KITIMAT, B.C. (Blue MauMau) - In the small town of Kitimat, British Columbia, an unusual guest strolled over to the counter of the Subway sandwich shop and waited to order as he looked on at the low-cal garnishments. The only problem was that John Q. Customer was a black bear.

Having just opened the doors for the day, Rebecca Branton described the event to the Northern Sentinel, "It stood up on its hind legs and pulled the door open like a person and got down on all fours and the door closed behind it as it walked in.”

Ms. Branton did what any sane store employee would have done. Alone in the shop, she ran into the bathroom and locked herself in. Then she started placing early morning calls on her cell phone.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrived.

The owner of this Subway franchise, Bikramjit Var, was woken up in his Vancouver home by a call. He told the local paper, “The first thing that came to my mind was Rebecca’s safety.” He added, “I couldn’t believe that the bear really opened the door by himself.”

The store's closed circuit video camera shows that when the bear was not served because the manager was in the back bathroom chatting on her phone, it became impatient and jumped over the front counter. The tape showed it to be a polite bear, who left the food trays undisturbed.

In an interview with Blue MauMau, Les Winograd, the public relations coordinator for the Connecticut-based Subway restaurant chain, could only offer this insight when asked why the bear would single out Subway. “Apparently our advertising is more effective than we had previously thought," he said.

The franchise owner, Mr. Var, commented how patient the bear was to come in just as the shop opened. “He probably saw our hours of operation,” Mr. Var told the Northern Sentinel.

Mr. Winograd understands and is quick to tout the satisfaction of a good sandwich at the right time. “It seems that even members of the animal kingdom appreciate the Subway chain's reputation for offering a healthier alternative to traditional fatty fast food," he observes.

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