Jersey Mike’s: how to get an excellent sub at your local strip mall

The #2 sub at Jersey Mike’s, on parmesan roll Mike’s Way with everything except mayo

I first encountered Jersey Mike’s in the Las Vegas airport. I was not expecting much, and was surprised to get a more than decent sub though at elevated airport prices. Then Jersey Mike’s opened a store in my local strip mall, and please don’t tell the other Mike, at Roma Imports, but I have been straying there with increasing frequency.

The challenge with chain eateries is that you have food prep staff who may have little interest in the food and in fact may have little interest in food in general. I tried Taco Bell last week because so many people seem to like it and I wondered what I was missing. Nothing, it turns out. The ingredients were there but whoever put my order together might as well have been putting dirty clothes in the wash for all the care and attention that was given to presentation and juxtaposition of components (by which I mean, as an example, that shredded cheese should be placed where it can melt in the heat of the meat or other element rather than randomly sprinkled over the product).

Jersey Mike has several strategies to avoid this problem. First, they use actual rolls of meat and cheese and actual deli slicers in the stores so the food will be fresh. Second, they promote “Mike’s Way”, a turnkey combination of condiments and shaken-on oil and vinegar that is very close to the formula for a good Italian Mix. By now I have had maybe a dozen subs, each prepared by a different server, and am impressed by the consistency.

To get a good Italian Mix sub at Jersey Mike’s, start by ordering the #2 regular on Parmesan roll. There are other more expensive combos but the #2 will give you a good hit of meat and the meat really isn’t the star, the combination of ingredients is. Now comes the magic: when they ask you want it “Mike’s Way” reply that you want everything in the condiment case EXCEPT mayo. This instruction is pretty hard to screw up and will bring you banana peppers, jalapeño peppers, red pepper spread (which they make in house) and pickles as well as lettuce, tomato and onion.

The condiment tray at Jersey Mike’s

Because the ratio of veg to meat is so high, you can fool yourself that you’re eating something healthy. And the Mike’s regular is maybe 2/3 the size of the Roma’s Italian Mix, so you don’t have to take a nap after. Plus they keep sending me coupons as a member of the Shore program, which I lap up like Pavlov’s dog.

This article on Thrillist (which makes a strong case for Mike’s cheesesteak sandwich on a white roll, white American cheese, onions and green peppers; I’ve tried it [with yellow mustard, my custom mod] and it is excellent) has lots of lore on the origins and recent success of the Jersey Mike’s chain including the fact they originated in a surf shack on the Jersey Shore (hence Shore loyalty program). Apparently many of the locations sport surfboards and other beach paraphernalia, though mine is devoid of such atmosphere other than some poster-size beach photos.

The Thrillist article says there are currently 1700 franchise locations, with plans to add another 1500 in the near future, so there’s a good chance you can find a Jersey Mike’s in your local strip mall. Worth checking out.