Up next in 10
New Jersey: The Garden State. Home to the first ever organized baseball game, the first boardwalk in the world, the first saltwater taffy, the first drive-in movie theater, the first brewery. They even cooked the first can of condensed soup!
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
Today, we're cruising down the East Coast
0:02
to find out who put the Mike in Jersey Mike's. Michael Mike Ingravalo founded Mike's Subs in 1956
0:09
in Point Pleasance, New Jersey. Mike's goal was to serve something delicious and unique
0:14
his charisma, oh, and also sub sandwiches. Mike prided himself on knowing customers' names
0:20
and memorizing their orders. Between 1971 and 1975, Mike decided it was time
0:26
to sell his submarine sandwich shop. 17-year-old Peter Kankrow heard this news and decided, with a little encouragement from his mother, to buy it
0:34
In 1980, Kankrow opened another location in Belmar, New Jersey. And in 1987, he expanded what he now called Jersey Mike's into a successful franchise
0:44
Kankrow is very hands-on with his franchisees, sending people from corporate to make sure franchise owners understand and are consistent with training and operations
0:53
And this intensity worked. Jersey Mike's is now the second best selling sandwich chain behind only Subway
1:00
Recently, Peter Cancro sold a majority of Jersey Mike's to Blackstone, an asset management company, in a deal that should be finalized in early 2025
1:09
now valuing the sub shop franchise at a cool $8 billion. That's a lot of Sammies
1:15
Jersey Mike's isn't without its controversies. In 2019, Jersey Mike's settled a $150,000 lawsuit over a no poaching clause
1:23
This means that skilled employees were not being paid their true worth After the lawsuit Jersey Mike removed the clause from their contracts In 2022 10 Jersey Mike locations across New Jersey
1:35
Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Oregon were fined $24,660 for violating child labor laws
1:43
Then in 2024, four different locations in North Carolina allowed 14-year-olds to operate power-driven meat slicers
1:50
The hits kept on coming in 2024, when a Jersey Mike's in Orange County, California
1:55
allegedly refused to pay employees appropriate minimum wage. Jersey Mike's also has come under scrutiny for some shady menu items
2:02
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jersey Mike's switched from using 100% olive oil
2:07
to a 75% soybean oil to 25% olive oil ratio. The chain has been cited by health inspectors for dirty soda fountain nozzles
2:16
and there have been issues with cross-contamination at some locations. Today, Jersey Mike's has expanded its menu from its humble beginnings in Point Pleasant, New Jersey
2:24
but they've kept what's important exactly the same, good food. And of course, all of their cold subs can be made the famous Mike's way
2:32
with onions, lettuce, tomato, olive oil mixture, oregano, salt, and the juice
2:36
which is essentially red wine vinegar. In 2022, Danny DeVito became Jersey Mike's first celebrity spokesperson
2:43
his personal connection to New Jersey bringing some fun and hometown authenticity to the advertisements
2:49
One notable commercial called Arm of the Slicer featured DeVito in a Rocky-style training montage
2:55
It may always be sunny in Philadelphia, but the Sammies taste best in Jersey
#Restaurants
#Fast Food