Jersey Mike's has been making subs for decades now, but what do you really know about this fast-growing sandwich chain? From their humble beginnings to their secret menu, their extensive charity work, and even an unfortunate controversy, here's the untold truth of Jersey Mike's. Jersey Mike's began in 1956, only two years after Burger King was founded and almost a decade before Subway ever opened. A single store, called Mike's Subs, was a mom-and-pop business, set up to sell a relatively new invention: the submarine sandwich.
In 1971, Peter Cancro joined the Mike's Subs team at just 14.
"When I was 14, I showed up at the business and my voice mattered. That’s the kind of culture that it was."
He thrived in the sub business, and a few years later in 1975, when he heard the owners discussing selling the business, he approached his football coach and asked for a loan of $150,000 to help him buy the shop. Surprisingly, his coach agreed, making the teenager a business owner.
In an interview with QSR, Cancro was asked what it felt like to own his own business at such a young age. He said it was:
"A natural high, I guess. But it wasn't easy. I didn't go to school for a week and a half while I was out trying to raise capital. Everyone was wondering where I was. They said I'd ruined my life."
Watch the video to find out what you should know before eating at Jersey Mike's!
#JerseyMikes #JerseyMikesSandwiches #JerseyMikesSubs
Humble beginnings | 0:17
Edge of bankruptcy | 1:19
Making money | 2:26
Getting his hands dirty | 3:06
The secret menu | 3:45
Jersey J-Lo's | 4:16
Maternity mishap | 4:55
Keeping fresh | 5:43
Healthy aspirations | 6:34
Mike's Way | 7:23
Vetting the newbies | 8:14
Culture of giving | 9:04
Letting the dogs out | 9:46
Home run partnerships | 10:43
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