The Great American Hero Won't Close After All

Fans of The Great American Hero were crushed last summer when news broke that the colorful little sandwich shop on Lemmon Avenue would close before the end of the year. Now, it seems that 2022 is off to a good start, at least for sandwich lovers. The shop, the last location of a business that has been operating in Dallas for 47 years, will start the new year with new owners, according to a sign out front.

When we last spoke with owner and founder Dominick Oliverie, he said he'd sold the land the shop sits on at the corner of Lemmon and Throckmorton Street. At 74, he was ready to retire, and his sons weren't interested in taking over the business. He didn't know what the new property owner had planned but expected the sandwich shop might be replaced by a bank.

Anyone who saw the traffic lined up on Lemmon Avenue last summer when the news of the impending closure broke got a lesson in how attached the shop's patrons were to Oliverie's sammies. One of those fans was the wife of the Observer's editor, who drove down from north Plano on Wednesday to snag what she thought would be her last No. 6 (Genoa salami, baked ham, bologna and provolone on white, Jersey style, add mayo, hold the onions).* She sent us pictures of the sign breaking the news. Her server said the shop would remain in that location.
We're putting calls out to Oliverie to confirm and get more details. We'll follow up when we hear back but thought a little good news might help balance those omicron blues.

*You can probably guess who's been bringing her those heroes up to Plano.

The Great American Hero, 4001 Lemmon Ave., 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday - Saturday, closed Sunday