Jersey Mike’s is bringing the American sub shop to Britain

After seven decades in the United States, the sandwich chain is preparing to open four restaurants in central London as it begins an ambitious expansion into the UK and Ireland.

Britain has become fertile territory for American restaurant chains. This autumn, another substantial name is testing whether its success across the Atlantic can translate to London.

Jersey Mike’s Subs will open its first British restaurant on Argyll Street, close to Oxford Circus, in late autumn. Three further sites in central London are expected to follow shortly afterwards, giving the company four restaurants in the capital before it turns its attention to a wider expansion across the UK and Ireland.

It is a significant move for a business that began as a single sandwich shop on the Jersey Shore in 1956 and now has more than 3,300 locations across the United States and Canada.

The proposition is uncomplicated. Jersey Mike’s makes large East Coast style submarine sandwiches, with meats and cheeses sliced to order, vegetables prepared fresh and bread baked throughout the day.

Then there is what the company calls “the juice”, its mixture of red wine vinegar and oil blend. Customers ordering a sandwich “Mike’s Way” have it finished with onions, lettuce, tomatoes, the oil blend, vinegar and spices.

It has helped turn what is essentially a sandwich counter into a recognisable American restaurant brand.

Seventy years in the making

The history behind Jersey Mike’s is unusual even by the standards of American entrepreneurial folklore.

Peter Cancro began working at the original Point Pleasant shop when he was 14. At 17, he bought the business. He remains founder and chairman today and is now overseeing its move into Britain.

“Jersey Mike’s has always been about making a great sub, taking care of our customers and giving back to the communities we’re part of,” Cancro said. “We’ve spent decades building this brand in America, and now we’re ready to introduce a whole new audience to what we mean when we say ‘a Sub Above’.”

The company arrives with considerable recognition at home. In 2026, Jersey Mike’s was named the highest rated fast food chain for customer satisfaction in the American Customer Satisfaction Index, ending Chick fil A’s long run at the top. It was also ranked first in Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500.

There is celebrity recognition too. Nick Jonas has described Jersey Mike’s as serving the “best sandwich” he had tasted, while social media personality Alix Earle has publicly praised its subs. Danny DeVito, Arnold Schwarzenegger and former American football player Eli Manning have also been associated with the brand.

But celebrity approval will matter considerably less than whether British customers develop the same appetite.

London has become the testing ground

The decision to begin around Oxford Circus places Jersey Mike’s immediately into one of the most competitive food markets in the country.

It also reflects a broader pattern. American food businesses increasingly see London not simply as an international showcase but as a viable entry point into the British market, helped by social media that can create awareness of a restaurant long before it opens here.

For Jersey Mike’s, however, four London restaurants are intended to be only the opening move.

The company has ambitions for hundreds of restaurants across Britain and Ireland. That makes this autumn more than the arrival of another American import. It is the beginning of a much larger test of whether one of America’s biggest sandwich businesses can establish itself in a British market with no shortage of places to buy lunch.

The first answer will come on Argyll Street later this year.