Lenny's Grill and Subs Opens New Asheville Location on Smokey Park Highway

The former Subway space at 278 Smokey Park Highway has a new sandwich tenant. Franchise owner Assef Alnasraween opened Asheville's second Lenny's Grill & Subs there on March 25, bringing his Philadelphia-style sub operation to the west side of Buncombe County more than a decade after he first planted the brand at 645 Biltmore Avenue.

Alnasraween purchased the Biltmore Avenue Lenny's in 2012 and has since become one of the brand's most vocal expansion advocates. "If I did not have this kind of teamwork happening around me, I don't know if I would want to expand," he said in a profile on the Lenny's franchise website. With two stores now operating under his ownership, that expansion is no longer hypothetical.

The Smokey Park Highway location sits along a corridor that carries roughly 29,000 vehicles a day between West Asheville and the Enka-Candler area. Despite Costco withdrawing its application for a store near Interstate 40's Exit 44 in February, the stretch continues to attract commercial investment: an Aldi, a possible Harris Teeter, a medical park, and apartment projects are among the developments eyeing the area. Lenny's arrival at the corridor's established foot-traffic node gives west-side commuters and shift workers a fast-casual option that Subway's departure had left vacant.

The new store operates seven days a week with counter service for both dine-in and takeout. Customers can order digitally through the Lenny's Rewards platform, which is offering coupons and special deals during the opening week. Signing up at lennys.com or following @lennyssubs on Instagram and Facebook unlocks those offers and keeps customers current on local promotions.

The menu runs the chain's standard lineup: grilled-to-order subs, deli subs, cookies, and cold drinks. The buildout remodeled the existing footprint of the former Subway without expanding square footage, fitting Lenny's counter-service layout into a space corridor regulars will already recognize by location.

Employment opportunities for the Smokey Park store can be found through the location's own postings or the corporate careers page at lennys.com. The company has not disclosed a specific headcount for the new site.

Alnasraween told the Lenny's franchise site that further growth remains a priority, and the Smokey Park opening suggests he intends to keep building on the foundation he laid at Biltmore Avenue more than a decade ago.