Jersey Mike’s Subs inching closer to opening in Wichita

It’s been almost a year since Have You Heard? reported that New Jersey-based Jersey Mike’s Subs is going to enter the market.

A deal hasn’t happened as quickly as anticipated, but it’s only a delay.

“We’re still planning to open here,” Austin Morris says.

He and fellow franchisees Carver Ostmeyer and Sean Spencer and their JM Wichita were “looking into Wichita, and Lincoln kind of fell on our lap,” Morris says about three Jersey Mike’s restaurants in Nebraska.

Those restaurants took more of their time than expected, which is what’s leading to the delay here.

Morris says just Wednesday morning, his group was back talking about sites here.

“We’ve been looking east and west,” he says.

They even talked about a more central site, too.

“I don’t think there’s really one spot right now that we’re just focusing on. We’re kind of just seeing what our options are at this point.”

The group is working with Christi Royse of J.P. Weigand & Sons on finding sites.

Morris says Jersey Mike’s is one of the fastest-growing franchises, but he says it’s the quality of the food that made him interested in the chain.

“We’re pretty excited to get going,” he says of selecting the first Wichita site.

“We’re hoping for early 2018.”

This story was originally published December 22, 2017 at 5:00 AM.