New Jersey Sandwich Chain Opens First Queens Shop In Forest Hills

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — A New Jersey sandwich chain opened its first Queens outpost in Forest Hills this week.

Jersey Mike's Subs, a chain that started in a shoreside New Jersey town and has since expanded to nearly 2,000 locations nationwide (and internationally), opened its first-ever Queens outpost on Continental Avenue near Austin Street Wednesday, a store employee confirmed with Patch.

The Forest Hills shop was met with mixed reactions from neighbors, many of whom have been anticipating its opening since last year, when a sign first went up on the storefront's facade.

Some were overjoyed, taking to Facebook to post photos of the shop's interior and the line out the door, and sharing reviews of the sandwiches (which reportedly tasted great, but could have done with a bit more meat, according to one neighbor).

Others, however, said they would rather shop at a beloved local sandwich shop or nearby deli than a chain store — criticism that's been raised among neighbors since news of the store broke.

"I will get sandwich from a local deli. We are luck to still have them, rather than having to resort to a chain like this or Subway," wrote one neighbor.

Another, though, clapped back that Jersey Mike's isn't like other chains.

"The company is amazing and gives so much. I still go to my local deli as well as this," wrote one, pointing to Jersey Mike's humble beginnings and history of charitable giving. "It is nothing like Subway," the person added.

Jersey Mike's dates back to 1971, when now CEO Peter Cancro (then 14-years-old) got a job at Mike's Subs, a sandwich shop in Point Pleasant, New Jersey.

Three years later, at the age of 17, Cancro bought the sub shop after its longtime owners retired, and dropped his dreams of law school and football to lead the sandwich shop, which he started franchising in 1978.

The Forest Hills outpost, located at 107-12 Continental Avenue, is replacing a Starbucks, which left the space in 2019 to open nearby on the corner of Queens Boulevard and 71st Avenue.

Its opening comes shortly before the chain's "Day of Giving" on March 30th, when the Queens outpost — alongside 53 other shops in New York and hundreds nationally — will donate all sales to the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games.

Jersey Mike's Forest Hills is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, according to the website.