Italian Sub Shop Honoring Late Grandfather Opens on St. Petersburg’s Central Avenue

Tony D's Sub Shop opened at 217 Central Ave. in St. Petersburg on March 7. The shop serves Italian sandwiches in a space filled with family photos of owner Bobby Rutter's late grandfather. Customers can pick from 21 subs and three signature sauce blends.

The business pays tribute to Tony Deliberato, who passed away last year. Rutter spent the first 13 to 14 years of his life working at his grandfather's pizza and sub shop.

"Tony D's is an Italian sub shop. It's named after my grandpa, Tony Deliberato," said Rutter, according to FOX 13 News. "I kind of grew up in that environment, and so when we were kind of thinking about what the heart and soul of the concept would be, that's how we created it."

The walls show decades of family photographs. Each picture captures moments from Tony Deliberato's life. Rutter built the space to serve two purposes — a place to eat and a memorial honoring his grandfather's impact on him.

"He owned a pizza and sub shop for probably the first 13, 14 years of my life that I worked at," Rutter said. "He was there a lot, all of us were there. It was a real sense of community gathering spot for our family and a lot of his friends."

The menu breaks down into three groups. The first three subs carry names of cities Tony Deliberato lived in and loved. Others honor friends, children, and grandchildren from his life. Hot subs get names based on the meals they represent.

"When we started the concept, we morphed into the like the true Italian direction," Rutter said. "We really started to create a great list of 21 different subs that have a lot of heart, soul and love from my family."

All bread gets toasted before workers build each sandwich. Customers can pick signature options or design their own, hot or cold.

"What we were trying to do was create something that had a lot of authenticity to it," Rutter said. "And we put a lot of care into it. I hope people can come down, experience it, have a really high quality food, but more importantly, really soak in the vibe and the energy of the space."