The ‘Sandwich Wars’ are ready to heat up in the Twin Cities, however it’s unclear exactly when the battles for your deli sandwich loyalties will begin in earnest.
Jersey Mike’s first sandwich shop in Michigan’s Great Southwest is under construction at 1963 M-139. It’s in a former ‘payday cash’ outlet that once was a frozen yogurt shop, on the corner across from Wendy’s and Belle Tire. Jersey Mike’s has been a missing entry on the region’s sandwich menu. That menu has been dominated by Jimmy John’s sandwich shops for a few years, with several favorite local deli spots making up the rest of the market.
MoodyOnTheMarket.com has literally been pursuing comments and details from the apparent Jersey Mike’s franchise owner for a couple of weeks, with absolutely no response to our calls and messages. While rejection of free publicity by a retail location seems curious, we will be happy to talk to them when they are ready. In the meantime, we will tell you what we know so far.
The long vacant building was acquired by real estate investors in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and they made the initial contacts and inquiries with Benton Charter Township. However, the property owner told us that he has nothing to do with Jersey Mike’s plans… he simply owns the real estate.
Eventually, a phone number from the Detroit area was said to be the franchise owner who will open the sandwich shop. However, no company name and no owner’s names have been forthcoming. There has been no confirmation of any plans and there has been no mention of a timetable for Jersey Mike’s opening. Not even a “No comment.” The only outward sign of progress has been continued work on the building and the addition of a sign on the site last week.
Similar to pizza eaters, deli sandwich fans are a passionate bunch! They know their favorite is “the best.” Those who have tried Jersey Mike’s elsewhere are big fans of a special recipe of seasoning and oil that’s called ‘Mike’s Way.’ They point to it as the ‘secret sauce’ for the chain’s success.
While they are the ‘new guy’ here, Jersey Mike’s has been around for almost 70 years, beginning as a single location sandwich shop on a Jersey Shore vacation beach in 1956. The second owner, Peter Cancro, turned it into a franchise chain and still heads the company as CEO. There are 3500 locations across the country, according to Wikipedia.
Meanwhile, Jimmy John’s is expanding with a third local store, along Red Arrow Highway in Stevensville, in addition to its downtown St. Joseph and Napier Avenue locations. Delivery, of course, is a differentiating feature at Jimmy John’s.
Let the sandwich wars proceed when the contestants are ready!
By Gayle Olson, MOTM Contributor
