Former speakeasy with 'checkered past' among 5 LI sites getting Jersey Mike's

A dilapidated former speakeasy site rumored to be haunted is about to get new life.

The former Normandie Inn restaurant in Bohemia is one of five Long Island sites slated for new Jersey Mike’s eateries this year.

After entering the local market in 2016, the sub sandwich chain now has 20 shops on Long Island.

“It’s a great market. The franchisees have done really well up there,” said Hoyt Jones, president of Jersey Mike’s Franchise Systems Inc., based in Manasquan, New Jersey. The New York City metro area is strong overall, he said.

About 300 new franchises will open across the country this year, including five on Long Island — in Shirley, Lynbrook, Hicksville, Rocky Point and Bohemia — according to the company. A Huntington Station restaurant will open in the first quarter of 2023.

Here’s the rundown of what will be served up in 2022 on Long Island:

Bohemia: A Jersey Mike’s will open by the end of 2022 on a site that used to be occupied by the Normandie Inn, a former restaurant that has been boarded up since 2004. The property is located at 1500 Smithtown Ave.

The building was constructed as a home for a man who claimed to be a Czech baron in the 1920s, according to Newsday archives. The gothic-style building, later called Chateau La Boheme and described as a 7,000-square-foot “castle,” served as a speakeasy during Prohibition.

The property has been rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a woman who was killed there.

“It has a checkered past, let’s say,” said Seth Goldstein, a partner in Management 360, a franchise company whose seventh Jersey Mike’s on Long Island will be the Bohemia location.

The owners of East End Interiors in St. James, Nick Campitiello and his wife Rosalba, bought the Bohemia property for $525,000 in 2004 and planned to convert it into an interior design and furniture showroom. That never came to fruition and the property was sold to Management 360 via an affiliate company in 2020, Goldstein said.

Management 360 will spend about $1 million renovating the property, but it plans to maintain as much of the gothic styling as possible. Only the first floor, about 1,300 square feet, will be used for the restaurant, Goldstein said.

“And we intend to capitalize on the legacy of the Normandie Inn — great sandwiches, great spirits,” he said.

Hicksville: The Jersey Mike’s restaurant will open at 180 Old Country Road in the fourth quarter of this year, said franchisee Jim Denburg, who owns three other Jersey Mike’s on Long Island.

The sub shop will open in a 1,700-square-foot space from which Starbucks relocated in 2021, said Greg Batista, who works in the Woodbury office of Ripco Real Estate and is the exclusive broker for Jersey Mike’s on Long Island.

Denburg has a lengthy history in restaurant franchising, having formerly owned 10 Domino’s Pizza franchises and three Smashburger eateries outside of Long Island, said the Manhattan resident, 56.

“I like the leadership of Jersey Mike’s … I like the business model and I decided I wanted to do it,” he said.

Lynbrook: The restaurant will occupy about 1,100 square feet in a renovated space at 643 Sunrise Hwy. and will be owned by co-franchisee Chris Monge, who co-owns two other Jersey Mike’s on Long Island with his brother, Kevin. The sub shop is expected to open in late May or early June, said Chris Monge, 45, of Huntington.

A final inspection, plumbing inspection and Nassau County fire marshal approvals are still needed before the restaurant can open, according to the village of Lynbrook.

The brothers also own four Dunkin’ franchises on Long Island but have found there is more expansion potential with Jersey Mike’s, Chris Monge said.

He thinks the chain does well on Long Island because of the open-concept kitchens, he said.

“So, it really allows for the customers to have like an awesome experience in the store. … Everybody has a point of contact with the customer. It’s very social,” he said.

Rocky Point: The eatery is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2022 in 1,800 square feet, said Westchester County resident Spencer Hart, who will co-own the restaurant with his wife, Nancy. The space is located at 357 NY-25A.

The Harts, who own all five of the Sonic restaurant franchises on Long Island and a Buff City Soap franchise in Westchester County under their Hart Retail Group, also will own the Jersey Mike’s opening in Shirley this year.

“I love the fresh products, fresh-cut meats are excellent. And it’s a great culture as well because you know it's a very community-oriented concept,” said Spencer Hart, 56.

Shirley: The restaurant is expected to open in the third quarter of this year at 800 Montauk Hwy., Spencer Hart said. It will occupy 1,800 square feet beside a Lidl grocery store.

Fast growth

Founded in 1956, Jersey Mike's has 2,198 shops, the vast majority of which are franchises, in 48 states and Washington, D.C.

The chain ranks fifth among all limited-service sandwich chains, a segment that includes Subway, Panera, and Firehouse Subs, said Kevin Schimpf, director of industry research and insights at Technomic, a restaurant and retail industry research firm in Chicago. 

The top player is Subway, he said.

Jersey Mike’s total sales last year were $2.2 billion, a 38% increase compared to 2020, driven in large part by its store growth, he said. 

After Jersey Mike’s restaurants open in Vermont and Alaska this year, the chain will be in all 50 states.

By Tory N. Parrish

tory.parrish@newsday.comToryParrish1

Tory N. Parrish covers retail and small business for Newsday. She has worked at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Observer-Dispatch in Utica, N.Y.