A sub shop from the Jersey shore and a grilled cheese cafe' are scouting for locations in HoCo to open new stores, signaling a rebound in the loco HoCo restaurant business. According to this story by Joanna Sullivan in the Baltimore Business Journal, HoCo has seen a net loss of eleven eateries since 2008.
Last month Mark Smith reported in The Business Monthly that Jersey Mikes, a sub shop chain that started in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, is searching for " for locations in Columbia and Ellicott City."
Jersey Mikes now has 430 stores in 28 states. The closest existing store to HoCo is in a shopping center in Laurel.
This past Friday I ran into a fellow commercial real estate colleague, John Sindler. John was with some folks from Grilled Cheese & Co scouting sites in Columbia. When I saw him they were checking out the former Orinoco Coffee Shop off McGaw Road.
Griiled Cheese & Co opened their first store in Catonsville earlier this year.
You can count me amongst those who were a bit surprised that someone would open a restaurant featuring grilled cheese sandwiches. This has got to be one of the easiest foods to fix yourself, then again it is rather iconic.
