OT: Your Favorite National Sub Chain
I'm sure our beloved Coach Beilein would approve of this topic.
What is your favorite national sub shop chain...and why?
I'm referring to Subway, Jimmy John's, Firehouse, Jersey Mike's, Potbelly, etc.
I'm pretty well-positioned to make this evaluation...as I order the same thing (turkey, lettuce, onion, pepper/seasoning, a little oil and vinegar) regardless of which shop at which I'm eating.
My top choice? Jersey Mike's! Turkey is good. Toppings are fresh. I like the oregano seasoning!
What say you?
(this topic was top-of-mind, as I had Jersey Mike's for lunch today)
Jersey Mike's by a long shot!
Is Capriotti's national? Real good.
National enough for me (all over the Mid Atlantic, and I see them in Vegas when visting my in-laws).
Logged in to rep Capriottis
had never heard of this place but there are apparently 3 in the south denver suburbs. too far for me to go for regular use. but we sometimes stop off somewhere to grab an emergency fast food bite while driving back from southern colorado/northern new mexico and i'll check it out next time instead of jimmy john's or equivalent for sure.
that turkey/cranberry thanksgiving sub is straight awesome
Yea its a real gut buster but so good. I remember how excited I was the first time I tried it!
I like them all - but Jersey Mike's is my favorite. Eat one before every Michigan football game.
Jersey Mike's regular sub is a bit small for me so I typically get the giant, while a Jimmy John's sub is enough to satisfy my hunger.
Jersey Mike's is my favorite for taste.
Jimmy John's my best value pick.
That's just it. The regular is s too small, the giant is too much. I wish there was a 3/4 in between.
I feel like you gotta break these down in multiple tiers since not all are the same price, quality, toasted/untoasted
If I'm getting a toasted sandwich: Potbelly
If I'm getting a cold sandwich: Jersey Mikes
If I need something quick and cheap: Jimmy Johns
I have not personally had Firehouse, but I've heard very good things
Speaking of toasted, I used to eat Quiznos a fair amount but now you never see them.
There's a few still out there, but yeah, once Subway put toasters in their locations, Quiznos became a goner
For the life of me I'll never figure out how Quiznos lost out to Subway. Subway:subs::McDonalds:fast food = yuck.
This YouTube channel, Company Man, does a good job of highlighting why certain businesses succeed or fail. Here's the one on Quiznos:
Most grocery stores that make subs are far superior to Subway. The only time I would ever consider Subway is when I am in Podunk nowhere and the only other option is Burger King.
I’d still go with BK in that scenario.
I'd grab a sub and then go to Burger King for the onion rings.
There is a subway literally in the gas station of the podunk town I grew up in. I say again, a gas station lol.
They've got a pepper bar
Jersey Mikes slaps and there's nothing really close. It's like this:
Tier 1: Jersey Mike's
Tier 2: Penn Station, Potbelly, Togos
Tier 3: Jimmy Johns, Quiznos, Which wich?, Firehouse
Tier 4: Subway
1) Jersey Mike’s
2) Potbelly loaded with giardinera
I refuse to get Jimmy John’s or Subway as they’re both overpriced and lacking quality ingredients.
Sottini’s on 4th in A2 was my favorite when living there. #12 ‘The Wolverine’ can’t be beat!!!
Jersey Mike's, although the last one I had was so soggy with oil and vinegar that it was dripping, and it ruined the sandwich. I need to be able to eat a sub in my car, while driving and a dripping wet sub is a no go for that. I find that the food at any given fast food place all tastes the same. All the Potbelly subs taste the same, all the Subway subs taste the same, Chipotle all tastes the same, so I really like to mix it up. But given a choice of all of them, Jersey Mike's. Jimmy John's second.
As a south Jersey/philly native, that is my one complaint with Jersey Mike's. They over do it with the oil and vinegar. You have to tell them to go light.
Get it on the side
Jersey Mike's.
Jimmy John's is trash.
Best sandwiches aren't at a chain though. You'll need to go get an authentic banh mi at a vietnamese restaurant (not the overpriced kind you see at fusion restaurants)
^^^^ this is the correct answer. banh mi's are the shit.
I'd like to offer up a French "sub" -- a buttered baguette with ham and cornichons, aka gherkins. Some people add a little sliced gruyere but I think that's overkill, especially if the butter is good.
I'd say Jersey Mike's, in terms of truly national availability. For more regional chains (in SE MI), I like Lefty's and Bellacino's a lot lately.
Chicken cheesesteak at Lefty’s is killer.
For the chains I think Potbelly's is the best. All of the others seem to blend together for me.
If we are talking local chains, and I think we should, Jersey Giant in the greater Lansing area is the absolute business.
Jersey Giant makes a good sub. The meat is excellent.
Eh all the national chains are kinda in the same ballpark as far as I'm concerned i.e. pretty average. Find a Jewish deli, buy there.
As an MGoJew, I agree...but that wasn't the question!
Nah. A good deli needs to offer some pork options. If there is one nationality that has good deli's, it's Italians.
I was once at Kaufman's Deli on Dempster in Skokie at lunch. A million people are there, ordering sandwiches. Guy's number is called, he walks up to the counter and says, "I'll have a ham and cheese." The place goes quiet. I'm not kidding. The guy behind the counter says, "This is a Jewish deli." The guy ordering didn't understand. Someone next to him reiterates, "This is a Jewish deli." Guy is still confused. Guy behind the counter says, "No ham here. Jewish deli!"
Italian is probably the most overrated food in this country.
I'm a big fan of Jersey Mike's hot subs. Cold ones are pretty good, but give me a #56 and I'm happy.
Firehouse is probably next, with Jimmy Johns lagging well behind.
lol Subway, though I do enjoy a meatball sub every other year or so. It would never be confused with quality, but it scratches that particular itch.
Plenty of good local spots too. One of my local faves is found in a gas station.
Good OT topic for me. Had a Jersey Mike's on Saturday. Very underwhelmed. Had a roast beef and provolone "Mikes Way" (onion, tomato, seasoning, vinegar).
Bread seemed a bit stale. Beef a bit tough.
Nothing special, especially for $12.
Edited: posted before reading the thread and see that Jersey Mike's is getting a lot of love. Will have to repeat and see if I have a better experience.
Try it Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. It's rarer.
Toasted
Capriotti’s. It’s not even close. The Bobbie—a sub featuring real turkey, homemade stuffing and cranberry sauce—is a glorious thing.
Most other chains are meh, with the exception of Subway, which is just gross.
Capriottis has been on my to-do list for like 3 years. Maybe I’ll finally pull the trigger this weekend lol.
Buon appetito!
Uninteresting side note: I ate at the original Capriotti’s in Wilmington, Del., for years. It looked like a great sandwich shop should—unassuming.
Jersey Mikes... I'd follow that up with a toss-up between Firehouse and Quiznos (when I can find one). Never had Jimmy John's, but I'd try it out before getting anything from Subway. I mean, Jared's Joint doesn't even rate on the scale here!
Another great very large regional one is Wawa. Their hoagies are excellent.
Jersey Mike’s. Subway is awful now imo.
Quiznos
Firehouse/Jersey Mikes/Potbelly
Subway/Jimmy Johns
I like Tubby's don't know if they are nationally.
Jimmy Johns is nice in that you have the option to get whole wheat bread and turn that sub into a sandwich. I do like their sub variety options. We recently ate dinner three nights in a row at a Jimmy Johns in Park City, UT.
My favorite memory at Potbelly is when my young son ordered an ice cream sandwich. The server picked up two large, freshly made chocolate chip cookies and smashed them over a heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream. He was super excited... and I was happy he couldn't eat the whole thing!
Honestly it just depends on how I'm feeling that day. When I have a decent amount of time, I'll go for Firehouse Subs or Jersey Mike's. If I just want to go for something quick, Jimmy John's #9 with hot peppers is perfect.
I used to be into Subway, we had one walking distance from the office that I could go to, but as soon as it went to like $11 for a sandwich I easily transitioned to the other shops.