Sub Shop Down
SMU favorite New York Sub exits Park Cities after 40 years
After 40 years in business, New York Sub on Asbury Street in the Park Cities will close on Sunday, October 12. The space will be taken over by a branch of Project Pie, the new pizza concept coming to Dallas.
New York Sub owner Ken Harkness, who recently celebrated the shop's 40th anniversary, announced the closure on Facebook, which generated a host of nostalgic comments from Park Cities residents and SMU grads.
One devotee called it "a true Park Cities touchstone." Another called it "a huge story for all of us who grew up skipping church to go to New York Sub."
Ken Harkness, who grew up in the Northeast, opened New York Sub in 1974 after he couldn't find a decent sub shop in Dallas. He grew the chain up to eight branches before consolidating back to one. He had made a number of efforts over the years to sell the business but never found a buyer.
A Project Pie spokesperson said that the shop would open sometime this fall.
New York Sub — whose original name was New York Subway, until it got a prod from the Subway chain — was a joint, with an old-fashioned East-Coast-style menu with black letters on the wall. License plates from states around the country were affixed to the paneled wood wall, with special placement for those with letters that included "NY" or "subway."
"Ken used to kick me and my McCullough Middle School friends out for being too tough on the Donkey Kong and Defender machines!" said one commenter on Facebook. "Still eat lunch there often."
"This was an important institution during my college years," said another. "For two degrees at SMU, NY Sub always helped get me through midterms and finals. I'll always be grateful."