As the corporate headquarters of the Submarina franchise, Submarina California Subs La Mesa at 5454 Grossmont Center Drive in La Mesa anchors the brand's California sub-sandwich operation from the Grossmont area. Bread bakes in-house throughout the day across multiple varieties including the signature squaw roll, a California-regional grain bread that sets the sandwich program apart from national chains and from the imported-Italian cured-meat boards at BMH Italian nearby. Les Warfield and Ron Vickers, two former U.S. Postal Service workers from Reno, Nevada, founded the concept in San Diego in 1976 after failing to find a sub shop that matched their standards; San Diego brothers Brian and Matt Kennedy acquired the company in 2017. Proximity to Sharp Grossmont Hospital and the medical offices on Fletcher Parkway drives a concentrated lunch rush at this Grossmont Center Drive location, where the hand-sliced meat and avocado builds cater to the same weekday workforce that fuels the seafood lunch counter at Brigantine Seafood & Oyster Bar near Lake Murray. The highest-complexity build on the menu layers pastrami, turkey, roast beef, and three cheeses with house-recipe chipotle mayo on a freshly pulled twelve-inch roll cut to order.