Cheba Hut with Jon Gabrus (LIVE)

"Cheba Hut with Jon Gabrus (LIVE)" is Episode 188 of *Doughboys*, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Cheba Hut with Jon Gabrus (LIVE)" was released on January 24, 2019.

## Synopsis

Jon Gabrus (*Raised By TV*, *High and Mighty*) returns to the show to review a chain specializing in toasted subs and "curing munchies," Cheba Hut. Plus, a local Arizona edition of Snack or Wack.

Recorded at Stand Up Live in Phoenix, AZ.

## Nick's intro

*"Introduce myself as Lōc, she said 'you're a liar' / I said I got it goin' on, baby doll, and I'm on fire / Took her to the hotel, she said, 'you're the king' / I said, 'Be my queen, if you know what I mean / And let us do the wild thing'"*

So goes the 1988 breakthrough hit by Anthony Terrell Smith, better known by his stage alias of Tone Lōc.

A major hiphop star of the late '80s and early '90s, Tone Lōc's other chart-toppers include "Funky Cold Medina" (a narrative about a fictional love potion that rewards its users like the proverbial cursed monkey paw) as well as one of rap's early weed anthems, a six-minute tribute to the sticky icky.

Like many other musicians, Tone Lōc soon parlayed his fame into an acting career, accumulating an array of diverse credits including movies like the Jim Carrey vehicle, *Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,* and the Michael Mann heist classic, *Heat*.

In 1998, shortly after Tone Lōc acted in the films *Fakin' Da Funk* and *Spy Hard*, a restaurateur named Scott Jennings opened a pot-themed sandwich shop just off-campus from Arizona State University, naming his business after Tone Lōc's aforementioned pro-marijuana song. Jennings and his team weren't exactly subtle with their 4/20 theming, offering sandwiches with names like Chronic, Dank, and Kush, and designating their 4-inch, 8-inch, and foot-long sizes as Nugs, Pinners, and Blunts, respectively.

Double-digit sales growth led to rapid expansion, adding five locations in Arizona and bordering New Mexico within a decade. The chain's quick success has proved to be a bonanza for newspaper headline writers who have enthusiastically made puns like "Sandwich Shop Finds Itself In A Sticky Situation" and "Pot-Themed Sub Chain Far More Than A Pipe Dream."

But the playful branding hides a more serious business culture. As CEO Matt Trethaway told *Time Magazine* in 2012, "*there's no place to be stoned at work.*"

Today, this dope sandwich shop boasts twenty locations across the Western U.S., including in weed-legal states like Colorado and California, with eventual plans for 300 total. Unfortunately for marijuana enthusiasts in its home state of Arizona, a ballot initiative that legalized recreational use of the drug failed by a thin margin in 2016. However, medical marijuana has been legal in the Grand Canyon State since Proposition 203 passed in 2010, including on college campuses - no doubt often prescribed for ailments no more serious than Senioritis.

And when the munchies hit, hopheads crave the toasted subs from, to quote the hook from Tone Lōc's pot-positive single, "that Cheeba Cheeba Cheeba."

This week on *Doughboys*: Cheba Hut.

## Fork rating

* The Nick Wiger (1/3 lemonade, 2/3 iced tea)
* Humboldt (Guacamole / Veggie)
 Mike Mitchell
 Jon Gabrus
* Dr. Pepper
* Grape Kool Aid
 shared
* Apollo 13 Greek Chicken
* AK-47 French Dip
* 5-0 (All The Pig, Baby!)
* Dank Pizza Sub
* Green Crack
* Sticky Icky
* Loaded Not'chos
* Goo Ball

With these scores, Cheba Hut makes the Golden Plate Club!

## Snack or Wack

In Snack or Wack, The Doughboys have a snack and decide if is 'good' or 'bad.'

For this episode, they get an order from the Cornish Pasty Co., an Arizona chain that makes versions of pasties, a sort of "big Hot Pocket." They tried The Oggie (The Traditional Pasty), which has steak, potatoes, onion, and rutabega inside, and everyone loved them.

(The Doughboys will review Cornish Pasty Co. in full when they do another show in Phoenix three years after this one.)

 Mike Mitchell
 Jon Gabrus
 audience member

## Mt. Sausagemore 🌭

An audience member asked them to rank their favorite sausages (see the question below), and this is what they came up with:

 Mike Mitchell
 Jon Gabrus

## Desert Island Snack 🏝️

Another audience member asked them for their favorite snacks to live with on a desert island.

 Mike Mitchell
 Jon Gabrus

## Quotes

**Nick**: Mistake it for a drumstick?

## The Live Feedbag

 Mike Mitchell
 Jon Gabrus

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