Breakfast, lunch, dinner — it's all Subway

Think of Subway and you'll think of Jared, the "five-dollar foot long" jingle and a menu that's uniform nationwide.

That being said, each Subway comes with its own personality, and at the Subway in Chester it's friendly and family-like.

"A lot of kids (who come here) we know by name," says store owner Rushika Patel, "They'll say 'how are you' and all that, and they'll come around and ask our name, and we'll give them a cookie for free, because a lot of kids are so comfortable with us that they know us by first name, too."

Patel prides herself on the fact that this is a family friendly shop, and that besides sub sandwiches it sells a plethora of other foods, including pizza and breakfast — but not French fries, which customers often ask for.

As for the breakfast menu, it's just starting to catch on.

"It's new, and (some people are) afraid to try new things," Patel says.

Those who do try it will be pleasantly surprised at the variety. Breakfast sandwiches, which include favorites such as egg whites, regular eggs, ham, or bacon, can be served on an English muffin or flatbread, or, if you're feeling really hungry in the morning, even on a foot-long roll. There are also hash browns, apples and coffee available so, like everything here, you have plenty of options.

Of course, the foot-long sandwiches are as popular as ever. Eight of them are only $5 each, including Black Forest Ham, Veggie Delight, and the Meatball Marinara, which is this store's most popular in the wintertime. Not every Subway has the same $5 list, and at the Chester store turkey and tuna alternate on it.

"(It all) depends on the market, but in my store, turkey has been the five-dollar foot long. Tuna comes in maybe five weeks' promo, and then comes off," Patel explains.

Patel seems as knowledgable as a long-time restaurateur but this is actually her first business.

"I bought this store about a year-and-a-half ago (October 2008), and since then I've been in the store as sole owner/employee," she says.

"It's a good investment," Patel adds, "I mean, buying a franchise is a good way to start your own business. (It's all about) learning how to get into business rather than buying something that you don't know where it's going to go to."

As for Chester, she didn't really know of the town before she bought this location after finding that it was for sale on Subway's website. But she sure is glad that she knows it now.

"Chester is a beautiful area," Patel says.