The State With The Most Jersey Mike's Locations Isn't Actually New Jersey 

Considering the success of its viral sandwich (which is totally worth the hype), it's no surprise that Jersey Mike's is one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the United States. However, like many of our favorite restaurants, Jersey Mike's also has some substantial secrets. One of the biggest bombshells? The state with the most Jersey Mike's locations is not the chain's namesake: New Jersey. In fact, data on Jersey Mike's website shows that California is home to more Jersey Mike's franchises than any other state, with over 400 locations. It's followed by Texas, Florida, and North Carolina. New Jersey comes in at fifth place, with just over 140 locations.

Although it's surprising that Jersey Mike's doesn't operate more franchises in its namesake state, California's impressive appetite for the sandwich shop makes sense when you consider the demographic data. California is by far the most populous state, with more than quadruple the population of New Jersey. What's more, the Golden State is over 18 times larger than the Garden State. California's love for the sandwich shop even seems to have influenced Jersey Mike's menu as the East Coast chain paid culinary homage to the Golden State with the addition of a West-Coast-style California Chicken Cheese Steak at select locations.

So, how genuinely "Jersey" is Jersey Mike's? Unlike some misleadingly named restaurants (we're looking at you, Texas Roadhouse), Jersey Mike's actually got its start in New Jersey, and its international headquarters remain in the Garden State. However, Jersey Mike's has expanded far beyond New Jersey since then. These days, the franchise operates over 3,000 locations worldwide, including outposts in all 50 states, Canada, and Mexico.

New Jerseyans themselves have mixed opinions on their namesake sandwich chain. In a discussion on the r/newjersey subreddit, many users claimed to prefer the state's wealth of local sub shops, while a few grudgingly admitted that Jersey Mike's is, at the very least, decent. Some Jersey residents propose another explanation for Jersey Mike's out-of-state success. As one individual put it, "Here in NJ I would rather just hit any number of great local spots, but the further west you go (outside of big cities) your options are limited and they tend to suck." Another user summed up the situation more succinctly, concluding that maybe you just "can't get a good sub in California." So perhaps the real reason why New Jersey isn't the state with the most Jersey Mike's locations is that the chain is trying to spread the Jersey sub shop love to the rest of the country.