crew member

shift leader

team member

assistant manager

general manager

Jersey Mikes

The job is good if you're wanting to stay busy and have other goals in mind. If they like you, you typically will enjoy your time there. The pay isn't enough for the stress from management in my experience. If you're an AM or GM consider your personal life to barely exist. I was told if I am on salary that I am always on the clock. I took work phone calls on every off day, after the store was closed and before the store opened. I'm talking 6 am and midnight. Even on your off day, you are reminded of how much work you have waiting for you when you return. I was constantly told to do better and that I was replaceable just as everyone else. There are some good people I worked with that made me believe there was a reason I allowed myself to stay with this company for as long as I did. Depending on who you work for... most of your time is spent being a robot and kissing up to any guest regardless of how they treat you. If they cursed at you then you can tell them to leave. Yet, I've watched upper management get into full blown arguments with guests and then throw the food down and walk off the line. Thats where I would come in, the general manager, and try to dissolve the awkwardness about what just happened. I get you have your off days, but that's happened multiple times. In order to get a raise with salary, another employee with the same title has to be fired or quit and then once they are desperate for people to stay and do more work they will offer you more money... so it seems. Some tasks given to me in order to make more money were unattainable. I spoke with people at other stores to help me with the issues I would have and they said its a problem everywhere and it will never be perfect. But the people looking over my store wanted it perfect so I didn't get a raise. I personally was never yelled at and degraded, because I would never allow someone to do that to me especially at a business..... but I have watched upper management yell in coworkers faces. I've watched them talk negatively about the other team members right next to them. It was said that they would say the same thing to their face so its not bad that they're voicing it to the whole staff. If you make mistakes or cause any disruption in the shop you will be pulled aside before your shift and talked to. These are NOT professional sit down talks. It's angry and it makes you feel terrible. They ask you question with one right answer in mind and everybody on the staff will know about this talk. Everyone will basically know generally what is going on with everyone. Someone got written up.. but they won't know exactly why. Someone didn't show up to work and nobody is coming to replace them so you just work harder on your shift and don't talk about it. Or do. Then you can be pulled aside again. Do not be honest during these talks, folks. Say what they want you to say then do your job. And you are required to work your shift with a good attitude or you'll be sent home, or worse, passive aggressive behavior and comments from management until your shift is over. More times than not, you get your hours by staying longer because they need help or because the crew isn't strong enough to be left alone. There's a lot of "don't tell anyone but...." and also a lot of gossip from upper management. You truly have to watch what you say, how you say it, and who you say it to or the smallest thing will turn into a huge issue and then you have to be pulled aside again. Kinda like high school but in a smaller room. There is no HR department, probably the worst thing about my experience. The person I had a huge issue with was the same person I was suppose to go to with my problems. But she is not HR. I wish the owners knew the truth about how their stores are being run. How lazy some are. How manipulative others are. The toxicity. They make you feel like you're a great asset and the next day you feel like you are in the way and could never do anything right.  There were countless times me and others wanted to quit but we felt bad leaving everyone in the position they were in. Everyone seemed so stressed and needed more help than they ever received. 
The company as a whole is not the problem. I respect the owners and their hard work. It's who you end up working under such as franchisees or area directors. You will be reminded that you are below them and that they will replace you if you are anything other than a kiss up. Tons of whispering if you ever get two area directors in the same room together. I feel like this is an ex-partner that I had to get away from and will never fully recover mentally. This is MY personal experience. You may work for a store that treats you right and you'll still feel human. I've worked in a handful of stores in this company... I just have the same opinion for a majority of them all. I still kept most of my friends, the ones that didn't believe management and blocked me from their entire life. If you think I'm over reacting or I may be stretching the true, find out for yourself =)

Work-life balance
As a shift manager or higher in this company, don't worry about having any kind of life outside of work. Upper management has no respect or disregard for any one and assume that this job is the only purpose you live for. It's not healthy.

Pay & benefits
This is, by far, is the lowest paying food job in the city. For the relentless and stressful hours of hard work put in, the pay is a slap in the face. Owners seem to think that they don't have to spend money (i.e. paying competitive compensation for strong, entitled, experienced workers) in order to make money. You'll be promised raises month after month, heck, even hazard pay during a pandemic - ... and... - will never receive a dime. Ok, exaggeration, maybe you'll literally get a dime for a raise ever six months or so. Bottom line, this companie's ownership and upper management DO NOT care for employee's hardwork, sacrifice, well-being, or lives, blatantly.

Job security and advancement
Unless hired as upper management, you will hear endless false promises about promotions but may seldomly see one. If, six months down the line (and you're still working there) you DO get a job title promotion, you'll be lucky if you see an immediate pay increase. They love to take advantage without paying for the luxury.

Management
The employees and immediate general manager are the best people you'll ever work with, I will vouch for that. As for the district managers... They have to be the worst possible kind of backstabbing, uncaring, thoughtless, money-hungry, power-hungry, s.m.s. having, deceitful liars you'll ever have the unfortunistic pleasure of coming across. Wish I would've knew what I was getting into before I was told, "We care about our employees," and, "Safety comes first." 
 There are more than a few accounts in which my LIFE, MY POSSIBILITY OF CONTINUING TO BREATHE AS A LIVING HUMAN-BEING was in danger due to a district manager's decision making and selfishness.

Culture
Again, I can not give more praise to the EMPLOYEES. The employee culture and relationships are outstanding. Upper management WILL ruin any joy that was had from co-workers.

Overall
This local franchise is the epitome of money-driven, unethical, unprofessional, uncaring, evil. 
• No chance for outside life.
• RARELY, if any, raises in pay.
• Owners and upper management put my life in harms way in order to make more money.
• Unprofessional and biased upper management.
• No (promised) hazard pay during pandemic.
• Co-workers are the absolute best and are not given or treated with what they deserve and have earned.
• BEWARE OF OWNERS AND DISTRICT MANAGER •
• DO NOT APPLY HERE! YOU'LL REGRET IT!

Working at Jersey Mikes was a very educating and helpful experience. The training is very basic and they expect you to learn fast and be ready to handle each job on your first week. You will learn great communication skills and great customer service skills as well. There are not very many benefits to this job, although we do get free food and paid lunches, we do not get employee discounts. Management can vary depending on which location you work at. I have worked at 5 different locations and the management at each one seems laid-back and careless at times endless the owner or corporate is around. They are very flexible with your schedule, especially if you are in school or a student. Some of the leads, supervisors and managers can be unprofessional at times and tend to not train new employees or crew members properly at times. They also change the policies and training  guidelines almost every month it seems, since they will train you a certain way and then a month later train you a completely different way, so you will have to pick up skills fast as well as forget skills fast. Jersey Mikes is also very inclusive to hiring anyone of any background. I have not experienced much discrimination during my time working there, but I did experience favoritism being applied to certain workers based on gender, cultural background, and financial status. I did experience situations where certain workers were being given more hours based on favoritism or certain workers who had just been hired after a month, being given a raise while workers who had been there for over a year and had worked full time, had never been given a raise at all. There were also situations where certain workers either had their hours completely cut, written up, or terminated and were not given a specific reason why, and were only given a very vague explanation. I had also experienced some co workers (managers, and supervisors as well) being under the influence of alcohol or other substances while on the clock, and were rarely written up for this, even though the managers and supervisors had knowledge of this. Overall, Jersey Mikes is a good start if you want to get into the food service industry, but I would not recommend staying there for more then a year.

As a first job, this place taught me a lot about having a "real job." We had to top sandwiches, chat with customers, do morning prep, dishes, chip and soda organizing, and the pay, benefits, and tips were genuinely solid, which I appreciated. The crew and shift leads were honestly the best part of the job. They were welcoming, fun, and actually took the time to ask about my personal life and views, and would teach me hands-on rather than auditory learning, which I struggle with. I learned far more from them than from anyone above them.
The problems started when a new head manager took over. The environment shifted noticeably; he was visibly stressed during rushes, which created a tense and sometimes toxic atmosphere, which made working closing, when he wasn't there, my favorite shifts I had. I always showed up and gave my best, but dreading work every time you clock in is not sustainable.
The scheduling system is a serious flaw worth knowing before you apply. You only find out your upcoming shifts on Sundays, and time-off requests must be submitted at least two weeks in advance, which just isn't realistic for younger workers or anyone with a dynamic life. If you can't make a shift, the only option is to individually text every crew member yourself until someone covers it. In my entire time there, not one person ever covered a shift for me, even though I covered others multiple times.
There's also a vaping issue. Staff regularly vape in the back during breaks, and the smell is noticeable and unpleasant for anyone who doesn't.
On the bright side, free food, unlimited drinks, and good tips made the compensation side of things hard to complain about. And again, the crew-level people were genuinely great humans.
Ultimately, the combination of a stressful manager, an inflexible scheduling system, and a lack of support for younger or part-time workers made this a difficult place to stay long-term. I'd encourage anyone considering applying, especially students, to go in with eyes wide open.

A typical day at Jersey Mike's would consist of slicing and grilling hundreds of sandwiches. Often making sure my co workers would would be on task and doing their task correctly. Dealing with huge lunch rushes and confused customers, often walking them through their own orders. Maintain a clean work area and finally closing the store with a short staff sums up a typical day at Jersey Mike's. What I learned working here is really the essence of hard work, that getting things done in a timely matter is important. I learned how to work with and around co workers, and I also learned to put people in positions where they would excel in. Management was a bit wonky in Jersey Mike's seeing that we had two GM's, as well the two owners in the store. Not to mention that including myself there were 4 other shift leaders working. Often times authority was questioned and micromanaging made working there annoying. You would want to get the green light for a simple question and had to go through 8 people to get it. Sometimes people wouldn't listen to certain leaders or not work as hard with others. As implied my co workers are great people and I enjoyed working with them. However due to lack of training and their own personal attitudes working some was a hassle.  In all I love my old co workers but their work ethic wasn't the best. The hardest part of the job was my task, closing the store. This was a extremely hard task for a magnitude of reasons. The first reason being that we only had three people to lock up shop. That doesn't sound that bad but the fact that not everyone is experienced at closing store made things hard. Plus the closing crew would be different certain weeks so it was hard to form chemistry in the night crew. Another reason why this was so hard was the fact that we had to close the store in basically 30 minuets with 3 people. May not sound so hard but when one of the 3 has to count the registers and do paperwork which takes 15 minuets it was clear to me why we barely got the job done. The hardest part through all this was trying to get all this right so the owners wouldn't be on our backs. The most enjoyable part of the job was the satisfaction of getting everything done on time.

The workplace:
The workplace is always and energetic. Not a day goes by where I feel I don't want to meet or interact with any of my coworkers. New sales and promotions hype up the customers and really makes the atmosphere more lively.
The clientele:
Customers are some the best you'll ever encounter, such a wholesome community. Always fun to open communicate with when you meet the numerous regulars. Rarely and I mean RARELY do we have crabby customers here.
Pay:
Pay is decent for what you do and the hourly tips only seem to get higher by the week. But it isn't for everyone. There are countless things that need to be tended to and when you're low on staff, the cons can seem to outweigh the pros. You get paid biweekly btw.
Management:
Managers and owners are some of the best you'll ever work with. They're extremely generous with your time and will almost always cater to you if terms can be met. They're also very hands on and engaging in the store so you'll always feel like you have a great team leader beside you. One thing I learned about the job is to never stop asking questions. You'll get better with the answers and the raises will come quick.
THE CONS:
No job is without its flaws. While fairly minimum from perspective, thankfully.
One of the biggest ones is when staff tend to underperform. That's in regards to prep work, attending shifts on time, and closing work.
This can be fixed with continuing training however.
Benefits are limited. Job only offers health insurance and raises are pretty far in between.
Requested time off can be rejected repeatedly if short staffed but that goes without saying.

A typical day at work simply comprised of making customers' food orders, keeping the store clean and being friendly and helpful to customers and the crew working. 

I learned how to work several pieces of machinery for the job (slicer, grill, register system, etc.); rudimentary management skills as a shift manager in a previous employment period with the company; how to cook; and how to maintain the core operations of a food place. 

Management left something to be desired; in both iterations of my working for Jersey Mike's, managers had difficulty appearing at the store location, responding to or addressing messages or calls regarding important store happenings or accidents (we did not simply call them for every small thing); showed obvious preference for one employee or another (the former being myself which I disputed, and during the second stint with the company a woman with which... I will not assume any connection); and overall did not keep the store in good shape, be it supply of product, correct product during orders, response to animal/pest problems, or treatment of other employees. 

My co-workers were in both iterations wonderfully friendly and helpful people, to both myself and customers. With few exceptions they had good work ethic, good teamwork, a good balance of hustle and openness to humor, and at least a small amount of camaraderie outside of the workplace.I had more than a few friends after leaving either locations. 

The hardest part of working at this company was dealing with obvious bias from management and above in treatment to staff, and the stress therein when working alongside.

the most enjoyable part of the job was closing the store. Despite a few instances when day staff left many things undone, it was an opportunity to enjoy a quiet store, clean the place and exchange conversation and banter with co-workers.

I worked for Jersey Mike's from the spring of my freshman year to the fall of my senior year in college. The pay is far greater than what you will find at other fast food-casual restaurants; Chipotle is the only one that comes close to Jersey Mike's. I started at 8.50/hr and left at 11.50/hr as a part-time employee and shift leader. From what I understand, most Jersey Mike's take advantage of credit card tips, so I made anywhere from 2 to 3 dollars an hour on top of the base 11.50/hr. Additionally, there were cash tips split at the end of every shift. So, I was bringing about 13-14/hr home. But of course, credit card tips will vary based on the socio-economic demographics of the store's location and the customer service skills of your team members. I was able to take time off as needed and cover others' shifts, so yes, the work hours were flexible. But I had a great manager and franchise owner (Chapel Hill, NC) that were incredibly considerate: We didn't have any ridiculous arbitrary rules (like no phones or limited bathroom breaks), my manager also considered my schooling to take precedence over work too. But you had to prove yourself at Jersey Mike's. If you are lazy or cut corners, your hours will be reduced and you will not get a raise. And here is a tip: If you feel like you deserve a raise - ASK! And if you don't get the raise, then ASK what you need to do to get that raise. It doesn't take much to work at Jersey Mike's - you need to be able to learn, and you will learn so much - customer service skills, teamwork skills, time management skills, and foodservice-related skills. Overall, this is a pretty great food-service work environment compared to all the silly and horrible things I have read about from other stores and restaurants. Jersey Mike's is best for these kinds of people: high schoolers, college students, people who are in desperate need of a supplemental job while in between jobs, or those looking to become managers or franchise owners. In sum: great pay (for a college student), great hour flexibility, great management, and a decent work environment.

I stared off my career with Jersey Mike’s Subs at the Church Street, Murfreesboro location where I truly enjoyed my job. I worked my way up to General Manager within a few months, where I excelled and loved every aspect of managing the store, leading my team, and providing excellent customer service. The work was fulfilling, and I was proud of the work we were doing. Things took a shift when I was moved to Nashville as a Market Lead in training for Century Restaurants.

As a Market Lead in Training, my role was to oversee the operations of multiple stores, manage the General Managers, and report directly to my regional manager. While I was excited for the opportunity and eager to take on more responsibility, the experience quickly became disheartening. I was placed in several stores that were in poor condition — dirty, run-down locations that made it challenging to maintain the standards I had worked so hard to uphold in my previous roles.

Despite the difficult conditions, I did my best to manage and support the stores and my team. However, the pay situation was disappointing. I was given only a modest dollar raise for the added responsibilities and was promised further raises. The lack of follow-through on these promises, combined with the challenging working conditions, made it difficult to stay motivated and fully invested in my role.

Ultimately, I loved my job with Jersey Mike’s and believed in the company’s potential, but the way the situation in Nashville was handled left me feeling undervalued and frustrated. I worked hard, took on additional responsibilities, and performed at a high level, but the lack of proper recognition and compensation was disappointing. Many other franchises outside of Century Restaurants reached out to me with higher compensation for less overall stress and workload from a previous training program Jersey Mikes ran in New Jersey. 

I truly hope the company can address these issues and better support their employees, especially those who are taking on leadership roles.

Imagine just hanging out with your friends. That's how most days feel at this job. Everybody's in it together and they're all highly supportive and ready to pitch in. Don't expect to be left alone on the line in a situation nobody wants to deal with because everybody's willing to get their hands dirty.

Here, I learned a lot of valuable skills in food prep. If you aren't familiar with many things, expect to learn a lot of transferable knowledge that will help you elsewhere. It's satisfying knowing a lot of the knowledge can be taken straight back to your house. I was cooking with a housemate and they handed me an avocado and I had it done before they had turned around to ask if I knew how to prepare one.

The hardest part of the job is really just coping with management. It's inactive enough to where absolutely nobody had a performance evaluation in the time I worked there despite widespread interest in it. One of my coworkers was with the company for more than 2 years and still was never selected to advance past Shift Leader despite being an overachiever in all regards. Another was the same deal except  3 years. A couple of times, coworkers got sick enough of the poor management to escalate to the District Manager with mixed results. Expect to be trained by your coworkers more than the manager, and expect your dead-end to be a Shift Leader with a half-dollar raise at best.

The most enjoyable part? Being up on the line and getting things done for customers. The core of the job is satisfying and highly productive. This is the best environment for interacting with customers I've been in. Coworkers will commonly riff off of eachother and make a great experience for everybody involved.

All in all, it's definitely a job I would recommend for most who see their niche in food service. Doubly so if you just want to work as a Crew Member and don't care to advance, since pretty much my only complaint is the relative lack of management.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Crew member 2580 salaries reported	$15.98 per hour
Shift leader 1995 salaries reported	$16.50 per hour
Team member 868 salaries reported	$15.28 per hour
Assistant manager 724 salaries reported	$18.43 per hour
General manager 380 salaries reported	$57,320 per year

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