Business & Tech
New Submarine Sandwich Shop Set to Start Slicing Soon
Jersey Mike's Subs is opening its first South Jersey store in Cinnaminson this October.
A submarine sandwich shop based in Point Pleasant Beach, Ocean County, will open its first franchise in South Jersey at The Shoppes of Cinnaminson on South Route 130.
Jersey Mike’s Subs, owned by partners Matt Catania and John Helm, both 31, will hold a five-day grand opening starting on Oct. 12 through Oct. 16.
To celebrate the grand opening, the franchise owners will offer sandwiches to anyone who has one of the more than 10,000 coupons being distributed throughout the community and schools, plus a minimum contribution of $1. Patrons can choose to donate the funds to either or Palmyra high schools.
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“These are the type of promotions the company does each time it opens a new store,” said Catania.
Chief executive officer and founder, Peter Cancro began working at Mike’s Subs in Point Pleasant Beach in 1972 when he was 14. At 17, he made an ambitious move and bought the store when the former owner decided to sell.
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“Ironically, he was too young to run a slicing machine,” marketing manager of Jersey Mike’s Subs Jeff Hemschoot said, regarding rules set by the U.S. Department of Labor.
In the late 1980s, Cancro changed the name to Jersey Mike’s Subs after expanding the business. Now, franchises averaging $300,000 are in 29 states, with the 500th store to open in late October.
“All sandwiches are made-to-order,” Hemschoot said. “We slice the meat in front of the customer, and we bake our breads each morning.”
Both Catania and Helm also hail from Point Pleasant Beach, where the two met on the Point Pleasant Beach High School’s basketball team. Helm owns two Jersey Mike’s Subs stores in Bricktown, Ocean County. Catania, who practiced law for five years, says the sandwich shop partners will sign a lease in the next week for another store in the East Gate Square Shopping Center in Moorestown, near Jos. A. Bank Clothiers.
“If all goes well, we hope to open three more shops,” said Catania, who is looking for a place to live not far from the Cinnaminson store. “We are out scouting locations in Marlton, Voorhees and Cherry Hill.”
The cheerfully white-tiled eatery will employ 15 to 20 employees.
“Reaching out to the people of the community is a key factor for us,” said Catania.
