Jersey Mike’s, a sub sandwich chain with more than 500 stores nationwide, will be opening a new location on Monticello Avenue.
With 10 locations around Virginia Beach and Norfolk, the Williamsburg location will be the first Jersey Mike’s restaurant in the Historic Triangle.
The restaurant is expected to open around April 20.
Martin Anderson, a franchisee with Atlantic Food Group LLC, which develops Jersey Mike’s restaurants in eastern Virginia, said the Williamsburg location comes as the result of many stores being situated on the Southside. With an area development agreement of 20 stores, Anderson said it was becoming hard to find suitable locations in that area.
As sales for Jersey Mike’s locations improved in Virginia Beach and Norfolk, Atlantic Food Group decided to start scouting locations on the Peninsula, including the Historic Triangle. The scouting process took more than a year before the group settled on Monticello Avenue in Williamsburg.
“That location we’re at on Monticello Avenue is one of the first spots on the north side we liked,” Anderson said. “With Williamsburg, we wanted to come there due to everything it offers, not only just for the locals that live there, but the tourism that’s there with the number of people every year coming in for that. It’s just an attractive market for us to bring our brand.”
A new Jersey Mike’s location will bring more than just new sub options for the Williamsburg area. Founded on the principle of giving back, Jersey Mike’s franchise owners are encouraged to support the communities they serve and the organization as a whole has a long history of community service.
Every time a new Jersey Mike’s location is opened nationwide, the individual franchises pick a local charity involved with the opening. In Williamsburg, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation will partner with Jersey Mike’s for the grand opening.
Through the first five days of the store’s opening, Jersey Mike’s will distribute between 8,000 and 10,000 free sub coupons throughout the community. The store will give out a free regular sub to any customer with one of the free sub coupons as long as that customer donates at least a minimum of $2 to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
“We’re hoping that will go off well and raise a good chunk of change for the foundation,” Anderson said. “We’re looking forward to being part of Williamsburg and the community there.”