Slicing Operational Friction to Deliver $11.4M in Incremental Sales
Brand Strategy, Menu Architecture, Product Innovation, Research, Culinary Engineering, Operations, Packaging, MarketingAjnci partnered with Jersey Mike's to completely reimagine their legacy "Sub-in-a-Tub" offering, transforming it into the highly optimized and modern "Sub Bowl" platform. By focusing heavily on operational efficiency, crew safety, and a fork-friendly customer experience, our agency engineered a holistic relaunch that touched every aspect of the product—from culinary design and spatial line layout to digital training hubs and vibrant marketing assets.
CHALLENGE
The 'before' scenario was creating significant bottlenecks on the fast-paced sandwich line. For the legacy "Sub-in-a-Tub," crew members had to painstakingly layer lettuce, roll meats and cheeses "sushi style," and make multiple cuts before placing them in the bowl. This rolling and slicing process was a major inconvenience and time-drain during rush hours. Furthermore, it was a safety hazard; crew members reported that whole tomatoes frequently slipped during cutting, causing accidents. From the client's perspective, the end consumer was also suffering: the unchopped, whole ingredients were difficult to eat without a knife, resulting in a frustrating dining experience that lacked the visual appeal needed to compete in the modern, low-carb food marketing space. Jersey Mike's needed Ajnci to streamline the build process without burdening franchisees with expensive new equipment, all while making the product more appetizing.
RESULTS
Through Ajnci’s strategic intervention, the Sub Bowl relaunch became a resounding, data-driven success that turned operational complexity into highly profitable efficiency. By applying our expertise in process engineering and design, we solved the line-bottleneck and safety issues, resulting in a new Sub Bowl platform that generated $11.4 million in total incremental sales and drove a staggering 28% increase in unit sales. Monthly volume surged from an average of 152 bowls per store per month in 2023 to 195 bowls per store per month in 2024 following the Q3 2024 national launch. Beyond the phenomenal financial return, our agency delivered a significantly faster build time for crew members, eliminated cutting board slippage hazards, and provided a visually stunning, fork-friendly eating experience that perfectly aligned with modern dining trends.
Jersey Mike's Subs is a rapidly growing, premier fast-casual sandwich franchise with over 3,200 locations across North America. Founded in 1956, the brand has cultivated a fiercely loyal customer base and is famous for its authentic, fresh-sliced, and fresh-grilled submarine sandwiches.
APPROACH
CULINARY
To guarantee the signature Jersey Mike’s taste in every bite, our culinary team evaluated eight distinct build concepts, ranging from "Rolled & Veggie Cut" to "Chop & Shake". We ultimately pioneered the winning "Stacked & Chopped" method, ensuring that all proteins and vegetables were perfectly quartered. Visuals will feature a breakdown graphic of the 8 culinary builds tested, culminating in a beautiful cross-section shot of the winning "Stacked & Chopped" bowl to show the optimal flavor distribution in every forkful.
We designed a brand-new, step-by-step build process that completely eliminated the slow, layered rolling method. By introducing a specific white-handled dough cutter (chopper) and a plastic bowl scraper used directly on deli paper over the sprinkling board, we drastically reduced preparation time. Visuals for this section will feature dynamic, overhead action shots of the crew effortlessly quartering ingredients on the deli paper, alongside close-ups of the scraper smoothly wiping excess juice into the trough to keep the board clean.
APPROACH
OPERATIONS
We designed a brand-new, step-by-step build process that completely eliminated the slow, layered rolling method. By introducing a specific white-handled dough cutter (chopper) and a plastic bowl scraper used directly on deli paper over the sprinkling board, we drastically reduced preparation time. Visuals for this section will feature dynamic, overhead action shots of the crew effortlessly quartering ingredients on the deli paper, alongside close-ups of the scraper smoothly wiping excess juice into the trough to keep the board clean.
APPROACH
DISPLAY
We engineered an optimized spatial layout for the sandwich line to house the newly introduced tools without disrupting the existing workflow. We sourced and designed a custom 7"x3" metal "Side Car" that easily attaches to the main 24"x5" sprinkling board trough, providing a dedicated, sanitary storage space for the chopper and scraper. Visuals will include clean, architectural diagrams of the "Cutter & Scraper Placement," clearly mapping out where the tools live whether the meat slicer is positioned on the left or right of the line.
APPROACH
RESEARCH
Extensive in-store testing was conducted to rigorously evaluate the new chopping method against the old rolling technique. By testing directly on the line, we confirmed that the new operations did not negatively impact the speed of service during rush hours and vastly improved crew safety by preventing slippery ingredients from causing accidents. Visuals here will include side-by-side time-trial graphics and crew action photos demonstrating the secure grip and enhanced safety of the new chopping tool in a live kitchen environment.
We actively solicited and integrated on-the-ground feedback from franchisees, area directors, and crew members. Direct research from locations like Dallas, TX and Gainesville, FL validated our designs, confirming strong customer demand for pre-cut, bite-sized tomatoes and immediate crew appreciation for eliminating the five-slice roll method. Visuals will include highlighted, impactful pull-quotes from actual managers and area directors, giving authentic voice to the relief and efficiency the new process brought to the frontline staff.
APPROACH
MARKETING
To support the national rollout, our creative team captured vibrant, fresh hero images for overarching marketing and social media campaigns. The new chopped aesthetic provided a vastly improved visual presentation compared to the old tubs. Visuals will showcase bright, highly stylized lifestyle photography of the finished Sub Bowls—highlighting the perfectly distributed bite-sized meats, cheeses, and colorful vegetables that appeal directly to the health-conscious consumer.
APPROACH
COMMUNICATION
Knowing that operational change is notoriously difficult to scale across thousands of franchises, we produced clear, highly visual operational guide sheets and step-by-step training videos. These tools were paired with comprehensive FAQs and installation instructions, ensuring seamless national adoption. This section will be supported by visuals of the "Sub Bowl Play Sheet," showcasing the easy-to-read, 11-step visual grid we provided to store managers to train their teams effortlessly.
We built a centralized, internal website portal ("moreMike's" / "extraMike's") to serve as the digital hub for the entire Sub Bowl project. This responsive portal housed all project objectives, culinary reviews, operational playsheets, training videos, smallware SKUs, and real-time performance metrics. Visuals will feature sleek, multi-device mockups of the extraMike's dashboard, demonstrating how franchisees could easily navigate from "Operations" to "Performance" metrics with just a few clicks.