Cup It Up to add UA location

Cup It Up American Grill is branching out.

The eatery — which opened its first location on the east side in January — is expecting to open a University of Arizona spot by December, said Julian Alarcon, operations partner who owns Cup It Up with Chris Smith and Jay Warren.

Construction is underway at 760 N. Tyndall Ave., which used to be Silver Mine Subs.

One feature the UA restaurant will offer that the original one at 1101 N. Wilmot Road doesn’t have is a late-night, walk-up window for orders placed through an online app, Alarcon said.

Cup It Up uses the assembly line, casual dining model — a la Subway and Chipotle — in which diners build meals in a multilayered, 32-ounce cup. You pick your entree, a base of grains and greens, toppings, sauce and “superfoods” like avocado and edamame to finish it all off.

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Cup It Up also has salads and mac and cheese on the menu.

It’s the brainchild of Smith and Warren, Tucson golf buddies, who often asked that their food be put in a cup when they were out on the greens.

The duo brought in veteran chef Alarcon to develop a menu.

Alarcon says the trio is looking at other locations in Vail, Oro Valley and Marana and is considering expanding into the Phoenix market.