Restaurants Fast Food
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ByD.G. Sciortino|
The story of Jersey Mike's Subs is a true American success story. The sandwich giant began as a mom-and-pop shop in 1956 in a New Jersey vacation town that sold a unique product. Customers would load up with several large subs before returning to their homes throughout the U.S., telling the owner they wish locations were near their hometowns. That gave the company the idea to start franchising in the 80s.
The company sells both hot and cold subs on either white or wheat rolls, and also offers rosemary parm or Udi's gluten-free rolls. The mini size feeds about one person, a regular-sized sandwich or wrap will serve two, and a giant can fill the bellies of about four. If you love bread, there's a hack for getting more of it, but if you're not feeling carbs, you can ask for it as a bowl, which should be enough for two people.
Jersey Mike's Subs' rapid growth and profitability have led the company to be ranked on several lists. It took the No. 3 spot on Entrepreneur magazine's 2023 Franchise 500 Ranking, was named the No. 1 fastest-growing fast food chain in America by QSR, and was listed as the 16th smartest growing brand in 2023 by Franchise Times. But the story behind its humble beginnings and strong business acumen is far more interesting than any ranking.
Jersey Mike's Subs is a 'Shore Thing'
Jersey Mike's Subs is, as they say, "a Shore Thing." The very first shop was named Mike's Subs and located in the Jersey Shore town of Point Pleasant, New Jersey. The popular beach town, located about an hour south of New York City and one hour east of Philadelphia, is a significant destination for many seeking surf, sun, and sand in the summer.
Jersey Mike's Subs built its success on vacationers and residents heading to the beach. While Point Pleasant now has multiple options to grab a grinder, Mike's Subs was among the first. The shop capitalized on offering a brand-new product that had yet to become popular in the area. The sandwich shop prided itself on providing service with a smile and made sure to greet customers by name while remembering their typical orders.
As an homage to its Jersey Shore roots, the chain sports themed decor with surfboards, beach balls, and postcard murals. The first Point Pleasant location now serves as the company's training center.
A teen employee took over the business in the 70s
Peter Cancro started working at Mike's Subs when he was 14 and truly loved the job. His life would be changed forever in 1971 when he was 17 and overheard that the two brothers who owned the business were thinking about selling it. The high school senior decided he wanted to buy the shop and was encouraged by his mom to do so. So, Cancro skipped school the next day and went door-to-door to raise money.
The teen then asked his football coach, who was also a banker, for a loan. Cancro bought Mike's Subs for $125,000 before he was legally old enough to work the meat slicer. Under Cancro's leadership, there would be a line out the door in the summertime to get one of his subs.
Cancro eventually changed the company's name to Jersey Mike's Subs and started franchising. He still serves as CEO of Jersey Mike's Franchise System Inc. today. The #12 Cancro Special, named after him, is his favorite sandwich, which includes provolone cheese, roast beef, and pepperoni made "Mike's Way."
Jersey Mike's Subs built its business on quality service and products
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Small food service businesses had to offer both sublime meals and stellar customer service in order to thrive in the 1950s. So, that's precisely what this hoagie shop did and still does today. Jersey Mike's Subs says it offers "a sub above," putting intention and care into every part of its sandwich-making process.
The chain uses locally grown and shipped produce when possible for maximum freshness and flavor. Its veggie toppings are sliced every morning, and nothing is ever left over from the day before. Its white and whole wheat bread is also baked fresh every single day. Jersey Mike's selects premium meats and cheeses and offers USDA choice top rounds of roast beef.
"Everything about Jersey Mike's is high quality. [...] It's what makes Jersey Mike's the most authentic tasting submarine sandwich available, and it's a tradition of quality we'll never outgrow," the company notes on itswebsite.
Jersey Mike's Subs make their submarines a certain way
The reason why Jersey Mike's Subs is so delicious and distinctive is because it makes its cold submarines a certain way, known as "Mike's Way," which requires the ingredients to be placed in a particular order. First, employees prepare sandwiches with whatever bread the customer wants before adding on the cheese, then the meat of their choice.
A Mike's Way sandwich places onions on top of the meat, followed by a generous amount of shredded lettuce and tomatoes. Then the sammie gets hit with "The Juice," a blend of red wine vinegar and olive oil. Jersey Mike's Subs saysthe Juice is what gives its heroes "an exquisite zing" and distinguishes its product from others. "It's how bites get boosted, and a great sub becomes an even better one," the company's website boasts.
Finally, the grinder gets a sprinkling of spices before being topped with the other half of the bread. It's the exact same way the company served its hoagies at its first location in 1956.
Jersey Mike's Subs has a secret menu
Jersey Mike's Subs has a menu of more than a dozen sandwiches; it also has a secret menu. An employee toldRedditthe undercover items offered at their store are included on its online menu. They aren't on the in-store menu since there isn't enough space to accommodate them. These subs might also not be as popular as standard menu items. These lesser-known heroes include the #99 Big Kahuna cheesesteak with chipotle mayo, which is just a #59 with spicy mayo, or the #79 grilled Italian, which comes with melted cheese, ham, salami, and pepperoni that is grilled until it gets crispy.
Some secret menu items are specific to the location. These are subs that employees and customers have concocted and have ingredients that might be too cost prohibitive to carry at stores where they aren't as popular. "The Martian," a.k.a. "Salami Pepperoni," is among the location-specific subs and comes with cheese, salami, pepperoni, and toppings of your choice.
Apparently, some locations also serve french fries! These shops will even put some on your cheesesteak if you ask for it as a "Frub." You can also get a chicken quesadilla that will be charged as a #16 wrap with extra cheese. Some Jersey Mike's shops have sauces like Frank's Red Hot Sauce or Thousand Island dressing. If you're lucky, you can get some caramelized onions by asking the staff to throw some raw ones on the grill with some olive oil.
Jersey Mike's Subs serves breakfast at some locations
While they might be far and few in between, some Jersey Mike's Subs shops have been reported to serve breakfast. And we don't just mean that you can order a regular sandwich and eat it at 10 a.m. when it opens; we're talking BECs and freshly-roasted coffee.
A Yelper reportedthat they had the option of an egg and cheese with ham, bacon, sausage, or roast beef on a freshly baked roll along with coffee at Jersey Mike's Subs in Redlands, California. The chain serves what is known as a Taylor ham egg and cheese, which is a New Jersey specialty that's also known as a pork roll. A blogger recently reportedon Facebook that a Naples, Florida, location offers bacon and cheese or grilled ham and cheese sandwiches when it opens at 9 a.m.
Other Jersey Mike's breakfast options include turkey and steak on an egg and cheese, as well as an omelet with ham. These breakfast sandwiches can also be made on gluten-free rolls, which the companystarted serving in 2017.
Jersey Mike's Subs offers a loyalty program
Jersey Mike's Subs likes to reward its best customers with promotions, birthday presents, and free food. The MyMike's loyalty programallows patrons to earn Shore Points with their purchases that can be redeemed for free subs. You can earn between three and 12 points depending on what you buy, whether it's a kid's meal, breakfast sandwich, or GIANT.Accumulatingbetween 48 and 72 points will win you either a small, medium, or large hero.
MyMike's members also get the scoop on double Shore Points days and other exclusivecontests and events, like earning a free sub with the purchase of two separate heroes within a specific timeframe. Those who join the Jersey Mike's email club get a free grinder on their birthday.
You can keep track of your MyMike's account on the Jersey Mike's App and sign up for the email club. The app can also help you find the closest shop, make a purchase, and follow the progress of your order.
Jersey Mike's Subs is a company that gives
Jersey Mike's Subs says that giving to the community has always been ingrained in its culture. That's why every new location hosts a promotion to donate to a local charity during its opening week.
Customers can also contribute to neighborhood non-profits during the month of March. The last Wednesday in March is deemed Jersey Mike's Day of Giving, where the franchise will donate 100% of its proceeds on that day to a selected charity. The event has raised more than $67 million since 2011. That was its first year, which raised $600,000 for 66 charities. The 2022 Day of Giving revenue broke a record of $20 million. For Christmas in July, Jersey Mike's collects donations for Wreaths Across America every year from June 27 to July 11.
It also raised $3.6 million for Feeding America within one weekend in 2022. A total of $11 million was raised for the anti-hunger organization between 2020 and 2022, which helped pay for more than 110 million meals. "We believe that making a great sub sandwich and making a difference can be one in the same. [...] Because the way we see it, a sub's job isn't done at simply tasting good. A sub should do good too," notes the Jersey Mike's website.
CEO says company culture is key to its success
Jersey Mike's Subs told Franchise Times that maintaining culture and creating a place where employees want to work has been the key to growing sales during turbulent economic times. Cancro fell in love with his sandwich-making gig because he felt "his voice mattered at the business." So, he aims to foster the same sentiment in his employees today.
"Kids today want to work in a culture and an environment where their voice matters," Cancro told the publication. "That's what we're trying to do across the country. And in some cases where owners don't get it, we'll go in for two days and hire a full crew. It's not for everybody, but those kids are out there."
Employees are estimated to make between $8 and 19 an hour (depending on the role) in some locations when you include tips, which adds about $4 an hour. The company also offers the Coach Rod Smith Ownership Program, which helps hard-working employees open franchises. Jersey Mike's Subs has a 3.5 rating for company culture on Indeed and 3.6 on Comparably.
Jersey Mike's Subs almost declared bankruptcy
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Things were going great for Jersey Mike's after it started franchising in 1987. Cancro told Entrepreneur that he put "every dime" he had toward building out the business. Then a recession hit in 1991. With no money in the bank or loans to fall back on, Cancro was forced to let go of his brother John and six other employees. He feared that the chain would have to declare bankruptcy. "It was the worst recession of my life," said Cancro in a company press release. "I remember standing in the 400-square-foot office of our second store and thinking, 'it's over.'"
So, Cancro met with franchise owners to ensure their branches were doing their best. He put in overtime and began working more than 100 hours a week. Since he couldn't afford TV ads, he focused on radio and mail and even went door-to-door within a mile of his stores.
Within three years, Cancro could hire back every employee that had been laid off. By 2018, the company was doing a billion dollars in annual sales and had earned awards four years in a row for being a fastest-growing franchise. But Cancro says that hard time has never left him.
Jersey Mike's joined forces with the New York Yankees
Though Jersey Mike's Subs hails from the Garden State, the founders are huge New York Yankees fans. The company signed a contract with the New York Yankees declaring the chain as the" Official Sub Sandwich Shop of the New York Yankees"on Opening Day in 2015.Chief Marketing Officer Rich Hope said that it was a "natural partnership" considering both groups and their commitment to excellence.
Hope said the union also was a manifestation of the franchise's pledge to growth and becoming "a major player" in the Empire State. Having your logo at Yankee Stadium isn't bad for marketing, either. The deal was also good for the sandwich shop's customers, who gained chances to win Yankee tickets through contests.
Jersey Mike's Subs already had a former member of the New York Yankees, Morgan Ensberg, as a franchisee who, at the time, owned two California locations and was in the process of opening a third location.
Jersey Mike's Subs offers a lot of support to franchisees
Cancro has always put money back into the company to spur growth. He told Franchise Times that one of his biggest investments is in his franchisees. He also told Talent War Group that the company has invested more than $150 million in its franchisees to help them revamp their operations. Entrepreneur called the company's support franchisee and training "second to none."
"We try to do as much for the franchisees as possible," stated Jersey Mike's President Hoyt Jones. "We try to take as much off the plate of the franchisee so that the only thing they have to worry about is running the store. Learn how to make the best sub, push speed of service, quality of service, talk to the customer."
After finding franchisees that are the right fit, Jersey Mike's makes sure to help them as best as possible. Franchisees have access to the chain's real estate experts and construction teams and are under the guidance of area directors. All franchisees are required to spend a week at the Point Pleasant, New Jersey, training facility to properly understand the company's culture and how they can succeed. During this trip, franchisees get to meet Cancro as well as other members of the Jersey Mike's Subs executive team. The company also encourages store owners to interact with one another.
