More Flavors Hoagies reopens with new momentum

CEDAR RAPIDS — In a difficult environment for restaurants and food-based businesses, James “Jay” Spencer knows that going out to eat is a tough sell for diners, too.

That’s why, despite the challenges from inflation and food costs that every restaurateur is facing in the wake of the pandemic’s complications, he keeps his prices relatively low. Years after even a large chain like Subway discontinued its $5 foot-long, you still can get a full meal at More Flavors Hoagies for just $5.99 — minus the drink.

“I want it to be worth it,” Spencer said.

If you’ve driven through the area adjacent to NewBo District or been to Panda Lin, you’ve probably seen the corner shop. But it may have been closed last time you went through.

With extensive interruptions from construction, street blockings and a subsequent pandemic and derecho, More Flavors has had a rough go of it since opening in 2019. In 2022, he reopened the shop after a winter closure.

Now, Spencer is recommitting to the space’s momentum with improvements as new projects continue to develop NewBo. Soon, a food truck he’s fixing up alongside the small space will help him get his name out to more people at farmers markets and the streets home to Cedar Rapids’ growing food truck fleet.

“I’m starting to get more momentum,” Spencer said.

As a fast-casual concept, More Flavors can be quick, but not in the fast-food kind of way. To make flavors just right, Spencer takes his time behind the counter assembling each cold or hot hoagie.

Although it has a humble area for limited dine-in, More Flavors is enjoyed to-go by most customers.

The food

With flavors and assembly he said is not replicated by any other shop in town, his menu stands out from the crowd with a simplicity that lets its best features shine.

“A hoagie is not a sandwich,” he said — distinguished mostly by the fact that sandwiches are drier than what he makes.

With his own special twists, his handheld creations are a point of pride inspired by East Coast Italian styles.

“I can’t get flavors like this nowhere around,” he said. “It’s not just oregano or Italian seasoning.”

He pickles the sweet peppers himself, and cold hoagies are coated with a proprietary oil blend. His signature Supersteak hoagies feature a savory, tangy sauce.

He garnishes cold cuts with thin-sliced onions, tomatoes, pickles, pepperoncini and cheese.

Chicken hoagies offer a sweet flavor that “jumps.”

Fries, the main side offered with sandwiches, are well-seasoned with a crispy shell coating that is a relatively thick cut for fries in a fast-casual restaurant.

The owner

An entrepreneur who settled in Iowa 12 years ago after going to school in southern Illinois, Spencer has owned other types of businesses. He got the idea for a hoagie shop from a family friend, who taught him the ins and outs of her trade secrets.

Despite historic challenges for the industry, he keeps the faith in his restaurant.

“I know the demand is there,” he said.

After visiting a friend in Cedar Rapids, he was drawn to the city by its peaceful nature. He went to Kirkwood Community College to be a paralegal, but didn’t end up landing a job matching his educational background.

He put his life savings into the business, taking an opportunity he wasn’t sure he would have again. The building was previously home to Bigg Daddy’s Dogs and More, which was open there from 2013 to 2018, before moving to 16th Avenue SW.

Now 43, he values his independence as a business owner after years of working for other companies.

He hopes to retain the restaurant as an accomplishment as he grows older, and someday hopes to expand with other locations. The people he meets and their reaction to the hoagies are what have sustained him to keep going, despite the challenges.

“It’s been a lot of downs,” he said, “but we’re turning them into ups now.”

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