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Sub sandwich chain Cheba Hut is planning to open a Chesterfield shop this summer. Pictured is the company’s pizza sub called the Dank. (Courtesy Cheba Hut)
A new sandwich joint is coming to Chesterfield.
Cheba Hut, a sub shop chain with a cannabis theme, is slated to open this summer at Midlothian Depot, a Whole Foods-anchored mixed-use development taking shape at Midlothian Turnpike and Alverser Drive.
Menu items at Cheba Hut are named after marijuana strains or words associated with the plant, such as a ham-Swiss-pineapple sandwich called the Pakalolo (a Hawaiian term for marijuana), the Pacific Blue (a tuna melt) and Panama Red (chicken marinara). Sandwiches also feature a “cheba shake,” a parmesan blend that’s shaken onto the subs.
Though cannabis figures prominently in the restaurant’s branding, Cheba Hut’s food doesn’t have pot in it.
The Chesterfield location will have a bar with beer, wine and cocktails and will also sell rice crispy sweets, salads and nachos.
The Midlothian Depot location is anticipated to open in July or August and would be the first Cheba Hut in Virginia, according to Maria Esquivel, a spokeswoman for Wahi Brands, the New Mexico-based franchise group behind the upcoming Chesterfield shop.
Esquivel said Wahi Brands decided to bring a Cheba Hut to northwest Chesterfield to capitalize on the area’s population growth.
“We seek out new developments in areas with a lot of rooftops and neighborhoods. We look at the demographic of an area, and that part of Midlothian is developing,” she said.
Cheba Hut plans to operate out of a 2,400-square-foot space at Midlothian Depot and has a 10-year lease on the space, Esquivel said. The restaurant plans also to have a 400-square-foot patio.
The franchisee anticipates it will spend $1.2 million to $1.3 million to open the Chesterfield location.
Wahi Brands operates six Cheba Huts and has plans to open more in Virginia, including additional locations in the Richmond region as well as in Alexandria, Virginia Beach and Newport News but didn’t share further details.
Cheba Hut was established in the late 1990s and lists more than 80 active locations across multiple states on its website.
Midlothian Depot is under construction at 11703 Midlothian Turnpike. The development will house a total of 87,000 square feet of commercial space and will be anchored by a Whole Foods grocery store. It will also have 60 townhomes on-site. Other businesses slated to open at the development include J.Crew, Lovesac, MyEyeDr. and restaurant Turning Point, according to a leasing flyer.
Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant had planned to be part of the project but canceled those plans after a lease dispute with the project’s Atlanta-based developer, SJC Ventures.
Jack joined BizSense in 2020. He covers local government, retail, healthcare and higher education news. He previously reported for the Virginia Gazette and Tidewater Review after graduating from Christopher Newport University. Reach him at jack@richmondbizsense.com or 804-554-6545.
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