This Is The Best Regional Food Chain In New Jersey
When you’re thinking of fast food chains, restaurants like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King come into mind because they’re global. And, of course, they’re everywhere. Then you have casual dining places like Applebee’s, The Cheesecake Factory, and Friday’s, which are seen across almost every state, if not all. Regional food chains, however, are a little special. They are only located in certain parts of the nation. Popular examples of regional fast chain restaurants are In-N-Out which is primarily in California but also has locations in other West Coast state. Waffle House is Georgia-based but has locations in South-Eastern states. Whataburger, meanwhile, is based in Texas.
In New Jersey, our best regional food chain is Jersey Mike’s, according to Mashed. The famous sandwich shop was originally called Mike’s Subs and opened in 1956 in Point Pleasant, N.J. They now have over 2,000 locations nationwide. Jersey Mike’s has spread so much that New Jersey is no longer the stage with the most locations. In fact, Jersey is the state with the fifth most, with 121 shops. North Carolina has 174 locations, Texas has 180, Florida has 190, and California leads with 331 locations.
Back when Jersey Mike’s opened over 60 years ago, there were no large chains serving just deli sandwiches (yes, this was pre-Subway). They had to stand out by giving great service and having exceptional products. Mike benefited from the geographic location of his store and was able to grab customers’ attention from New York, Philadelphia, and a part of the DMV (Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia) area. Over their 60+ year reign, they have now given the uniqueness of Jersey subs nationwide.
If it’s your first time or you want to treat yourself, check out Jersey Mike’s menu here, which lists their cold subs, hot subs and kids meals.