Jersey Mike’s Subs opened in Bayport on Wednesday and is offering free sandwiches with $2 minimum donations to the Bayport-Blue Point Booster Club through Dec. 6.
This is the first Jersey Mike’s local to the Greater Patchogue coverage area. There are seven other sandwich shops on Long Island, the closest being in Port Jefferson Station.
Lawrence DeBello and his cousins, brothers Anthony Gallo and Henry Gallo, opened the sandwich shop to together.
There was a steady stream of crowds even before lunchtime on Wednesday, with plenty of cash-strapped teenagers taking advantage of the free sandwich deal.
“I’m coming here once a week,” said one teen between bites, before correcting himself.
“Well, at least once a week.”
The fast-growing sandwich franchise started in Point Pleasant, N.J.
Click here for more about the history of Jersey Mike’s.
“Jersey Mike’s is an authentic Eastern-style sub with the oil and vinegar,” DeBello told GreaterPatchogue 0n Wednesday. “Everything we do is fresh. We have people coming in at 7 a.m. to freshly bake bread.”
“We have fresh cut onions, lettuce and tomato. Freshly made cheesesteaks,” he continued. “It’s deli style but much, much quicker.”
And, there’s a meat slicer, something you might not find at other nationally known sandwich shops.
“We pride ourselves on quality,” DeBello said. “All of our meats and our cheeses, everything is privately labeled; it’s our own brand of products.”
The DeBallo and Gallo families also owns shops in Freeport and Bellmore, with another one opening up soon in nearby Selden.
In Bayport, Jersey Mike’s is located in the former Subway sandwich shop next to 7-Eleven on Montauk Highway.
Among the teens there Wednesday was Derek Strine, who lives in Bayport. He knew about Jersey Mike’s but it was his first time trying their sandwiches.
“It’s good; better than Subway,” he said with a laugh. “It was fresh and efficient.”
Top: Behind the line at the new Jersey Mike’s Subs in Bayport. (Michael White photos)
Middle: The #9 Club Supreme (roast beef, turkey, Swiss, applewood smoked bacon and mayo.
