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Jersey Mike’s: Dumb Ass Stupid Management

Jersey Mike’s: Dumb Ass Stupid Management

A Jersey Mike’s sandwich franchise costs from $200,00 to $600,000 according to their web site. Which means the guy who opened one in East Greenwich here is going to lose a pile of dough.

I’d think a sandwich franchisee would assume somehow that business is pretty heavy from 11:30 to 1:30. We call it “lunch time.” The new store here was featured in the press, is located in a very popular shopping center with plenty of parking, and has an appealing menu. The problem is that, apparently, Jersey Mike’s sells people franchises without imparting any business skills.

I walked in at 12:50. There are a dozen people standing in a line not moving. Another six people are at tables awaiting their orders. There is one guy taking orders and making sandwiches, apparently the owner, one guy on the stove, and two women wrapping finished sandwiches and taking money. When there are no finished sandwiches, they stand there and do nothing at all. There is no cross-training, no help. And the owner is also taking phone orders.

In five minutes, the line hadn’t moved by one person, and no one seemed to care. So I left, unnoticed when I walked in and when I departed.

Have you ever stood in one place for even one minute in a Subway Sandwich Shop, even at the height of rush hour? I haven’t. They seem to believe the customer is important.

Like most small businesses, this one is going on life support soon. It’s a shame, but simply plunking down money and opening the doors don’t create a business. Repeat and referral customers create a business. The corporation received its franchise fee, but the investor and his family are going to be eating someone else’s sandwiches pretty soon, if they can afford them.

Written by

Alan Weiss is a consultant, speaker, and author of over 60 books. His consulting firm, Summit Consulting Group, Inc., has attracted clients from over 500 leading organizations around the world.

Comments: 5

  • Jeffrey Summers

    March 15, 2017

    So he didn’t opt for the management training from JM or the franchise management support. Then you get what you get when you think operating a restaurant is nothing more than “if you build it they will come”. Gives even more credence to the old quip: “Q: How do you make a small fortune in the restaurant business? A: Simple, start with a large one.”

  • Doug Ringer

    March 15, 2017

    1933 Prairie Hill Drive

  • ALAN WEISS

    March 16, 2017

    What’s with the address?

  • Matt

    March 2, 2018

    Any Jersey Mike’s can only go so fast because they slice the meat to order. Unless they invest in a second slicing machine there is going to be a bottleneck at that station when busy that adding more employees isn’t going to help. You can get a sandwich faster at Subway but it’s terrible.

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