Millikin Students don’t need to wait any more for tasty sandwiches. Head West Subs has returned after a three-year absence from the West Towne Square.
The shop closed in April of 2020 due to the difficulties that the pandemic caused to many small businesses. However, the time has come for a Head West return.
Now that the greatest effects of the pandemic are far behind us, Head West Subs happily welcomes customers back through their doors from 10am-3pm all seven days of the week in their original Decatur building at 136 S. Oakland Avenue.
There are eight other locations across Central Illinois, making Head West a known name within the area.
Inside, the restaurant has a very distinctive color palette of bright green, purple, and yellow that complement the muted colors of the 70s style logo in an unexpected way. Even the bathrooms pop with the bold design carried into the space.
Paintings created by local Decatur artists line the walls as other artists stop by for their lunch break, including several Oakwood Tattoo employees.
Several Millikin students and families from the greater Decatur community wait patiently in a line that extends from the register to the door during rush hour.
One of these students, senior Blake Wiebe, enjoyed his experience, ordering a barbeque chicken sub.
“It was a really good sub,” he said. “I liked the barbeque. It added a great flavor to the sandwich. The bread was also really solid as well, along with the toppings.”
As for the bread, it has the same flavor as a Subway or Jimmy Johns according to Wiebe, but the cut of the bread makes it a different experience.
“Head West doesn’t cut the bread in half, so it makes it a little harder to eat,” Wiebe said. “It’s a little harder because usually you would start eating in the middle of the sandwich, but now you can start from the ends. The bread has the same tasty Italian flavor that you could find at other sub shops as well.”
The staff works tirelessly to complete everyone’s order in a timely manner, and they do so with rigor and precision. As a testament to their customer service, there was an issue with the wrong order being delivered to me, and it was resolved within seconds — they already fixed their mistake before I even knew there was one. The staff was very patient with my incessant questions as a first-time customer as well.
I had the pleasure of trying the Turkey and Provolone sub, and I highly recommend it to any picky eaters like me who are lucky to order anything besides chicken tenders and plain macaroni and cheese at most restaurants. The contrast between the sweet bread and savory fixings made this sandwich absolutely delicious, and the toasted crust lightly coated with mayonnaise makes for the perfect crunch.
With menu items from Hummus to Vegetarian Chicken Marinara, they are sure to have a sub that will satisfy everyone’s cravings.
Additionally, Head West offers a large selection of Italian Ice flavors including Sour Apple, Blueberry, Bubblegum, Root Beer, Cherry, and Lemon in case you want to treat yourself to something sweeter. To make things even more sweet, Millikin students receive a discount if you just show your student ID. In return you will receive a free Coca-Cola beverage with the purchase of any full-size sub and a bag of kettle chips.
Head West Subs is currently hiring additional staff members in the kitchen and behind the register. Applications can be found online or completed in-person. Once a more stable team is established, the location plans to extend its hours to 9pm like a majority of their others.
To view Head West Subs’ complete menu and additional locations, visit www.headwestsubs.com. You may even place your next order online through their ToastTab portal and purchase merchandise on their Shopify.
“Go ahead and give it a try,” Wiebe said. “They have a lot of things to offer to everyone, whether it be soup, salad, or subs. Everything about the environment at Head West is great.”
