business success story: Port-of-Subs

​by Kristi Hawthorne

Mike Napoli grew up in an Italian family in Los Angeles. One of his earliest memories is standing on a soda box at the age of five running the cash register at the family business, Tony’s Market and Laundry Mat. 

Today he and his wife Cheryl are the proud owners of their own family business, Port of Subs, since 2003. And while it may be a franchise, the Oceanside restaurant is just one of two in San Diego County. 

Cheryl and Mike Napoli like to think of it as a neighborhood deli.  Their employees include their own children and they hire local teenagers, many of whom have used Port of Subs as their first job experience.  The Napoli’s like to report that those young men and women have continued on to successful careers after gaining valuable experience and people skills at their shop. 

They seek out and hire friendly and approachable employees and encourage them to engage their customers, many of which come in daily or weekly.  Some of their customers have developed into long lasting friendships. In fact, if they don’t see some of their regulars in a while, they’ll call just to make sure they’re okay!

Mike and Cheryl pride themselves in customer service.  Their success in large part is due to the friendly atmosphere and the relationship they have with their customers.
They also point out that their sandwiches are made to order with local produce and the bread is baked fresh daily.

They are most known for their “Fat Tony”, an Italian sub with double meat and double cheese.  The name was inspired by the lead character of the HBO series “The Sopranos”. An annual contest which raises money for local charities is named after the specialty sandwich. Contestants wolf down a 2 foot “Fat Tony” that weighs in at 4 pounds.

Another favorite sub creation is “The Dominator” named after their son Dominic, which features turkey and roast beef with avocado and bacon.

Port of Subs is active in the community, supporting the military and their local church and other causes like Stand up For Kids, The Hunger Bowl and Wounded Warriors.

Mike and Cheryl both feel that their customer service sets them apart.  Their quality of food sets the bar for other sub shops and is the reason they have outlasted other small restaurants (the location opened in 1988) in the area.
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Located at 510 Oceanside Boulevard, Port of Subs is in a convenient shopping center with plenty of parking near the intersection of Coast Highway and Oceanside Boulevard.