Popular American subway sandwich chain Jersey Mike's is making a big move into Canada with QSR Redberry Restaurants opening up to 300 locations over the next decade.
“We’re thrilled that Jersey Mike’s entrusted us with bringing their iconic brand to Canada,” Redberry’s CEO Ken Otto, said in a release. “We resonated strongly with their culture, product, and mission, and are excited to ‘Make it Happen’ for both Jersey Mike’s and their Canadian fans.”
“We’re thrilled that Jersey Mike’s entrusted us with bringing their iconic brand to Canada,” Redberry’s CEO Ken Otto, said in a release. “We resonated strongly with their culture, product, and mission, and are excited to ‘Make it Happen’ for both Jersey Mike’s and their Canadian fans.”
The deal marks the first major international expansion for Jersey Mike’s since the company’s conception in 1956. The new phase of growth will start with Redberry purchasing and remodeling the brand’s two existing Canadian locations, in Kitchener and London, followed by the opening of five new Ontario storefronts in 2024. Redberry Restaurants is also a franchise partner to brands like Taco Bell and Burger King, and the 300 Canadian locations will be a combination of Redberry-owned-and-operated stores and supported franchisee locations. (While 300 seems like a significant commitment, Subway lists more than 200 locations in Toronto alone.)
As for Canadian marketing efforts, Jersey Mike’s Franchise Systems will continue to use its U.S. creative AOR, Chicago agency Highdive, with the additional support of Redberry’s marketing department.
“We are proud to partner with Ken Otto and his team at Redberry,” said Jersey Mike’s Franchise Systems’ founder and CEO, Peter Cancro, in a release. “Their extensive history and reputation in the restaurant business are second to none. Also critical to our company is that they share the same culture and mission statement: to give and make a difference. They are committed to their team members and their local communities.”
Jersey Mike’s mission statement is literally “Giving...making a difference in someone’s life,” which the brand has made actionable through donations to local charities, having raised more than $110 million since 2010.
“We do a lot of grassroots, four-walls marketing in and around our stores, that is very community based,” president of Jersey Mike’s Franchise Systems, Hoyt Jones, told The Message. In the past this has included supplying local businesses with a free catering box of Jersey Mike’s subs, and fundraising for local charities or community groups. Hoyt mentioned schools, churches, and youth sports teams as examples.
After the chain has opened a handful of locations, Hoyt said they'll direct marketing strategy towards local sponsorships and partnerships, including hockey teams, and eventually radio and television ads.
While Hoyt confirmed there are no specific plans as of yet, Highdive's first work for the brand after earning creative AOR status in 2022, featured American actor Danny DeVito.
“In addition to building our own Jersey Mike’s, growth will be accelerated by way of supporting other franchisees to join the Jersey Mike’s story in every province across Canada,” said Otto. Between Jersey Mike’s, Burger King, and Taco Bell, Redberry has signed agreements for more than 600 new restaurants in Canada.
