One Bronx man’s entrepreneurial dream of bringing subs and strippers together under one roof has finally been crushed by a federal judge. It wasn’t the timeless “sandwiches and lapdances” concept that got owner Anthony "Cousin Vinny" Agnello in trouble, but rather his appropriation of Subway brand wrappers and menus for his hybrid venture on East Tremont Avenue, which he described in a flier published by Gawker in May:
During the day, it is an extraordinary 'Subway-style submarine sandwich shop' offering the highest-quality meats along with the freshly baked bread that you would expect from the offspring of a longtime Subway Restaurant. In fact this was a Subway franchise up until May 2008 when we were disenfranchised due to politics and differences of opinion as far as marketing is concerned.At 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, this seemingly harmless sub shop becomes the wildly exotic and explicit, all-nude private club 'Cousin Vinny's Little Secret.'
But when the local community board, police and Subway came down on Agnello (who has run a notorious stripper agency for years), he quickly backpedaled and apologized, claiming it was all just a publicity stunt. The judge didn’t buy it, and, according to the Post, Agnello now has to pay Subway’s legal fees and stop using their trademarked goods, which he took with him after being evicted from the old Subway shop he subleased.
