Jersey Mike’s Embraced Change — Then Sold for $8 Billion

Jersey Mike’s Subs may be known for its classic, no-nonsense appeal, but its readiness to embrace change has proven equally important. This year marks Jersey Mike’s second year in a row at the No. 2 spot on our ranking, its seventh year in a row in the Top 10, and its eighth consecutive year as No. 1 in its category. It’s doing so well that in November, Blackstone announced it was buying the sub franchise for $8 billion.

Operationally, this year’s biggest development is that nearly every shop now has separate lines for digital and in-store orders. “We started putting second lines in when we did the retrofits a couple years ago, and it’s just been building and building,” explains Hoyt Jones, president of Jersey Mike’s. “We really focused on it this year to make sure the stores are using it, so that we’re rewarded with the efficiency of the drivers and our online customers coming in. The big thing is not to disrupt the customer flow in the store.” If you’re seeking evidence of the strategy’s success, look no further than the company’s high online ratings.

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Operations are always Jersey Mike’s core focus, but homing in on digital lines is especially important now that digital orders account for 40% of its sales. DoorDash and UberEats are integrated directly into the company’s proprietary point-of-sale system, eliminating the need for additional order tablets that cause headaches behind the counter. This element may be invisible to customers, but for workers and franchisees, it leads to less confusion in the ordering process and smoother sub delivery.

Meanwhile, consistency in the menu allows Jersey Mike’s to deliver a quality product to customers again and again. In 2024, there were some limited-time menu items — including new cheesesteaks in the spring and a pastrami sandwich in the winter — but the breadth of its fixed menu keeps the brand’s loyalists coming back.

“It’s fun for the stores to add a little variety sometimes for customers that are coming in for many, many years,” says Jones. “When we feel good about something and we’re excited about it, we’ll do that for a short-term basis and then go back to what we do best: make great Italian subs.”

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