Former Lakeland man enjoys the first Publix sub in Kentucky
Former Lakeland resident Alex Musser has a passion for a particular Publix Sub, but living in Louisville meant he could only order one on visits to his home state of Florida.
His fortunes changed Wednesday as the Lakeland-based grocer opened its first store in Kentucky.
On Wednesday morning in Louisville, Musser was the first customer at the brand new deli counter and ordered his favorite sub: The Ultimate.
He said that’s a whole Boars Head sub with roast beef, ham and turkey and white American cheese. And for the trimmings, he gets pickles, mayonnaise, mustard, lettuce and black olives, topped with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a spritz of oil and vinegar.
Musser, 36, arrived for the opening at 5:30 a.m., he said by phone Wednesday. He stood in line outside the store behind three other people who had arrived at 4:30 a.m. in the 30-degree weather with snow flurries.
Musser, an oral surgeon, recorded the ribbon cutting on his phone and then went straight to the deli counter to order his first Pub Sub in Kentucky.
“I was the first one to order one here,” he said. He’s equally jazzed about another store announced for the east end of Louisville, which will be less than a mile away from his house. In all, Publix has announced four store locations in Kentucky, with three of them located in suburban Louisville.
He shared the news and his excitement with his mother in Lakeland.
In turn, Musser’s mother, Susan Musser Chandler, shared the news about her son’s enthusiasm for Publix via an email to a Ledger reporter.
She added, “Thank you for your legacy George Jenkins!”
Expanded Operations
Kentucky is now the eighth state in which Publix Super Markets Inc. operates.
The store opened at 7 a.m. on Wednesday at 2500 Terra Crossing Blvd. in far eastern Jefferson County, according to a report by the Louisville Courier Journal.
Construction started in the summer of 2022 on the 55,000-square-foot supermarket, near Old Henry Road and Interstate 264, the report said.
Publix had announced its plans to expand to the Bluegrass State about two years ago, and since it has said there are plans for several more locations, including one near Cincinnati, which is the headquarters of Kroger, a peer in the grocery business.
Publix numbers
Publix is the largest employee-owned company in the U.S. with more than 250,000 workers.
The grocer operates 1,361 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and now Louisville, Kentucky.