DATE: Thursday, August 28, 1997             TAG: 9708270219

SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS         PAGE: 20   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: ON THE TOWN 

TYPE: RESTAURANT REVIEW 

SOURCE: Sam Martinette 

                                            LENGTH:   75 lines

SUBS AND SUNDAES: TASTY NEIGHBORS

Dairy Queen and Zero's Subs are sharing space on Colley Avenue, in the former Scalco's Garage. They offer a different line of products, and so complement each other's fare. Diners might have a Philly steak and cheese sub from Zero's and follow it up with a hot fudge sundae from the Dairy Queen side of the building.

My first visit to a Zero's was in 1968, when I was tending bar at the King's Head Inn on Hampton Boulevard. This year is the 30th anniversary of Zero's, and according to Gene Schmidt, chairman of Zero's, Mr. Submarine Inc. in Virginia Beach, the Hampton Boulevard location was the second Zero's Subs. The first opened in 1967 on Pacific Avenue at the Oceanfront.

``I opened it with a cousin of mine the year after I graduated from college,'' Schmidt recalled. ``I just wanted to make some extra money. I didn't know then how big it was going to get. It just kind of grew, and we settled in with 17 corporate stores.''

Schmidt learned the sub business growing up in Williamsport, Pa.

``I started working in a little sub shop when I was 12 years old,'' he said.

He must have learned well. Today there are 46 Zero's locations, including stores in Richmond and North Carolina. ``We're getting ready to open two in Phoenix and Tempe, Ariz., next January. We're trying to become national, but we're still a small company.''

Schmidt said seven Zero's Subs are operated by the corporation. The rest are run by franchisees who spend an average of six weeks training at a Zero's.

Kathy Johnson, who owns the Ghent franchise, said, ``I used to hang around the Zero's at 44th and Hampton when I was 16.''

This is her first restaurant experience.

``I started training at Zero's in January of '97, and bought the franchise in June,'' she said. ``My background is in banking.''

That makes the bookwork involved pretty easy.

``It's not hard, but finding the time to do it is,'' Johnson said.

She said she's putting in 50 to 60 hour weeks since Zero's opened July 3, and is surprised at how physical the job is.

Zero's Subs rents space from the Dairy Queen, owned by DQS, Inc. out of Franklin. Partners Mitch Sandlin and William Lowe operate nine DQs, according to the Ghent store's general manager, Roger Lowe.

``We looked for a location in this area for a long time, and business has been better than ever since we opened in June,'' Lowe said. ``We're real happy to be here.''

The building seats about 70 in a shared dining area and on an outdoor patio, and was designed in quasi-diner fashion, with black and white tiles, counter stools and 1950s music piped in.

For your after-sub treats, Dairy Queen offers a hot fudge sundae ($1.59/$1.99/$2.39), a Misty Slush (99 cents/$1.19/ $1.39), a banana split or strawberry shortcake ($2.89). Dairy Queen also has barbecue sandwiches ($1.99), chili dogs ($1.39), and its famous soft-serve ice cream, said to be 95-percent fat free.

Zero's offers subs, hot and cold, from $2.60 for a half of a meatball and cheese, ham and cheese, pepperoni and cheese, or a grinder (or $4.60 for a whole sub), to $6.20 for a whole Philly steak (or chicken) and cheese sub with mushrooms. You can get a grilled veggie sub for $4.90 ($2.75 for a half), or a whole tuna and cheese sub for $4.60.

Zero's also serves pizza, with a 6-inch pie running $2.29 (39 cents for each extra). A 15-inch pie costs $7.99 (extras 99 cents each). Kids meals are available, and there's lots more on the menu. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

AT A GLANCE

WHAT: The Dairy Queen (622-2933) and Zero's Subs (622-1831)

WHERE: 1520 Colley Ave. in Ghent

WHEN: Dairy Queen is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.,

Sunday-Thursday, and 11 a.m. to midnite on Friday and Saturday.

Zero's Subs is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday-Thursday, 11 to

midnite on Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday.

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