to talk about opening Lenny’s almost two years ago at their location on Henderson Street, at a building that was a Burger King and a check-cashing business.
Tammy says the opening was delayed when they and the Lenny’s corporate decided that the building’s design needed work.
“We wanted to make sure we did everything right so we took our time.”
Tammy says there haven’t been major surprises getting the building ready but maybe a few disappointments.
There was existing ductwork in the building from a previous restaurant that the Weiss’ wanted to clean and use, but new codes left it unusable.
