Sub Hubbub: Jersey Mike's, Subway and Quiznos
Tuesday, March 1, 2011 at 12:00AM As of March 2011 there are over 85 Subway, Quiznos and Jersey Mike's locations in/around Ventura County. You can't drive anywhere without encountering a Subway. That's not a bad thing in my opinion. I rarely meet a sub sandwich that I don't like.
My family and I purchase and devour over 30 sandwiches a month, so I have an opinion or five about the most prolific sandwich franchises in town.
I'll start with my personal favorite, Jersey Mike's. Jersey Mike's started operations in 1956 and has grown to 475 stores nationwide, including 14 locally. I believe Jersey Mike's has the freshest, highest quality ingredients of the 3 sub shops. They slice meat and cheese for each individual sandwich and their bread, which comes in the nice and simple assortment of white and wheat, is a standout.
Order it "Mike's Way" and you get lettuce, onions, tomatoes, vinegar, oil and spices. Absolutely delicious every single time...and I eat there 3 times a week. The consistency of their sandwiches is outstanding among locations. And the bread is soft and fresh. My most frequent purchases are the #7 (Turkey/Provolone), #6 (Roast Beef/Provolone) and #8 (Club Sub). The amount of meat and cheese is always very ample. But what prompted me to write this is that, for kicks, I ordered a #14 (Veggie) yesterday and lo and behold, it was also outstanding and delicious. I didn't even miss the meat it was so good!
Pricing at Jersey Mike's is overall somewhat higher than Subway and Quizno's but I never feel value is an issue. Sign up for the Jersey Mike's email club and receive monthly coupons as well as a free birthday sub and drink.
My 7 year old is a huge Subway fan and while my nod goes to Jersey Mike's, I have no problems dining with him at Subway. Subway provides great valued and pretty darn consistent quality there amongst the dozen or so Subways that I've been to. Subway has been around since 1965 and has over 30,000 locations worldwide, 65 or so in the Ventura County area!
My family usually orders the Turkey or Roast Beef 20% subs. Subway has so many breads to choose from that frankly it just confuses us. The kids get their standard white bread and I get the 9-Grain wheat bread. We all gobble up the sandwiches and they get the job done. But the quality of the meat in my humble opinion is more along the lines of what you buy in the prepackaged deli section of the supermarket.
My 7 year old has the Subway ordering process nailed down. Its fun watching the interaction between employee and kid. And he surprises me sometimes when he adds a new ingredient to the sandwich, like cucumbers.
I try to replicate the taste of Jersey Mike's at Subway by asking for the "Mike's Way" ingredients and no mayo, but it just never quite gets there...the bread is pretty good but not as desirable to me and it doesn't have the spices. But I don't complain. My kid enjoys his turkey, cheese, lettuce and mayo and I enjoy hanging with him. I can feed 3 of us for $16 or so there and that's a good thing. Subway does provide excellent value for a meal that's a lot healthier for you than a burger and fries.
Quiznos began operating in Denver in 1981 and now has over 4,000 locations, including 12 (8*)in Ventura County. Quiznos toasts their subs and I feel I get excellent value for my money there. For just under $8 I get a nicely sized toasted roast beef sub, chips and a drink. In fact, that's what I had for lunch today.
I had no problems with the sandwich. It was filling and tasty. No complaints. It was warm and toasty and I ate every last drop of it. The meat was reasonable, but it just doesn't reach the quality of the meat at Jersey Mike's. That doesn't mean I won't be back at Quiznos though. When I have a hankering for a toasted, value-priced sub, I go to Quiznos.
I've tried other Quiznos subs like Baja Chicken, Honey Bourbon Chicken and Mesquite Chicken and they are good. Though they often have more mayo in them than I'd prefer. They leave me feeling satisfied though not in a fresh and healthy way.
I've tried to get my kids into Quiznos but they don't like the setup as much as Jersey Mike's and Subway. At the latter two, they can actually see the ingredients and the sandwich maker and interact with them, making it more of an interactive experience. At Quiznos, the set-up is different and it is difficult for the kids to have that interaction.
Quiznos confuses me with some of the names of their sandwiches...Torpedos, Bullets and Sammies. I dunno, I just don't feel like figuring out what this terminology means. Just give me a damn sandwich in small, medium or large and I'm happy. Simple is better.
That wraps up today sub discussion. Feel free to add comments as I know there will be disagreement on which subs are the best. I am particularly interested in reading comments from those of you who, like me, have eaten frequently at all three of these places!
*As of March 2011 there are stores in Camarillo, Oxnard (3), Simi Valley and Ventura (3).
Reader Comments (2)
I find your article to be very helpful, but I still can't find Quizno's anywhere. It seems like they closed all of their stores in Westlake Village, Woodland Hills, Thousand Oaks, and Simi Valley. Could you tell me where one is in Ventura County
Thanks for the comment, Jay. You are certainly correct. Since the date this was originally posted, the number of Ventura County area Quiznos has dropped from 12 to 8 and there are none in the Conejo Valley. I've contacted Quiznos to ask if new locations are planned.