For the past 30 years, Sub Station II founder and owner, Charlie Ruffalo, has been attempting to integrate his and other small businesses on Cherry Road into the Winthrop meal plan. Three decades worth of
Winthrop presidents and board members have resisted his efforts.
“It started with President DiGiorgio,” Ruffalo said, recounting the beginning of his decades-long struggle for partnership with Winthrop University. “They didn’t have restaurants on campus at that time, it was just Dinkins and the cafeteria. The timing seemed perfect to introduce us to the meal plan, but when I would go to Dr. DiGiorgio and ask him, he would just blow me off.”
Today, Winthrop’s campus is host to several franchisee dining establishments such as Subway, Einstein’s Bagel and Chick-fil-A. Students can select meal plans that include a set amount of prepaid meal swipes that can be used at these select eateries.
“Around the same time I started approaching DiGiorgio about partnering as a food service, he began inviting a friend of mine who managed Burger King to start a business on campus,” Ruffalo said. “When my friend asked why he wouldn’t consider my restaurant, he would just say ‘Oh, well that’s different.’ I could never get a reason why he did not want to partner with me.”
Ruffalo founded Sub Station II in 1975 with his two brothers and established the Rock Hill location in 1986. He has since cut ties with the corporate aspect of the franchise, and now solely operates the Cherry Road property. Under his management, the eatery has twice earned the Small Business of the Year award from Rock Hill and York County’s Chambers of Commerce, as well as secured the award for Best Sub/Sandwich
Shop in York County 20 times.
Winthrop students are a common sight within the establishment, making up about 18% of the store’s sales during a semester, according to Ruffalo. Winthrop students, faculty and administrators all receive a 10%
discount on purchases, provided they inform the cashier ahead of time of their Winthrop affiliation.
The deli-themed diner provides a convenient and reasonably priced alternative to the corporate, franchise-based restaurants offered on campus.
“We love seeing new students inside the restaurant,” Logan Mccuin, a Sub Station II employee said. “A lot of the Winthrop students we see in the shop end up becoming regular customers or even come in multiple times a day. We’re very appreciative of their patronage.”
Despite the support Sub Station II, along with other small Rock Hill businesses, have shown Winthrop neighbors, the university administration has shown little interest in returning the favor.
“About 15 years ago, myself and five other business owners got together with Dr. DiGiorgio to talk about a ‘College Town’ concept, like Five Points in Columbia. This was around the same time the city of Rock Hill started the Old Town project and the city was pushing the agenda for [a] college town too, but it never went anywhere because Winthrop didn’t want it to happen,” Ruffalo said.
“For the whole 34 years I’ve been here, Winthrop has almost always come to me asking ‘What can you give us? What can you do for us?’ instead of approaching as a partnership,” Ruffalo said. “The administrations, and I hate to say this, they never look to partner with outside entities.”
Family-owned businesses need support from their communities now more than ever. As a major part of Rock Hill, Winthrop moving to incorporate local restaurants, like Sub Station II, could have a positive impact on not only the businesses but the whole community.
Photo by Jamia Johnson
