Jersey Mike’s University

The road from Point Pleasant, New Jersey, to Harrisonburg stretches more than 300 miles, from the boardwalk amusements and salt-sprayed beach houses of the Jersey Shore to the rolling hills and family farms of the Shenandoah Valley.

For a handful of executives at Jersey Mike’s Subs, it’s a path paved in purple and gold.

Caroline Jones (’10) was born in Point Pleasant in 1987 — the same year the hometown sandwich chain began franchising its stores.

Her father, Peter Cancro, the company’s longtime CEO, had worked at the original Mike’s Submarines shop as a teenager. In 1975, with the help of a loan from his youth football coach who was also a banker in town, he purchased the shop from the owner. Over the next decade, Cancro grew the business locally by continuing Mike’s tradition of fresh ingredients and fast, friendly service.

A young Peter Cancro, left, outside the original Mike's Submarines shop on the boardwalk in Point Pleasant, New Jersey

The 1980s and ’90s were a golden age of quick-service restaurant franchising, and Cancro was determined to enlarge the company’s footprint.

“My dad is a very charismatic, driven individual,” Jones said. “He saw an opportunity when customers were asking to wrap their subs to travel and decided to take the brand nationwide, one store at a time.”

Jones’ parents sold a plot of land on which they had intended to build a house so that they could pay an attorney to set up the franchising company. “They both made a lot of sacrifices when we were young to get the business off the ground,” she said.  

The gamble paid off. Today, Jersey Mike’s is one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the country, with more than 3,000 locations and $3.5 billion in sales last year. The brand is known for its high-quality meats and cheeses, sliced to order and piled high on fresh-baked bread, as well as its signature toppings known as “Mike’s Way” — lettuce, onions, tomatoes, oil, vinegar and spices.

More than just its subs, however, Jersey Mike’s is known for giving back to the communities it serves. It hosts an annual Month of Giving campaign culminating on the last Wednesday in March, when 100% of sales are donated to local charities. This year’s campaign netted a record $30 million for community partners nationwide. 

Caroline Jones (’10), the daughter of Jersey Mike's founder and longtime CEO Peter Cancro, is a former senior vice president of the company, an active franchisee and president of its Sub Above Fund.

Dukes in the kitchen

Jones went to work at the original Jersey Mike's store in Point Pleasant at 14, prepping produce for its lineup of subs. Her favorite? The No. 9: Club Supreme — roast beef, turkey, Swiss cheese, applewood-smoked bacon and mayonnaise.

Family friend Evan Mayer (’07) had joined the crew a few years prior. “When I was 13, I went to work for [Caroline’s aunt] Cathy, helping sort the produce and bop the lettuce heads on the counter,” he said.

Mayer continued to work at Jersey Mike’s throughout high school and while attending JMU, where he majored in Communication Studies and minored in Economics. After graduation, he was studying to take the law-school entrance exam when Cancro took him aside and let him know that a career with Jersey Mike’s was on the menu. “You already have a Ph.D. in sandwiches,” he told him.

Mayer decided to stay with the growing chain. He managed a store before becoming one of the company’s first field representatives. For the next 12 years, Mayer traveled the country to help open hundreds of Jersey Mike’s locations. In 2020, Mayer was promoted to area director in charge of 45 units across four states, from Point Pleasant to Richmond, Virginia, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Raynham, Massachusetts. He’s now a multi-unit franchisee in New York and New Jersey.

“There’s a pretty big group of us Jersey Mikers who have been with the company from childhood on up,” he said.

Brian Loughran (’03), senior vice president of operations at Jersey Mike's

That list includes fellow Duke Brian Loughran (’03), who grew up a few blocks from the original store. On a summer afternoon in 1996, Loughran and his dad stopped in for lunch. Peter Cancro’s brother, John, was working behind the counter and struck up a conversation with the teen.

“Are you paying for lunch today?” Cancro asked him.

Loughran shook his head. “I don’t have any money.”

“Do you want a summer job?” came the reply.

For Loughran, it was the beginning of a rewarding career with Jersey Mike’s. After leaving JMU, he managed the Richmond, Virginia, store for eight months before he too was tapped as a field representative and then area director. Today, he is senior vice president of operations.

“I always say, I attended two JMUs in my career,” Loughran said. “Jersey Mike’s and James Madison University.”

Although they didn’t work for Jersey Mike’s as teenagers, two more Dukes, Katie Nolan (’11) and Matt Bottone (’13), circled back to their hometown franchise as professionals.

Growing up, Nolan would ride her bike around the corner to the original store to order her favorite sub — The No. 7: Turkey and Provolone. “My whole inner circle — all of my friends — have worked for Jersey Mike’s at some point, whether it was behind the counter or in the corporate office.”

A high-jumper on the JMU women’s track and field team with a major in Sport and Recreation Management and a minor in Business, Nolan’s first job out of college was at ESPN in television advertising sales. But after a few years, she was feeling burned out and moved back home. One day at a local coffee shop, she was approached by Peter Cancro, who convinced her to come to work for Jersey Mike’s in the marketing department. Beginning in 2016, she wrote marketing plans for new store openings and later managed the company’s sports and entertainment partnerships. Most recently, she served as Jersey Mike’s franchise sales manager.

Bottone, a Psychology major at JMU with a minor in Human Resource Development, interned with the luxury fashion brand Gucci in New York City and was hired by the company as an HR assistant after graduating in 2013. By 2017, however, the daily commute had taken a toll, and Bottone began looking for other opportunities. He had previously inquired about openings at Jersey Mike’s, but at the time there were none. Then one day, he spotted an ad for an HR position with the company. After submitting his application, he followed up with a contact in the department and ended up mentoring under her.

Bottone worked his way up from HR specialist to manager to director in 2024. He describes the company’s culture as ”family.”

And Jones? After graduating from JMU, she too worked her way up through the marketing department at Jersey Mike’s before joining the executive team. She served as senior vice president and spearheaded the most recent nationwide store redesign and retrofit program. Because of her interest in nonprofits, Jones was also instrumental in growing the company’s Month of Giving campaign, and she currently serves as president of its Sub Above Fund, which provides financial assistance to Jersey Mike’s employees in need.

From the beach to the ’Burg (and back again)

Dukes in leadership positions at Jersey Mike’s say their time in Harrisonburg was some of the best years of their lives, and they credit their Madison Experiences with shaping the people they are today.

Jones, who was drawn to JMU for its big-school energy and close-knit feel, said her studies put her on a path to leadership. “JMU gave me confidence,” she said, “not just in academics, but in connecting with people.”

Mayer, who was vice president of JMU’s Kappa Sigma fraternity chapter, agreed. “It wasn’t just about the classroom,” he said. “It was learning how to manage people, organize events and motivate teams — all of which I use today.”

Both Jones and Mayer took part in presentations and small-group work in the School of Communication Studies. For Mayer, SCOM professor Dr. Toni Whitfield's guidance was pivotal in his decision to pursue a career with Jersey Mike’s over law school.

And the group fondly recalls cheering on the JMU football team during an exciting era in the program’s history. Mayer attended playoff games at Bridgeforth Stadium leading up to the Dukes’ Division I-AA national championship in 2004, and Nolan remembers celebrating with friends when JMU upset in-state rival Virginia Tech in Blacksburg in 2010.

Loughran, whose best friend from high school followed him to JMU, met new friends as a resident of Hoffman Hall. The group remains close to this day, hosting the annual Hoffman Hall Invitational golf tournament, which supports JMU scholarships.

Bottone met five lifelong friends during his freshman year in Dingledine Hall, and his wife, Andrea (Criscuolo) (’13, ’14M), was a member of the JMU Swimming & Diving team. The couple have three children.

“When I look back on those days, I just smile,” Jones said. “You’re there in this beautiful setting, and there’s this vibe — a good mix of people from different areas, and all of them are happy.”

‘We’re a people business’

JMU and Jersey Mike’s share more than just initials. The two brands mirror each other in meaningful ways. Both institutions emphasize people, purpose and pride.

Jersey Mike’s success starts with finding and investing in the right people.

“I think what we’re looking for [in an employee] is someone who we can tell is going to be a hard worker, because that’s important,” Bottone said. “Someone who wants to be a team player, who wants to make a difference in someone’s day. … And we've been pretty fortunate, to that end, to find people who can fit those slots.”

“We always say, we’re a people business,” Nolan added. “We just happen to make really good subs.”

Jersey Mike's executives and franchise owners are encouraged to put on the blue apron and work a shift behind the counter.

Mayer said Peter Cancro’s passion for serving quality food is instilled in everyone who works in Jersey Mike’s stores. “It’s something that's been in the fabric of the brand forever.”

Jones said if her dad was visiting a store and noticed brown lettuce behind the counter, “he was going to remember that for a decade.”

Jersey Mike’s has a dedicated training facility on the Jersey Shore that is set up to resemble an actual store. Trainees learn all aspects of store operations, from making sandwiches to managing tasks to customer service and leadership skills. New franchise owners are required to have three in-store employees undergo a combined 900 hours of training.

“We’ve been known to hold up openings of locations if they don't have individuals with the required number of hours,” Jones said, “because you're not going to deliver the quality product that needs to go out the door.”

When it comes to franchising, the company seeks out store owners who understand and believe in the brand. “If you don’t have like-minded values, then it’s not going to be a good fit,” Jones said.

Far more important than finding franchisees who are motivated by making money is finding individuals who are willing to put on the blue apron and work alongside their crews to take care of their customers.

“We found out very quickly that it doesn’t work if a franchisee doesn't invest in the individuals who are operating their stores,” Jones said. “We see those stores struggle because there's a lot of turnover.”

Mayer echoed the sentiment. “We’re not tech, we’re not automation — we’re hands-on, and that means investing in our teams.”

Mayer received Jersey Mike’s President’s Award — the company’s highest honor — at its corporate meeting in March. His store in Morris County, New Jersey, is one of the top-performing Jersey Mike’s locations in the U.S.

Charles “Mookie” Golden joined Jersey Mike’s franchisee training program in July 2011. Having grown up in the restaurant business, his journey into franchising was inspired by his uncle, an operating partner for McDonald’s in Chicago, Illinois. “That's really where I first saw people who looked like me — a young minority in America — who owned franchises,” he said. 

In college at the University of Maryland, Golden met a Domino’s Pizza franchisee who was getting involved with a new brand: Jersey Mike’s. “I followed him to Virginia and started mentoring under him, and the rest is history,” he said.

Today, Golden and his business partner own and operate 15 Jersey Mike’s stores in Virginia and West Virginia, including the Harrisonburg store, which opened in 2016. “We brought in a team of young managers, people who wanted to learn the business,” he said. “We all just fell in love with the brand.”

About half of the Harrisonburg store’s staff are JMU students. Golden’s teams refer to their workspace as “the 14 feet” — the length of Jersey Mike’s front line — where they make subs and connect with customers. “People become like your family,” he said. “Honestly, you get to know them and you watch their kids grow up. It’s a special place.” 

‘Give to give’

Jersey Mike’s belief that making a sandwich and making a difference can be one and the same is reflected in the brand’s tagline, “A sub above.” Its mission statement is not give to get, but rather “give to give.”

“When you have a purpose that’s greater than the job or the task that you’re doing, it excites you about coming to work every day,” Loughran said. “To me, the giving creates a purpose for our company beyond the sub sandwich.”

In addition to supporting local charities with its annual Day of Giving, Jersey Mike’s supports organizations like Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 local food banks; the USTA Foundation, the charitable arm of the United States Tennis Association; Special Olympics; and Wreaths Across America, which honors fallen veterans by placing wreaths on their markers, including at Arlington National Cemetery. Recently, the company held a fundraiser for victims of flooding in the Hill Country of central Texas. 

“These causes connect our stores to the communities they serve,” Mayer said. “It’s powerful.”

Jersey Mike’s Harrisonburg store supports On the Road Collaborative, a youth-empowering organization serving about 500 middle- and high-school students annually across six schools in the central Shenandoah Valley. The program, which provides after-school support, social-emotional learning, and career exploration, is free and includes transportation.

Over the past eight years, Jersey Mike’s has donated more than $150,000 to On the Road Collaborative, according to co-CEO Russell Leary (’12, ’13M), allowing him and co-CEO Emani Morse (’17), a fellow Duke, to expand the program significantly.

“You don't go from [serving] one school, two days a week to now serving six schools [five days a week] without a corporate partner that really believes in you,” Leary said of Jersey Mike’s. “It’s been a huge part of how we've been able to grow so quickly and serve so many kids and also make sure our services stay free.”

On the Road is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this year and has plans to add a new middle school to its program sites. The partnership with Jersey Mike’s expanded in 2023 to include the Staunton and Waynesboro stores. 

Jersey Mike's Dukes (L–R): Brian Loughran ('03), Katie Nolan ('11), Michael Walz (’21), Libby Ireland (’10), Caroline Jones ('10) and Jordan Craig (’14)

A sense of pride

JMU and Jersey Mike’s have each grown significantly in size and reputation over the last 25 years, becoming well-known brands. Yet for all their success, both have managed to stay true to their roots.

“There’s this common DNA,” Jones said. “Whether you're on campus or in a Jersey Mike’s store, there's a sense of belonging and pride in doing things the right way.”

Peter Cancro, who is largely responsible for the company’s culture, stepped down as CEO in April following Jersey Mike’s acquisition by a private equity firm. He is now chairman of the board and remains a minority owner. 

As Jersey Mike’s continues to grow under new leadership and eyes expansion into international markets, Jones and Mayer are confident that its core values won’t be lost. 

“Growth is exciting,” Mayer said, “but staying true to who we are — that’s non-negotiable.”

With more JMU alumni joining the Jersey Mike’s family, the connections continue to grow. “It’s funny how often we say to someone [in the company], ‘Oh, you went to JMU too?’” Jones said. “There’s this instant trust.”

Dukes with Jersey Mike’s are grateful for both the university that helped shape them and the company that allows them to lead with passion and purpose.

“We’re proud of what we’ve built,” said Mayer, “and proud to bring a little bit of JMU into everything we do.”