Father, Daughter Team Takes Control of Shop
By Casey Sullivan
Hampton Union, Tuesday, July 28, 2009
[The following article is courtesy of the Hampton Union and Seacoast Online.]
[Casey Sullivan photo]
HAMPTON — Tori LaBonte and her father, Bruce Aquizap, have re-opened TNT “Tori’s Notorious Torpedos” Subs at 725 Lafayette Road as a family business this year after selling the shop in 2000.
The owners bought the shop back in June 2008 when the previous owners were looking to sell it. To say the least, LaBonte and Aquizap are excited about their sandwich shop’s rebirth.
LaBonte and Aquizap originally bought the shop in 1989 when the building was a video store.
“There weren’t any sub shops around back then, and we felt we needed to open one,” said LaBonte. “Recently there’s been a lot of competition, but we’re trying to build and make our shop better.”
And that’s exactly what TNT has done by improving their already top-notch service in various ways.
To mark the new beginning, LaBonte and Aquizap have developed a new menu which includes a diverse range of food such as tacos, burritos, spaghetti, tortilla pizzas, award-winning chili, and countless subs, wraps, appetizers and salads that appeal to a broad clientele base.
“We pretty much have subs for people of all ages — from the older person to the hungry man,” said LaBonte. “We have huge 15-inch subs to a junior-size for folks with smaller appetites.”
According to LaBonte, their subs start at $3.99.
She personally recommended the steak and cheese sub, which is TNT’s signature sub.
“There’s a substantial amount of meat in them,” she said.
TNT also offers an atmosphere within the shop which is designed to entertain both adults and children while they eat.
Both a television and a “Pirates of the Caribbean” pinball machine can be found inside the shop so kids can try their luck at the game’s high score, while mom and dad finish their meals and watch the news.
“We’ve really changed the atmosphere of the dining room,” said LaBonte.
In addition to the new menu and atmosphere TNT now offers, the shop is also going “green” and attempting to be as ecologically responsible as possible.
The sub shop is open every day of the week from 10:30 a.m.to 9:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday; and 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. The shop offers free delivery seven nights of the weeks.
LaBonte said she is especially happy to be back and in the sandwich shop business because she loves working for her customers.
“I just love making sure everyone enjoys their food,” she said. “We want everyone to be able to have a good sandwich at a good price.”