Got marijuana munchies? Sandwich shop catering to them plans to open in Fresno
Cheba is another word for marijuana.
A new sandwich shop and bar is running with that theme as it opens its first location in Fresno.
Cheba Hut Toasted Subs plans to open a restaurant on the northwest corner of Marks and Shaw avenues. It will take over the spot once occupied by Giulia’s Italian Restaurant in the Winepress shopping center.
“It’s very unique. There’s nothing like it, especially in Fresno,” said franchisee Tyler McNabb.
It’s aiming to open this fall.
Marijuana munchies
Cheba Hut is a franchise that isn’t shy about having fun with a theme entirely based on satisfying the munchies after consuming marijuana, pot, weed — whatever you want to call it.
Each sandwich is named after a strain of cannabis. Cheba Hut’s logo features palm trees with marijuana leaves. A four-inch sandwich is called a nug. A foot-long is a blunt.
When you order at the counter, instead of giving you a number to put on your table, you get a little image of Cheech & Chong, or Snoop Dogg, or some other pop culture icon you’d see with a joint in their hand.
To be clear: There’s no marijuana in the food. The restaurant may be the only one in the nation that addresses this in its website’s FAQ.
And you don’t have to be a stoner to eat here. In fact, some customers might not even notice the theme, McNabb said.
“I personally do not smoke. I’m a CPA; I’m a professional,” said McNabb, a Buchanan High School graduate from Clovis who owns the franchise with general manager Racelis Cardenas.
McNabb was looking for a place to invest his money and had worked at one years ago in San Diego. He revisited the restaurant in Colorado recently and loved the food.
“It was literally the best sandwich I ever had,” he said.
All the sandwiches are toasted, and range from the No. 1 selling turkey, avocado and bacon with chipotle sauce to six vegetarian sandwiches.
Cheba is “like the Deli Delicious of Colorado,” McNabb said. “They have Cheba Huts everywhere.”
There are more than 40 shops, mostly in the southwestern U.S., including Las Vegas and Southern California.
The Fresno location will have a bar with beer, wine and mixed drinks.
How will such a restaurant concept be received in Fresno, where attitudes are sometimes different than bigger cities?
“There might be some pushback, but I think overall because of the area its in, the demographics will support it. I’m not too worried about that,” McNabb said. “Ultimately, the product is superior. Once someone eats it, they’re going to love it.”
