Why You Won't Find A Meatball Sub On Jersey Mike's Menu Anymore, According To Reddit

Not that long ago, Jersey Mike's menu of sandwiches once included a meatball and cheese sub. It consisted of all-beef meatballs coated in marinara sauce and topped with provolone and a mixture of grated parmesan and Romano, all served up hot, saucy, and melty. It seemed like a natural choice for a popular sandwich shop which, at the time, was on its way to becoming the fastest-growing restaurant chain in the United States. However, it became a discontinued Jersey Mike's item we may never eat again in 2020.

While there was no official reason given by the company, employees on Reddit alleged that this sub and other discontinued Jersey Mike's menu items were axed for several reasons. Some suggested that it just didn't really fit with the franchise's new image. As one Redditor explained, "We got rid of the sandwich due to it not fitting the fresh theme. [It] sits in a countertop warmer all day that takes [up] a lot of working space."

Others claimed that it just wasn't a big seller, or that the meatball subwas messy to eat and didn't always look appetizing, even when assembled correctly. Another reported factor was that it was a colossal pain to make. As the aforementioned Redditor wrote, "It also was a big hindrance to the grill master or bread preparer. They had to stop everything they're doing on the grill as to not burn other sandwiches (might have to make five customers wait an additional 3-5 minutes) to make someone a sub that was subpar based on sales."

People get a little miffed about items that Jersey Mike's has discontinued, like the soups you'll likely never see on Jersey Mike's menus again. But reactions to the meatball sub's dismissal were immediate and harsh. As one Redditor, who posted around the time the sub was taken off the menu, wrote, "I don't care if a sub is not well received by other jokers! As long as I and other people like the sub, it's all good! So I say JM needs to get their heads out of their butts and bring back the sub I love!" Others suggested that the sub seemed to be missing from stores way earlier than 2020; one Reddit user shared that they had been eating more regularly at Jersey Mike's in 2016, and noticed its absence even then: "It seemed their menu scaled back and no longer offered the meatball." 

Today, fans online still demand its return. Others say they've moved on to other sandwich shops specifically because Jersey Mike's dropped the sub. There have been multiple online petitions to revive it, but as of yet, none have moved the needle.

However, fans should never say never. One alleged employee on Reddit let slip in 2025, "I'm not exactly thrilled about it — making and maintaining meatballs was a constant pain in the a** — but they are actually working on a limited return for a meatball sub." Whether this actually happens, though, remains to be seen.