14 Jersey Mike's Ordering Mistakes You Don't Want To Make

We all love Jersey Mike's, right? In recent years, this plucky chain has become the go-to spot for sandwiches for millions of people across the United States, arguably overtaking Subway as the most prominent sub chain out there. Honestly, we get it. Jersey Mike's subs are known for their ample sizes and generous fillings, and its topping selection (as well as its famous Mike's Way option) allows it to stand out from the rest. Throw in its giant sizes and ability to order sandwiches that can feed a family, and it's on to a winning formula.

However, like a lot of other sub chains, Jersey Mike's can get pretty confusing. With all that choice and all of those questions about what you want in your sub, and the sense that the folks behind you are tapping their feet waiting for their turn, it's easy to slip up. That's all before you consider the plethora of alternative ways to order Jersey Mike's subs, like through its app or online, which could make your life so much easier. Needless to say that a lot of people make a lot of mistakes when ordering from this fast food joint — but don't worry, y'all. We've got you covered, and we're gonna take you through the biggest mistakes that people make at Jersey Mike's, so that you never do the same again.

"Mike's Way" is a phrase that you'll hear a lot at Jersey Mike's when you're standing in line to order your sandwich. Asking whether customers want their subs Mike's Way is standard procedure for the servers at the store, with the style named after Michael Ingravallo, the proprietor of several other sandwich shops in the Jersey area who opened the original restaurant. However, what does it actually mean to order your sub Mike's Way? If you don't know, you may well end up with a sandwich that you don't like eating.

Simply put, ordering your sub Mike's Way means that you'll get a standard set of toppings on your sandwich. Mike's Way subs come with onions, lettuce, tomatoes, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and a dash of spices that add some extra flavor. Most, if not all of Jersey Mike's subs are designed to taste good when made Mike's Way, so you don't need to worry about whether it'll ruin the taste of your sandwich or not. However, it's worth pointing out that Mike's Way subs can be a little wet due to the vinegar and oil blend, so you should make sure that you eat it pretty much immediately if ordering it in the style.

Like in a lot of other sandwich stores, Jersey Mike's subs are made in a few key steps. However, it's very easy to jump the gun on these, and begin asking your server for items in the wrong order or to blurt out everything you want in one go. Although this is natural, you should remember that Jersey Mike's servers need to take it one thing at a time, and they have to adhere to the standard order that the chain's subs are built in. If you bombard them with info or ask for the wrong thing early, you may end up with a messily made sandwich, or receiving food you don't want.

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Here's the deal: You need to start by telling your server the size of your sandwich, the sandwich you want, and the bread you'd like. At Jersey Mike's things start at the slicer, where the bread is sliced and the meat is piled into your sub. That's the first step. Then, the sandwich travels down to the cutting board, where the toppings are piled on. Before this, you'll ask if you want it Mike's Way: If you do, say yes; but if you don't then you can start requesting toppings at will. Don't start with the toppings first, or ask for meat when the sub's fully built; it'll end in disaster.

We realize that if you're in a sub sandwich shop, you probably want a meal that's gonna keep you satisfied at a good price. Well, Jersey Mike's can provide that for you, but it's also very easy to overdo it. One key mistake people make when ordering at Jersey Mike's is assuming that the giant size they offer isn't really that giant. The thing, folks, is that it is: This isn't one of those places that promises you the world and delivers nothing.

The fact is that at the sandwich chain, the giant size is designed to feed four people. Giant Jersey Mike's subs come in at a whopping 14 to 15 inches, depending on the individual loaf being used, and every inch of that sub is stuffed with meat, cheese, and toppings. By contrast, a footlong from Subway is, well, a foot long — and therefore comes in several inches shorter than Jersey Mike's biggest option. Although we appreciate that you may be mega hungry, keep in mind that some giant subs at the chain cover a large proportion of your daily nutritional values, and you might be better off sharing it with someone else.

We all know that guy who waits in the queue at a fast food restaurant for minutes, gets to the front, and then — only then — decides what he wants to eat. Don't be that guy, people. Although this is pretty unforgivable at any fast food restaurant, at Jersey Mike's it's especially annoying. The reason for this is that the person taking your order will also have to make your food, which creates a built-in wait for the customer behind you already. If you spend minutes deciding what you want to eat, you're just gonna annoy everybody even more, especially if you're doing this at a busy time.

The solution is simple: Check out the Jersey Mike's online menu. Every sandwich that you can get is conveniently online for your perusal, and you can scroll through it on your phone before you get to the store itself. There's also some handy nutritional information on the Jersey Mike's website that can save you having to ask questions about allergens or the other content of your food.

It's totally natural to assume that you need to get a sub at Jersey Mike's. It is, after all, a sub sandwich shop. However, the truth is that you don't have to order a sub at all. If bread isn't your thing, go for a Sub in a Tub. This takes the sandwich bread out of the equation entirely, and instead serves the meat, cheese, and toppings in a to-go box in salad format.

The beauty of going for a Sub in a Tub is that the toppings at Jersey Mike's are free, and therefore you can really bulk it out. Whereas your sandwich is kinda limited by how much you can fit in your bread, with the Sub in a Tub, you can load up on lettuce, onions, tomatoes, banana peppers, and jalapeños. Don't fancy a salad, but still don't wanna go for a sub? No problem. Jersey Mike's also offers all of its flavors in wrap form, which are arguably a bit less messy to eat than its classic sandwiches. The choice is yours, people!

Bacon's a bit of a funny one at Jersey Mike's. Although it's included in some of its subs as a standard part of the recipe, in others it's absent but can be added as an extra. Because it's right at the end of the assembly line and comes after the salad items, there's sometimes an assumption that you can add it on for free, just like you can with your veggies. This can cause a little bit of upset when you then get to the cash register and find out that your sandwich is way more expensive than you thought.

The truth, friends, is that bacon is not free at Jersey Mike's, and ordering it will incur a cost. This is usually a couple of dollars for a few pieces of bacon. This is kinda fair enough, given that bacon is a meat and therefore a lot more expensive than the free vegetable toppings. Asking for it for free will not make you any friends at your local Jersey Mike's branch, so don't push it. Instead, if you're really hankering for bacon, just order a sub that has it included — you won't even think about the price.

For people who don't eat gluten, sandwich shops are sort of the worst place they can dine. The whole premise of the business model of these shops, after all, is to offer their meals on bread –- and Jersey Mike's is no different. Well, actually, it kinda is. Jersey Mike's is actually one of the better choices out there for folks who are gluten intolerant, have celiac disease, or avoid gluten for any other reasons. The sandwich store offers all of its subs on gluten-free bread. Although some folks state that it doesn't hold up too well to the moisture of the sandwich, meaning that you should eat it quickly, others have pointed out that they enjoy its taste. That definitely isn't a universal opinion, but you could do a lot worse.

Importantly, though, you should check out what else is going in your sandwich that could contain gluten. Some fillings, like the Jersey Mike's teriyaki options, might contain wheat — and there's always the risk of cross-contamination. If you do have a gluten intolerance or celiac disease, you should inform your server before they start making your sandwich.

Like so many other fast food chains, Jersey Mike's has a pretty impressive secret menu. While its core menu is also fairly extensive, forgetting to order from the secret side will see you missing out on some excellent flavor combinations. Depending on where you are (as some Jersey Mike's locations have different ingredients from others), you can pick from a wide variety of "secret" options, which the servers are actually trained to make. Many stores don't have the space to display these sub options, but they're readily available to view online. You can also ask your server to tweak the creation of your sub to grill the onions or the sub itself, after the mayo's been added. Oh, and some stores even have fries. Yup.

If you want our top choice for a secret Jersey Mike's item, though, the Chicka-Phila-Roni is the way to go. This sub is made by combining the Chicken Philly sub with pepperoni, which gives it an added savoriness and a way meatier, bulkier consistency. The sub's popularity is such that most Jersey Mike's employees will likely know how to put it together, and if not, you can just ask them to add pepperoni to your Chicken Philly.

We don't know about you, but we're really bad at keeping up with rewards schemes. It's pretty hard in a world that has so many apps, right? However, when it comes to Jersey Mike's, you really should be using it every time you order — especially if you eat there a lot. The Jersey Mike's rewards scheme is called Shore Points (get it?), and it allows you to earn points each time you order. Collect enough points, and you can bag yourself a free sub.

Those points kinda stack up, too, especially if you're ordering for your family. A kids meal will earn you three points, with a regular sub allowing you to gain six, and a giant sub garnering you a whopping 12. Once you've earned 48 points, you can grab yourself a free mini sub; 72 points will get you a regular size; and 144 points will grant you a giant sub. Crucially, you can only spend 144 points in one go, so don't plan to save them all up and use them for a party.

The thing about ordering at Jersey Mike's is that it's a back-and-forth process. In some fast food restaurants, you simply have to state your order and wait, but at Jersey Mike's, you have to communicate virtually every step of the way. You need to ask for the type of bread you want, the meat you want, which toppings you'd like, any extra sauces — and, of course, you'll be asked if you want it Mike's Way. If you're not communicating with your server properly about all of this, you shouldn't be disappointed when you end up with a sandwich that you don't like.

What's especially irritating for Jersey Mike's employees is when customers either communicate something about their order at way too early a stage (like asking for a sauce when the worker is starting with the meat), or when they do so when it's too late. If your sandwich is already wrapped up and you say you want an extra topping on it, you can guarantee that won't be received well. Be ready to pipe up when they're making the sandwich itself, or face the consequences.

So, here's the thing about ordering the kids meal at Jersey Mike's: Although it might seem a bit embarrassing for an adult to do it, you'll end up making a little bit of a saving. The kids meal is a perfect option when you're not too hungry, but still want a light bite without having to spend the earth. The kids meal subs come in at slightly smaller than the mini size, and you get chips and a drink included. Plus, the meal itself is usually cheaper than most sandwiches at Jersey Mike's, although this may vary depending on the store you're in.

Bear in mind, too, that you can still top the kids meal subs with anything you'd like — so if you're in the mood, you can really bulk it out with vegetables. Plus, ordering two kids meals can be more cost-effective than going for a regular-sized sandwich in some locations. You don't even have to have a kid to order it, either. Oh, and you can save the extra chips for later if you want, too. We really can't see a downside to this one, folks.

So, you know those toppings? You can have as many as you want. People seem to forget that the toppings at Jersey Mike's are free — or if they don't, they often get a little shy when they get to the salad section. Although we understand this, and we know that you probably don't want to make a fuss, this is your opportunity to get your five-a-day and your money's worth at the same moment. Jersey Mike's offers a wide variety of toppings, and you can always ask for extra of anything you particularly like. Plus, it offers a selection of sauces that you can mix and match to your heart's content.

Bear in mind, however, that you can definitely overdo things here. Although we'd always recommend going for more toppings as opposed to less, adding too many can ruin your sandwich. Not only can they add too much moisture, but they can slip out when you bite into it, leaving everything on the floor. Your server should tell you if your topping choices are about to ruin your meal: If they do, trust them.

Every major company in the world has an app these days, and guess what? Jersey Mike's is no different. Its mobile app, however, is one that is worth downloading. The Jersey Mike's Mobile App offers a variety of advantages to your experience that you wouldn't get otherwise. Arguably the best thing about it, in our opinion, is that you can order ahead of time for delivery or pickup. This would be useful in any other restaurant, but for a store where you have to bake in a couple of extra minutes for your sandwich to get made in front of you, it's kinda ideal.

The Jersey Mike's Mobile App also gives you the ability to find the closest store near you easily, and keep track of its Shore Points rewards scheme, as well as spend the points you've accrued. Plus, every now and again, you'll get an exclusive offer sent to your emails, which you can then redeem in the app. These can give you a couple dollars off your order, so it's definitely worth it.

We live in a world of tipping, and although it's usually a nice thing to recognize someone's hard work with a little extra — especially given how taxing the service industry can be –- it's not an expected thing at Jersey Mike's. Well, not by the staff, at least. Unlike the servers at some other restaurants, Jersey Mike's workers usually don't expect a tip for a regular order. Although they do make your sandwich right there in front of you, the length of experience you have in store may not justify the tip itself.

Having said this, if you're putting in an especially big order or asking for a few highly complicated sandwiches, it's worth remembering that the person in front of you is having to do a lot more work. Therefore, if you can, it's usually a nice thing to tip in these situations. The worker will definitely appreciate it, after all.