Illinois Valley News

Subway owner Gary Braden insists his restaurant doesn“t need a grease trap. The city of Cave Junction“s Public Works Dept. disagrees. (Photo by Michelle Binker, I V News)

The aroma of fresh-baked bread and cookies greets customers as they enter any Subway restaurant. Absent are other odors that can be associated with some fast-food establishments.

That fresh experience is what Subway“s franchise model promotes, and it“s what Cave Junction Subway owner Gary Braden wants for his customers.

“I want them to smell the bread, not a grease trap,“ Braden said.

But the Cave Junction restaurateur is gearing up for what could be a prolonged fight with the city of Cave Junction regarding the lack of that piece of equipment within his establishment.

If Braden eventually is required to install a grease trap, the Cave Junction Subway restaurant would be the first in the nation required to do so.

City Issues Warning

In a document dated Monday, Dec. 14, Braden was informed by Travis Robbins from the city“s public works department that he is out of compliance with Cave Junction Municipal Code.

“It has come to the attention of the city of Cave Junction Public Works crew that the above-named business does not have a grease interceptor on premise and therefore is in violation,“ the document states.

According to the municipal code, “the owner of any building or property used for employment or other purposes shall be installed (sic) a suitable grease, oil and sand interceptor where required, excluding private living quarters.“

Braden insists that when his business was established four years ago, a site plan review signed by the city and Josephine County confirmed that neither a grease trap nor gray water interceptor was necessary for the business.

“We removed the existing grease trap,“ Braden said. “All the plumbing is new from the ground up.“

Leaving the trap in place was not a consideration. Besides the scent, Braden said there is the added expense of maintenance and monitoring.

“If this was a burger place, you have to have it and you live with it,“ he said. “But when your restaurant is billed as “Eat Fresh,“ you don“t need it.“

“Grease Buildup“ Cited

According to Robbins, the city conducts grease trap inspections every six months or so. Public Works uses a camera that goes into the city“s main water and sewer lines and looks for cracks, root intrusions and other potential problems. The camera also enables city employees to see all the laterals that connect to those main lines.

The city has had the camera since 2005, Robbins said, but has only used it on the entire system twice.

“It“s not a real speedy piece of equipment,“ Robbins said. “For us, getting the camera on the whole system can take almost three months.“

Robbins said that the particular line that Subway links to has had problems with grease buildup around it for quite some time. The Junction Inn and Shop Smart Food Warehouse also are close to that line, Robbins said.

“There“s a lot of activity in that area,“ he said. “We“ve cleaned that little section of line monthly. It“s been a problem. I“ve been here since 2001, and it“s always been a problem. We deal with the grease there monthly.“

Braden insists that the problem cited by the city isn“t coming from his restaurant, but could be something residual in the pipe which leads from the restaurant to the sewer. Subway inhabits a building used for decades as a hamburger cafe. Prior to the Subway remodeling, Giant Burger occupied the site for 13 years.

A Second Opinion

It isn“t just Braden who thinks that the Subway store should not have a grease trap. Ron Frick works for the Josephine County Building Safety Dept. and has inspected the CJ Subway premises.

Frick, a plumber for 30 years, also is the commercial plumbing inspector for neighboring Jackson County.

According to a document dated Dec. 5, Frick determined that “upon investigation of the Subway sandwich facility, it is not required or necessary to have a grease trap installed. To install a grease trap would be a waste of time and money.“

That“s not the only issue.

The city, Frick said during an interview, has “no authority to make you do something you“re not required to do. I am the only one who could make you get one “ or the state.“

Down the Drain

As far as he“s concerned, Braden already is going above and beyond what is needed to keep his store clean. He gestures to a sink and describes some of his efforts.

“I“ve even got to where I“ve got sanitizer rings and a catch pan“ at the drain, Braden said. “Everything is packaged. Even if I am thawing something, it is inside a bag, inside a pan inside a sink. The only thing we are going to thaw that way would be chicken breasts or strips in the bag.“

Aside from that, Braden said, when meat reaches the date by which it must be used, it either goes into the garbage or home with one of his eight employees.

Braden said that he“s had the property“s pipes scrubbed three times, due to problems with water not flowing in the line from the building to the road. As such, he said the grease problem must originate elsewhere.

“It is not coming from Subway,“ Braden said. “It is in the existing line.“

Process of Elimination

According to Robbins, the city has been diligent about trying to locate the source of the problem with the water and sewer lines. The city is not engaging in selective enforcement against Subway, he said.

“I“ve even been to the other businesses,“ he said. “The other businesses are using chemicals to break the grease down and get it out of their system. Farther down the line, it re-coagulates and ends up being a problem for us. We“ve talked to them about manually cleaning the grease interceptors, and that has helped us too.“

Even if the grease is coming from elsewhere, Robbins points out that the Subway franchise washes more dishes than the average Cave Junction household.

“The detergents have been a problem for us,“ Robbins said.

With regard to the timing of the city“s attempts to bring Subway into compliance, Robbins said that the matter “got overlooked until now.“ He said that he“s optimistic that a positive resolution can be reached to settle the issue once and for all.

“I see them installing a grease trap and maintaining it as is required,“ Robbins said. “That“s what I hope.“

The Next Step

City code provides a one-year timeframe for businesses to achieve compliance. Also, business owners have 90 days to contest enforcement decisions to the city council.

Braden said that he has every intention of exercising those rights. And in the meantime, he will continue his quest to bring fresh food to every one of his customers.

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