DiBella’s Subs — a Rochester-based restaurant specializing in freshly baked bread — will open up a new location and start serving up hoagies from Ithaca Plaza on Elmira Road next week.
“We chose to open in Ithaca because we tend to open locations in places where we feel we’re in demand,” AJ Shear, DiBella’s marketing manager, told The Sun. “People in Ithaca have been waiting for DiBella’s for a long time, so we’re really excited to finally open.”
DiBella’s opened its first shop in Rochester in 1918 and has since expanded to many other locations throughout New York, including Buffalo, Albany and Syracuse. Ithaca will be its 46th location, according to Shear.
“People in Ithaca have either gone to school in those other cities or have family there or travel for business,” Shear said. “So, there are a lot of people in Ithaca who have known about us for a long time.”
The quality of the chain’s bread — which Shear said is based on a special recipe and baked fresh every day — is what makes DiBella’s unique.
“We are in stores baking at 5 a.m. and bake throughout the day to ensure every customer is having the freshest bread possible,” he said. “At DiBella’s, we’re all about the bread.”
Sub-lovers can grab the first sandwiches fresh out of the oven at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16, at 222 Elmira Road.
“We operate as a small family business, and when we move into a community, we want people to feel that’s what we are, because it’s the truth,” Shear said. “We want to be a part of the Ithaca community as much as we can.”