The Discontinued Jersey Mike's Sides We'll Probably Never Eat Again

We all know Jersey Mike's for one thing: sandwiches. And it's really not a place you think of for its sides; other than bagged chips, cookies, and a brownie, there aren't really any to speak of. But did you know that Jersey Mike's sold soup at one point? At least up until 2012, Jersey Mike's had soups on the menu. Options included classics like broccoli cheese, chicken noodle, clam chowder, and French onion, but there were also some interesting-sounding ones, like Lumberjack Mixed Vegetable and beef steak and black bean.

As you might have noticed by now, the soup is among discontinued Jersey Mike's menu items we may never eat again, and it isn't likely to return. When restaurants nix an entire category of menu items, it's typically because corporations want to streamline operations, improve efficiency, and save on labor costs, like in the case of McDonald's ending the all-day breakfast menu. Unfortunately for me, I may never know exactly what goes into a Lumberjack Mixed Vegetable soup. But truth be told, I'm not sure I'd ever have thought of getting soup at Jersey Mike's anyway, which is probably part of why it's gone.

Just like any other chain, a few other items have come and gone from Jersey Mike's menu. One of them was notably a meatball sub, which was removed from the menu around 2020. You'd think a sandwich shop that sells Italian subs, along with hot subs like cheesesteaks, would easily have a meatball sub on its menu, but apparently it couldn't stand the test of time. A commenter on a Reddit thread explained that it did not sell particularly well, was kind of a pain to make, and it didn't fit "the fresh theme" of Jersey Mike's. Plus it sat in "a countertop warmer all day that takes a lot of working space."

So while you can never say never, soup probably won't be returning to Jersey Mike's anytime in the near future. Jersey Mike's was bought for $8 billion in 2024 by the Blackstone private equity firm. Knowing how that usually goes, it's not likely the Jersey Mike's menu would re-expand unless there was a compelling reason to (like significant profit margins). We'll just have to look back in time and wonder just what those soups were like, since it's already been well over a decade since they were last served.