Private | |
Industry | Restaurants |
Founded | 1956 in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey |
Headquarters | Manasquan, New Jersey, U.S. |
Key people
|
Peter Cancro, Mike Geissler Founders |
Products |
Subs, other food products |
Parent | Jersey Mike's Franchise Systems Inc. |
Website | jerseymikes.com |
Jersey Mike's Subs is a submarine sandwich ("sub") chain headquartered in Manasquan, New Jersey. The Jersey Mike's franchise has more than 1000 locations open and in development across the United States.
At age 14, Peter Cancro of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, took a part-time job at Mike's, a neighborhood sandwich shop founded in 1956 and then on its third owner. When the shop went up for sale again in 1975, Cancro's mother suggested he buy it. With help from a high school football coach who was also a banker, and his childhood friend, Mike Geissler, Cancro, then 17 and a high school senior, pulled together $125,000 in three days. Today, Cancro is the owner and CEO of the company, while Geissler operates as the company historian.
Cancro began franchising the restaurant in 1987. By 2014 it had 750 locations, with an additional 650 in some stage of development. In 2015, 197 new locations opened and the total number of Jersey Mike's locations exceeded 1000.
Like the original Mike's store in 1956, each Jersey Mike's Subs serves submarine sandwiches made to order, slicing the meats and cheeses as needed. A popular way to top off the sandwich with condiments is to order it "Mike's Way", which involves sliced onions, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, oregano, salt (spices) and "The Juice" - a mixture of red wine vinegar and olive oil. There is also a signature cherry pepper relish.
Jersey Mike's also serves various breakfast sandwiches during the morning hours, including sandwiches made with pork roll, a New Jersey product.
Prospective store managers are sent to the location of the original store in Point Pleasant Beach for part of a six- to eight-week training course.