--- title: "Jersey Mike’s Wants More Than Name Recognition" url: https://burnaze.com/article/e246b1f9-a782-4c83-849b-070ef285e23f source: "QSR Magazine" original_url: https://www.qsrmagazine.com/story/jersey-mikes-wants-more-than-name-recognition/ author: "Ben Coley" category: "Sandwich & sub" industry: "Restaurants" segment: "Sandwich & sub" published: 2026-10-29T17:12:46.000Z modified: 2026-10-31T13:15:34.821Z image: https://www.qsrmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/JerseyMikes-2.jpg --- # Jersey Mike’s Wants More Than Name Recognition **TL;DR:** Jersey Mike's is shifting its advertising strategy to turn name recognition into sales, with a focus on digital marketing and targeting younger consumers, women, and Hispanic guests. The chain has seen improved purchase consideration and loyalty registrations as a result, with systemwide sales rising 11% to $1.2 billion. *By Ben Coley, originally published in QSR Magazine on 2026-10-29. [Read the original](https://www.qsrmagazine.com/story/jersey-mikes-wants-more-than-name-recognition/).* ## Key facts - Jersey Mike's has 90% name recognition - Digital marketing accounts for 20% of ad spend - Systemwide sales rose 11% to $1.2 billion ## Story Jersey Mike’s doesn’t need much help getting consumers to recognize its name. More than 90 percent already do. The bigger opportunity is turning that familiarity into a first order. That’s driving a shift in how the sandwich chain spends its advertising dollars and which customers it’s trying to reach. Historically, Jersey Mike’s customer base has skewed older, male, higher-income, and less diverse, CEO Charlie Morrison said during the company’s earnings call on Tuesday. The chain sees room to bring more younger consumers, women, and Hispanic guests into the fold. Reaching them means moving beyond the national TV advertising that long dominated its marketing approach. “Before 2026, the company really had no investment in digital marketing efforts of any kind,” Morrison said. “In fact, it was less than 1 percent of our total ad spend, which exceeds $200 million annually.” ## Digital marketing efforts This year, Jersey Mike’s directed roughly 20 percent of its advertising fund toward digital marketing, including paid social, search, and connected TV. As a result, purchase consideration has improved among people ages 18–34, women, and Hispanic consumers, while loyalty registrations are up 21 percent year-to-date. “Could it be going faster if there wasn’t the macro backdrop? Possibly,” Morrison said. “But we’re pleased with the fact that we are acquiring guests across all of those different cohorts.” The goal isn’t simply to get a broader audience in the door. Jersey Mike’s wants to bring those customers into its digital channels, learn more about their habits, and use that information to turn occasional purchases into more frequent visits. Digital accounted for 43 percent of sales in the third quarter, an increase of approximately 100 basis points and another step toward the chain’s long-term target of 60–70 percent. Delivery is among its fastest-growing channels, and Morrison sees more opportunity to build orders placed directly through Jersey Mike’s own platforms. Even with those gains, Morrison described the digital effort as being in the “very early innings.” He pointed to loyalty as an example of the progress made and remaining opportunity ahead. Jersey Mike’s has roughly 14 million users in its database, including 7 million to 8 million active users. “That is very undersized compared to a lot of other brands, yet we’re seeing a lot of strong growth in that loyalty program,” Morrison said. Active customers use Jersey Mike’s about once a month, compared with as little as twice a year for guests outside that active database, he added. But a larger database is only part of the work. Jersey Mike’s is still building the infrastructure and first-party marketing capabilities needed to tailor those messages to individual customers. Morrison cautioned that meaningful benefits could take several more quarters to emerge. “We’re building the infrastructure. We’re compiling the data. We’re getting smarter about it every day,” he said. ## Sales and unit growth The early progress helped Jersey Mike’s deliver 3 percent same-store sales growth in the third quarter, driven primarily by transactions. That marked an acceleration from the second quarter’s 2.3 percent increase. Systemwide sales rose 11 percent to $1.2 billion. Morrison acknowledged some temporary softness late in the quarter as consumer sentiment weakened, but said recent performance was consistent with the company’s fourth-quarter outlook. Digital marketing is only one piece of the customer acquisition strategy. Jersey Mike’s is also using LTOs to introduce consumers to a menu they may not fully know. The chain’s research suggests younger consumers, women, and other audiences it’s targeting already eat sandwiches regularly. What they don’t necessarily recognize is the range of flavors and options available at Jersey Mike’s, from cheesesteaks and other hot subs to seasonal offerings. This summer’s chicken salad promotion, for instance, was particularly successful at attracting new guests and had strong appeal among women. Mike’s Hot Italian, which recently returned at an $8.95 price point, is connecting with a younger audience looking for bolder flavors. When Jersey Mike’s first introduced the Hot Italian in late December of last year, roughly half of the customers who purchased it were new to the business, Morrison said. Its sales mix following the relaunch has been consistent with the initial run, which extended through roughly February. The chain expects two to three LTOs in 2027, drawing on a mix of new ideas, returning favorites, and opportunities to spotlight existing menu items. “Our primary objective is to use these LTOs to engage a new set of consumers, to bring them in through these digital channels, and convert them into high-frequency users of the business,” Morrison said. Jersey Mike’s also introduced a digital-only bundle in October featuring any mini sub and chips for $7.99. Two weeks into the promotion, Morrison said the chain was pleased with its performance, offering customers a lower entry price while maintaining favorable food costs for franchisees. “We can play in that game where we need to, but we respect and want to maintain that premium positioning for our product,” Morrison said. On the development front, Jersey Mike’s opened 80 stores in the third quarter, bringing year-to-date openings to 210. It finished the period with 3,456 locations, representing approximately 9 percent net unit growth year-over-year. Restaurants opened in 2026 are generating higher AUVs than the prior year’s class did at the same point, and Morrison said strong franchisee returns continue to support demand for development. The company has visibility into roughly five years of domestic expansion. Internationally, Jersey Mike’s ended the quarter with 41 Canadian restaurants, including 20 opened this year. Its first U.K. location is expected to open within weeks, and the company anticipates announcing additional international markets and partners in the coming months. For the full year, Jersey Mike’s expects same-store sales growth of at least 2.5 percent, net unit growth of at least 8 percent, and adjusted EBITDA growth of at least 20 percent. ## Entities - unit expansion (topic) - QSR (sector) - menu pricing (topic) - QSR Magazine (publication) - canada (location) - Ben Coley (person) - loyalty program (topic) - digital marketing (topic) - Jersey Mike's (company) - U.K. (location) - Charlie Morrison (person) - customer acquisition (topic) --- Originally reported by Ben Coley, QSR Magazine (https://www.qsrmagazine.com/story/jersey-mikes-wants-more-than-name-recognition/). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/e246b1f9-a782-4c83-849b-070ef285e23f).