Rollin Joe’s Exterior Renderings Alexander Quintanilla of Q-ARC
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At the beginning of this year, New York Subs announced its impending closure. The popular spot, a brief walk across Hillcrest from the SMU campus, had been serving sammies to students since the 1970s. In a Facebook post, owner Andrew Kelly explained that lease negotiations played a large part in the decision to shutter.
“After 53 years of first dates, post-game meals, and late-night study breaks, New York Sub is losing its home,” he wrote. “We simply can’t make the new financial terms work.”
In the months since calling it quits, New York Sub has regrouped for a return later this summer at a new location on West Lovers Lane.
Drinks, snacks and a walk-up window
Meanwhile, business partners Jerry Wayne Mooty, Jr. and Kirk Thompson have snapped up the lease for the old sandwich shop and plan to debut a new concept shortly.
Rollin Joe’s Sips & Co. is billed as a “beverage-forward gathering place” that will combine a wide array of non-alcoholic drinks (coffee, tea, smoothies, protein drinks, energy drinks) with a music program highlighting local and guest DJs. Grab-and-go snacks, as well as a walk-up “quick sip” window, will round out Rollin Joe’s early-morning-through-late-night offerings.
“The former New York Sub location holds a special place in the hearts of generations of students and Park Cities residents,” said Mooty. “When the opportunity arose to bring new life to the space, we saw a chance to honor that legacy.”
Mooty, an SMU alum and nephew of Jerry Jones, can claim genuine, deep-rooted ties to the location. He also brings real estate savvy as CEO and Principal of Christie’s International Real Estate, Lone Star division. Co-founder Thompson previously owned and operated several Panera Bread and Jimmy John’s franchises elsewhere in the country.
“When Jerry [Mooty] showed me what he had created, I immediately saw the potential,” said Thompson. “The beverage category is evolving rapidly, and there was an opportunity to build something different.”
Rounding out the team, Mooty and Thompson have tapped Alexander Quintanilla of Q-ARC (Wild Salsa, Fortunate Son) to redesign the space. Renderings reflect an orange-accented lounge atmosphere, exposed brick walls, and a ’70s-era mustachioed mascot wearing a sweatband and smoking a cigarette (or something that looks like a cigarette).
Rollin Joe’s projects a late-summer/early-fall 2026 opening at 3411 Asbury St. in Dallas.
