A new location is joining the mix in Baton Rouge.
The national franchise started in 1998 and is known for its cannabis-themed “toasted” subs. Baton Rouge’s at 411 Ben Hur Road opened in 2021, and now owners Meredith Beck-Wiggins and Tommy Wiggins are expanding to the St. George area in the Long Farm Village development.
At 14631 Village Market St., the new location began construction on April 20 and spans 2,600 square feet, Wiggins said. It’s slated for a mid-September opening, which comes right after the Ben Hur Cheba Hut’s celebration of five years of operation in August.
The Kali Mist sandwich convinced Tommy and Meredith Wiggins to open a Cheba Hut franchise in Baton Rouge.
STAFF PHOTO BY BILL FEIG
“We’ve been proud to serve Baton Rouge for five years, and now we’re excited to open Long Farm and invest in the community we call home,” Beck-Wiggins said. “Whether someone calls it Baton Rouge, St. George, Ascension Parish or just home, everybody’s welcome at our table.”
Menu rundown
The new location’s main menu and hours will be the same as the Ben Hur location, open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
A crowd favorite is the Kali Mist, a sub with roasted turkey breast, bacon, chipotle mayo, jalapeno, avocado, pepper jack cheese, tomato, onion, pickles and house dressing. Another popular dish is the White Widow with grilled chicken breast, bacon, ranch, mushrooms, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and house dressing.
Side dishes (called “munchies” on the menu) include bites like Cool Ranch Dorito Not’Chos, pretzel bites with honey mustard, garlic cheese bread and Bowl O’ Balls — a savory snack of meatballs dressed up with veggies, cheese and a choice of sauce.
For something on the sweet side, there's brownies, chocolate chip cookies, krispy bars and goo balls, which are like Rice Krispie Treats folded into peanut butter, cocoa, honey, butter and marshmallows.
This sandwich is called a Dank, a nickname for highly potent pot, but, no worries. There's actually no marijuana in the food at at Cheba Hut restaurant.
STAFF PHOTO BY BILL FEIG
The new location will also include a full bar with drinks and signature cocktails, such as the Buzzed Bong Water, an electric-blue colored beverage with Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, blue curacao, lemon juice, blue raspberry Kool-Aid and topped with lemon-lime soda.
There’s more customers can look forward to.
Flying under the radar is the “secret stash menu,” a collection of unique subs that are specific to each location. For example, for those who like the French dip sub, called the AK47, there’ll be the Berry White, a French dip with jalapeno cream cheese, bacon and a jalapeno au jus sauce to dip into.
Turning 5
Cheba Hut is celebrating five years in Baton Rouge with a special birthday krispy bar in August. Each sweet comes with a free custom mural sticker that’ll go on the mural inside the Ben Hur location. The new Cheba Hut will also have an interior mural, but this one has a twist.
“We’re doing a lot of fun things with this mural,” Beck-Wiggins said. “I don’t want to say too much, because there is a surprise aspect to the mural, but it’s definitely something people will be talking about.”
The couple is currently on the hunt for where to open a third location, potentially in the Lafayette, northshore or West Bank areas. The challenge is finding a quick-service space that can occupy about 2,000 to 3,000 square feet. At each Cheba Hut location, the atmosphere is more elevated than what most customers may expect for quick service.
“We give them the fine dining side of quick service,” Wiggins said. “We want to make sure we’re going out there, touching everybody’s table, talking to you, picking up your trash for you.”
Beck-Wiggins said they have always believed that restaurants should bring people together.
“We like to say hospitality is free,” Beck-Wiggins said. “It doesn’t cost anything to be nice or kind to someone.”