Couple behind a popular sub shop in downtown Macon will open one in Warner Robins

A Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs is coming to Warner Robins.

The popular sub sandwich shop is going into the former Mike’s Hot Dogs & Hamburgers at 823 Russell Parkway.

The building that housed the former quirky and iconic family-owned restaurant known for its Gorilla Burgers for more than 35 years is undergoing a face lift.

The jungle scene once painted on the side of the building featuring Tarzan and Jane figures is no more.

A peek through the glass front doors shows cream colored walls with a brown trim that were once painted red.

The Baldinos sign is up, and the new restaurant is hiring. Expect a nod to Mike’s Hot Dogs & Hamburgers inside the new restaurant when it opens.

The owners

The sub sandwich shop is brought to you by Andy and Jan Clark, who brought the beloved franchise restaurant back to downtown Macon in October 2022.

Jan Clark, who’s been hands-on at the Macon location, is opening the new Warner Robins shop. Her husband provides financial backing.

Their son, Bridges Sanders, the new general manager at the Macon shop, recently took over its operation.

“We always started this to be a family business, and just the timing wasn’t right for Bridges,” Clark said. “He was in college, and he was interested. But I just wanted him to wait a little longer.

“And then we lost our general manager and I called him (Bridges) and said, ‘If you’re still interested, it looks like the timing is right.’ So he was interested .... (and) jumped right in.”

Kellie Dover, a longtime employee of Mike’s Hot Dogs & Hamburgers, will be the manager of the Warner Robins shop. Jan Clark said she’ll be assisting Dover.

The Clarks purchased the building from Mike and Rita Wellons after he retired and closed Mike’s Hot Dogs & Hamburgers. He’s come by from time to time offering his help.

“I keep calling it Mike’s, and I don’t know if it’ll ever be Baldinos or mine,” Jan Clark said. “I’m always going to call that building Mike’s because he’s just kind of an icon in Warner Robins.”

“He was there for so long,” she said. “That’s such a big accomplishment for a restaurant owner to be in business that long.”

He’s expected to select a piece of memorabilia from his former restaurant that will be displayed in the new shop.

Clark also plans to hang photos of her family members who have served in the military on the walls.

The new Baldinos is expected to open by the end of November, she said.

The menu

True to its name, Baldinos offers a variety of Jersey subs served up cold, toasted and grilled.

The bread is baked in house and the Clarks get their meats and cheeses from an Italian purveyor.

Of more than 25 subs on the menu, one of the “big ones” that comes with “extra everything” is #24, the Italian Battalion, according to the company’s website.

This sub comes with extra press ham, boiled ham, hard salami, cappicola, pepperoni and provolone cheese.

For children, the restaurant offers the Bambino Bite, which are small ham and cheese or turkey subs.

The restaurant also serves salad plates like the American, a plateful of turkey, boiled ham, roast beef and provolone cheese with shredded lettuce tomatoes, sliced onions, peppers and deli salad with a roll.

Deli salads include cucumber, pasta, macaroni and potato in 5 ounce, 8 ounce and 16 ounce sizes.

Sides and sweets also include potato chips, a cup or pint of the soup of the day, gourmet cookies and dill pickles.

The menu will be the same for both locations, with the Warner Robins shop also offering the popular pepperoni rolls — a menu item that’s been unique to the Macon location.

Expanding

When the Clarks purchased franchise rights for Baldinos in Macon and Warner Robins, people encouraged them to open the Warner Robins location first, Jan Clark said.

“But I really wanted to bring it back to downtown Macon first,” she said.

From the parking lot of the Warner Robins shop, the former location of Baldinos on Russell Parkway can be seen, Clark noted. What’s now Sharks Fish & Chicken at 912 Russell Parkway once housed a Baldinos.

“We’ve got to get Warner Robins up and running on its own and then we hope to open a third,” she said.

They expect to open their next location in Dublin or Forsyth.