Just Another Fast Food Building

Posted on by Mike

Before it was “110 Munson Ave”

  • The site used to be addressed as 1504 E. Front Street in Traverse City.

  • Back then it was part of the old fast food strip east of downtown. At some point in the early 1990s, that section was renumbered/reassigned and the same building became 110 Munson Ave (Munson Ave and E. Front basically merge/split in that corridor). 

So: same physical spot, two different street numbers over time.

The business history, oldest to newest

Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips (late 1970s / very early 1980s)

  • One of the classic British-style fried fish & chips chains.

  • The Traverse City location was listed at 1504 E. Front St., which is the same building that later became 110 Munson Ave. 

  • Arthur Treacher’s expanded hard in the ‘70s/early ‘80s and then started fading nationally in the mid-’80s. The Traverse City shop was part of that early wave. 

Burger Square (≈1981–1984)

  • After Arthur Treacher’s left, the spot became Burger Square around 1981.

  • Locals describe Burger Square as a slider/burger place, kind of White Castle-ish. It only lasted a few years, into the mid-1980s. 

Dairy Queen (mid-1980s to early 1990s)

  • After Burger Square, the same building turned into a Dairy Queen.

  • Sources say that Dairy Queen ran there through the late ’80s and very early ’90s, then closed/relocated. 

  • This is also the point where the address shifts: that old DQ at 1504 E. Front is later referred to as 110 Munson Ave. 

Schlotzsky’s Deli (early 1990s)

  • In the early ’90s, after Dairy Queen, the building became a Schlotzsky’s Deli (the Austin-style sandwich chain).

  • That didn’t last super long; by the mid/late ’90s it had flipped again. 

Luigi’s Pizzeria & Café (mid/late 1990s into 2000s)

  • Next up was Luigi’s Pizzeria & Café, doing pizzas, pasta, sandwiches.

  • Luigi’s shows up in business directories at 110 Munson Ave and is tied to the Gutowski family locally. One listing says Luigi’s (at that address) dates back to the 2000s and had a handful of employees. 

  • A note from the owners suggests this Munson Ave location eventually closed around the late 2000s/very early 2010s. 

Mancino’s Pizza & Grinders (late 1990s / 2000s era overlap)

  • The same family (Valentine “Billy” and Linda Gutowski) also operated Mancino’s Pizza & Grinders in Traverse City.

  • Mancino’s is described as their independent, mom-and-pop pizza/grinder shops that started in the area in the 1990s and expanded to multiple Traverse City locations. 

  • Mancino’s is specifically listed at 110 Munson Ave in older directories, and some maps still show “Mancino’s Pizza & Grinders” or “Gutowski Restaurants” tied to that address even after it was gone. 

  • Over time, the Gutowskis rebranded/relocated the Mancino’s/“bread nuggets” operation to other Traverse City spots (Chum’s Corner, West Bayshore, etc.), and the Munson Ave shop closed. 

That’sa Pizza (2010s–2020)

  • After Mancino’s/Luigi’s, the building housed That’sa Pizza, a long-running Traverse City pizza brand that traces back to 1981. 

  • That’sa Pizza ran takeout/delivery from 110 Munson Ave through the 2010s. By early 2021 the Munson Ave location had shut down; That’sa Pizza continues today at other Traverse City locations (Long Lake Rd, Hammond Rd, Acme/Williamsburg), but not at 110 Munson. 

Jersey Mike’s Subs (2021–present)

  • In 2021, a Jersey Mike’s Subs franchise moved in.

  • Local business news in February/March 2021 said Jersey Mike’s would open in the “former That’sa Pizza space” at 110 Munson Ave, targeting a late-March grand opening. 

  • Jersey Mike’s is still the current tenant, and their official store listing shows the address as 110 Munson Ave, Traverse City, MI 49686, phone (231) 421-1379, open daily. 

Quick summary timeline

  • Late ’70s / early ’80s: Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips

  • ~1981–1984: Burger Square

  • Mid ’80s–early ’90s: Dairy Queen

  • Early ’90s: Schlotzsky’s Deli

  • Mid ’90s–2000s: Luigi’s Pizzeria & Café / Mancino’s Pizza & Grinders (Gutowski family)

  • 2010s–2020: That’sa Pizza

  • 2021–now: Jersey Mike’s Subs

That’s the lineage of 110 Munson Ave: it’s basically been a rotating “fast casual / pizza / sandwiches” spot for ~40+ years, starting as fish & chips and ending up as East Coast subs. 

 

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