RON KARAFIN/Courier-Post Frank Trifiletti and his wife, Rose, owners of Little Beef in Glassboro, have taken over the former Joe's Sub Shop.

The Glassboro couple moved their Little Beef's Delicatessen a few doors away into the former Joe's on April 14. They earlier purchased the well-known location from Joe Brigandi Sr., who has retired from four decades of hoagie-making.

Frank Trifiletti, 35, said he hoped to have moved into the former Joe's location months ago, but renovations to the decades-old building were more extensive than originally thought.

"It was an inch-by-inch, step-by-step process," Trifiletti said. "We redid the floors, the ceilings, the counters and replaced the antique equipment."

Inside, the former dining booths remain, but there is a new lunch counter with a large-screen television. Orange and brown paint now coat the walls and sports memorabilia and old photos line the walls.

Trifiletti, a Glassboro native, said taking over the former Joe's location is special.

"Growing up in Glassboro, it was always a big deal to go get a Joe's hoagie," he said. "I had six older brothers and sisters and we lived only two blocks away."

Rose Trifiletti, 38, said she loves being in the new location, which is considerably larger than their former store.

Their former location was a mere 300 square feet and was mostly a take-out operation. But the new facility is 1,700 square feet and includes a lunch counter and several table booths.

The couple started their deli five years ago, leasing a storefront in Liscio's Italian Bakery on High Street. They named the business after one of the couple's two sons - Nicky, now 5 - who was nicknamed Little Beef due to his full-bodied physique.

Frank Trifiletti, who formerly worked for Outback Steakhouse and Olive Garden as well as the restaurant inside Veteran's Stadium, said he knew he had to offer sandwiches that stand out and make customers come back for more.

He said he keeps his menu offerings limited to concentrate on quality.

"We might only have 20 sandwiches, but they're all studs," Trifiletti added. "I'm not going to have a six-page menu. We just want everything you eat to be handcrafted and quality-driven."

Loyal customers have followed the Trifilettis to their new spot.

"I love their stuff," said Mike Gallagher, a Williamstown resident who regularly orders up either a cheesesteak or a chicken cutlet sandwich.

Brigandi had purchased the business in 1960, but Joe's was opened in 1949 by Joe Lisa, the father of a state appeals court judge by the same name.

Over the years, Joe's Sub Shop has fed legions of hungry local college students and even some international journalists and federal dignitaries.

In 1967, when President Johnson met with Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin at Hollybush, orders were filled for hundreds of subs from hungry members of the news media and state and federal dignitaries who descended on Glassboro.

The move into the new location has caused some early growing pains.

"When you move a business, you go through a culture shock," Frank Trifiletti said. "But I'm sure we'll do well, very well here."