FOOD: Hobby’s Hoagies
“There’s no place like home” isn’t a figure of speech for Kim Nixon of Hobby’s Hoagies; it’s the heart behind the restaurant that has given Oklahoma customers a taste of the East Coast for more than 20 years. “Many people know that my dad, George, started Hobby’s Hoagies because he missed Philly cheesesteaks. We have a lot of customers from the eastern United States that tell us our restaurant reminds them of their favorite hoagie place back home,” said Nixon.
Unlike Nixon’s hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, where sub shops grace every corner, sandwich shops in Oklahoma were an anomaly when Nixon’s family opened theirs for business in 1991. Their homemade baked Italian bread, fresh vegetables and top quality meats are what make Hobby’s Hoagies so great. “It’s the quality ingredients that you put on the sandwiches that make all the difference. We use rib eye steak, premium Boar’s Head lunch meat, real chicken breast and fresh fruits and vegetables that we prep ourselves for the freshest taste,” said Nixon. Customers also love the crushed hot cherry peppers and sweet peppers Hobby’s has shipped in fresh from Deleware for the perfect flavor combination.
Fresh, quality ingredients aren’t limited to their hoagies but abound on their New York-style hand-tossed pizzas, pastas and salads. “We hand make our dough, then layer it with top-of-the-line ingredients like Grande mozzarella,” said Nixon. With options like homemade potato or pasta salad and golden fries to complement any meal, finding a favorite might prove to be difficult.
Fortunately, all of their delicacies are available for catering events from luncheons to conferences with a 24-hour notice. “We cater our big party subs, sandwich trays, meat and cheese trays, veggie or fruit trays, salads and desserts. We can do just about any size event. We recently catered an event with 1,300 box lunches. It took extra time and hands but it was a success,” says Nixon.
However, their greatest successes are the customers who’ve tagged Hobby’s Hoagies as their favorite restaurant, one that brings them back no matter where life takes them.
“When we go home to Wilmington, Delaware, we go to our favorite places that we grew up with. It’s cool to see people do that here, too. We see them grow up, have their own families and move away. But when they come back to visit, they make sure they stop in to get a Philly,” said Nixon.
For all your catering needs or to get your own Philly, visit Hobby’s Hoagies located in the Oakbrook Shopping Center at Santa Fe and Edmond Road or visit their downtown Oklahoma City location at 325 N. Walker. To view their menu, go to
www.hobbyshoagies.com