It’s kind of an odd moment for the company to IPO at a time when consumers are a bit touch and go with discretionary spending.
John Gordon visits Jersey Mike’s now and then. Partly because it’s his job as a restaurant analyst and consultant. Partly because he likes it.
“I always order the honey mustard chicken item. I really like chicken. And I like kind of the spicy sauces,” he said.
He also likes that the shop has a grill. (Subway has ovens.) Another thing that’s different about Jersey Mike’s? It doesn’t run many discounts.
“In particular, Subway does just a gross amount of discounting. Gross as in horrible,” he said.
Gordon said discounts cheapen the brand. And unlike Subway, Jersey Mike’s doesn’t only have franchises — it also has company-owned stores.
“You have to run restaurants to know what’s going on,” Gordon said.
It might seem like there’s a lot of Subway in a story about Jersey Mike’s. But honestly, a lot of Jersey Mike’s growth has to do with its rival’s downfall, said Kevin Schimpf, director of restaurant industry research at Technomic.
Subway is still the biggest sandwich chain in the U.S, he said, but they’ve closed thousands of locations.
“Them closing so many locations has opened up this space for Jersey Mike’s to grow into,” Schimpf said. | 
