New Jersey Mike’s Subs opening in Puyallup, holding fundraiser for local food bank

Jersey Mike’s opens its third Puyallup store July 8 at the new Pioneer Crossing development at 716 Shaw Road, with the option to donate to the Puyallup Food Bank through Sunday.

The East Coast-style sub shop already has stores at the South Hill Mall and Sunrise Village. Other South Sound locations include Auburn, Fife, Lakewood, University Place and Gig Harbor.

Operating partner Jeff Morse and franchise owner Peter Braun are marking the occasion with a fundraiser for the Puyallup Food Bank.

Customers can drop a few dollars into a donation box at the restaurant, or those lucky enough to have received one of 5,000 coupons from an area business can snag a sub in exchange for a minimum $2 donation.

This location is operated by Braun’s Silverdale-based company Orchard Foods, which also owns nine Taco Bells and four KFC stores in the region. Braun opened his first Jersey Mike’s — and the first in the Seattle area — in Poulsbo, Washington, earlier this year.

“Orchard has for 31 years been a company of the community,” Braun said in an email. “We have worked hard to support the community that makes it possible for us to operate. Food is one of the first needs people have when faced with crises.”

The Pioneer Crossing development is anchored by Safeway, Starbucks and MOD Pizza. Construction on the project was delayed by COVID-19, but the owners vowed to push forward, saying that the Puyallup community and “vibrancy of the new center” attracted them to the area.

Jersey Mike’s has eliminated in-house seating for the time being, but customers can order pickup through the restaurant chain’s app, as well as delivery through Grubhub and DoorDash.

The original Mike’s Subs opened in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, in 1956. Franchise founder Peter Cancro bought the shop after working there for several summers. He changed the name to Jersey Mike’s and began expanding to nearby towns in the late ‘80s.

The chain separates itself from other sandwich chains by slicing meat and roasting beef in-house. The flagship Jersey Shore’s Favorite layers capicola, ham and provolone with shredded lettuce and a drizzle of oil and vinegar with oregano.

Today there are 2,500 Jersey Mike’s across the U.S.

JERSEY MIKE’S — Pioneer Crossing

▪ 716 Shaw Road, Puyallup, 253-268-2885, jerseymikes.com

▪ Details: open daily, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. starting July 8 (takeout only)

This story was originally published July 8, 2020 at 5:00 AM.