Arrrrrrrr you ready for fast, fresh, and healthy Food?
Polly want a cracker? Or maybe a fresh and delicious California Club? Pirates and parrot owners alike are always welcome at our ThunderCloud Subs store in Georgetown. In fact, a giant swash-buckling pirate in white pantaloons rappels from the ceiling just inside the shop’s front door.
Big, black letters above one of the cozy booths declare “Pirate Bucks Welcome.” That’s because students from nearby Southwestern University (home of the… yep, you guessed it… Pirates) are frequent customers and able to use their meal cards in the shop. Our fast, fresh, and healthy food sustains them through all-nighters, term-paper prep, and lengthy study sessions.
Stop by during the lunch rush and you’re likely to see officials, lawyers, and employees from the nearby county government buildings as well; ThunderCloud is located just off Georgetown’s historic town square. If you’re lucky you might also run into “Bologna No Bologna”— the nickname for a favorite loyal customer who comes in most days and orders a small bologna on wheat… hold the meat! Residents of the Sun City retirement community also frequent the Georgetown shop, which opened in 2013 and is ThunderCloud’s second newest location.
With its exposed ductwork, handmade tie-dyed curtains, quaint outdoor tables, and year-round icicle lights, the shop has a welcoming and friendly vibe. Visitors strolling the square for Georgetown’s monthly Market Days often pop in for the ever-popular Big Paul or Austin Club Salad. A dozen or so bouncy houses spring up just outside the shop during the city’s annual Red Poppy Festival. And modern-day wise men from the nearby Church of the Nazarene use the store as a staging ground for their live nativity scene every December.
Then there’s the fire hydrant … Tucked away in an alcove outside the restrooms, the hydrant is a relic from the building’s original purpose — as Georgetown’s fire station truck bay. The store’s oversized front windows mark where the bay doors used to be, and a pint-sized model fire truck hangs from the ceiling near the drink station. Another fun fact about the Georgetown store: it’s one of several ThunderCloud Subs locations that has solar power on its rooftop!
If you drop by for a tasty sub, stay for a chat with one of the store’s 11 employees. One used to front a U2 cover band. Another bakes the store’s gluten free banana chocolate chip cakes in a commercial kitchen she rents. And whoever crafts your fresh made-to-order sub, you can be certain that “none are robots,” says manager Nathan Wolfers. “They’re an eccentric group that loves what they do — We hire them to be who they are.”
By the numbers:
Square feet: 3,000
Max capacity: 48
Founded: June 17, 2013
