Brothers in law, brothers in food: Friendly rivalry between Subway Station and Greater Grinder

Jonathon Gruenke/Stephen M. Katz

Martin Saunders, left, and Tom Pitkin are brothers-in-law who have been running two local sub shops for over 40 years. Saunders runs Greater Grinder in Norfolk and Portsmouth and Pitkin runs Subway Station in Newport News.

Jonathon Gruenke/Stephen M. Katz

Jonathon Gruenke/Daily Press

Tom Pitkin, owner of the Subway Station in Newport News, talks with customers Lisa Sullivan, left, and Matt Sullivan, right. Pitkin has been running his store for more than 40 years.

Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot

Martin Saunders has been serving up food at his sub shop Greater Grinders in Norfolk since 1976.

Stepping into Newport News’ Subway Station and local Greater Grinder locations is like stepping back in time.

Pictures of local sports teams and awards spanning decades hang at Subway Station; Greater Grinders have classic Harborfest posters by Bob Burnell adorning the walls. The smell and feel of the shops are the same: freshly baked bread and a heavy helping of onions, well-worn booths, and service that's fast and friendly.

"We’ve been in business almost a hundred years if you put us together," said Tom Pitkin, owner of the Subway Station, smiling.

Although Subway Station and Greater Grinders offer a variety of classic sandwiches and the owners are related, their businesses are independently owned. But if you’ve been to Subway Station, it may remind you of Greater Grinders and vice versa.

The Pitkin family was raised in Virginia Beach and Martin Saunders recalls the moment he first met Tom — in 1968 when he went to pick up Tom's sister Joan for their first date. Joan recalls trying to block her brother from interrogating her suitor.

Joan and Martin attended Old Dominion University, got married and opened Greater Grinders in Norfolk on Cromwell Road in 1976. They expanded and relocated and now have a store on Azalea Garden Road in Norfolk and High Street in Portsmouth.

Pitkin was working as an assistant and then head golf professional at the Cavalier Golf and Yacht Club in Virginia Beach after college. Inspired by his brother-in-law's success, Pitkin opened Subway Station in 1977, choosing the Peninsula so as to not directly compete.

"Inspired by me?" Saunders said recently to Pitkin. "I’ve always thought you blamed me!"

The "rivalry" is always playful.

They have a shared love for aged skillets and pans and use the same brand of 40-year-old gas-powered Comstock-Castle pizza ovens to toast sandwiches. They share long-standing relationships with vendors such as Carter's bread in Charlottesville and compare notes almost daily on the freshest dairy and meat purveyors.

"When we first started, we had so many local companies to buy from but many have been absorbed by nationally owned chains," Saunders said.

Subway Station opened in a former gas station across from the former Ferguson High School and what was then Christopher Newport College. Pitkin couldn't have fathomed the way the area would change. He is proud to have watched Christopher Newport grow and has employed and fed countless students through the years. CNU students can get a discount with their student IDs.

"Tom Pitkin and his incredible team have contributed immensely to the spirit and success of our Christopher Newport community," said Paul Trible, the recently retired president of CNU. (The "Subway Express," a zesty upgrade of the classic Italian sub, and the "Club Car," a combo of turkey, ham and bacon with provolone, are among Trible's favorites.)

Subway Station has its "secret sauce" and Greater Grinders has its "special dressing." One customer at Greater Grinders in Norfolk recently said she thought it tasted like an oil and vinegar mix.

"But there has to be something else," she said, shaking her head, mystified. Pitkin's sauce is quite labor intensive, he said, and more like a creamy Italian dressing; he refuses to give any details.

Saunders and Pitkin have altered the menu during the years to go with food trends and they welcome substitutions. They listen to customers who have dietary restrictions.

"We have experimented with different subs in the past but everyone kept coming back to the classic 20 options," Pitkin said.

Proof that some things, such as friendly service and tasty, sub sandwiches, never go out of style.

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More info

Greater Grinders

3501 High St., Portsmouth; 757-399-6388; 1515 Azalea Garden Road, Norfolk; 757-855-6370

Subway Station

12288 Warwick Blvd., Newport News; 757-599-0167

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