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Eva Brown is the store manager of the Subway restaurant in Gardendale, but you’ll rarely find her at a desk.

“I wear all the hats; I do some of everything. From the time I get here to the time I leave, I’m on my feet.”

Although she manages the store, Brown can often be seen making sandwiches with the rest of her crew.

“That’s the fun part. It’s fun to see how many sandwiches you can make in an hour,” she said. “It’s like skydiving, where your adrenaline gets pumping.”

She said one of her challenges as a manager is keeping it lively for her and her employees, which is why she welcomes busy periods.

“I can’t stand a slow day,” she said. She also strives to keep their store clean; the Gardendale Subway received a 99 health rating score on its last inspection.

“Our health inspector is really strict,” said Brown. “We got that score because of teamwork. I haven’t done anything here without help.”

She said one of her favorite things about her job is meeting the people of Gardendale. She moved from the Tarrant Subway to Gardendale three years ago, and she said she likes how laid-back Gardendale people are.

“I love people. I’m a people person,” she said. Brown also said she likes how church-oriented Gardendale is, and that the Sunday afternoon crowd is some of her best customers.

“There are a lot of nice, decent people,” she said. “It’s a family-oriented restaurant.”

Brown said her love of people is what drives her attention to customer service.

“Customer service is a challenge. It’s a challenge to make sure everybody has everything they need, and that everybody’s happy,” she said.

Brown has worked for 15 years in the food service industry, including eight years at Sneaky Pete’s.

She has a certificate in communications graphics from Shelton State Community College. She also had her own cleaning business until an injury from a car accident forced her to stop. She started working at the Tarrant Subway after the accident.