Jersey Mike's is eyeing a new sub shop in Converse, with construction documents pointing to a 1,463-square-foot build-out at 4211 E Loop 1604 North, Suite 102, on a retail row that already counts Great Clips, Deca Dental, Tropical Smoothie, Tia's Taco and Wingstop among its tenants. The planned restaurant would include roughly 270 square feet of dining space, 870 square feet of kitchen area, and 328 square feet of hallway and restroom space, with room for 23 people at a time.
The project, first reported by WhatNow, lists Steven Tozzi of SAJM, LLC as the tenant behind the buildout. Tozzi is a local Jersey Mike's franchisee who already owns several units in the area, and state regulatory filings compiled by Zabalist show he registered the Converse project with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation on July 21, 2026, listing an estimated construction cost of $415,000 for the space. That figure sits well below the $1.5 million total project value cited in private real estate project documentation, a gap the outlet's reporting notes without resolving.
Per PlanHub data cited in the original construction filing, work is scheduled to begin this month, though the brand itself has not confirmed a construction timeline. Thomas Tedrow of Tedrow Design is listed as the project architect, with Kacie Reisman of the same firm serving as designer, and Ashim Ray and John Kenney credited as MEP consultants on the build. Several nearby units at the retail row, totaling roughly 6,750 square feet, remain available for lease according to the project information.
A Retail Row Filling Up Fast
The Jersey Mike's storefront wouldn't be alone in chasing customers along this stretch of East Loop 1604. The unit next door is in the middle of its own $300,000 renovation to become a 1,690-square-foot Wingstop, owned by major San Antonio franchisee Charles Loflin of Rise Up Restaurants, with that Wingstop buildout scheduled to run from August 2 through November 10.
That kind of overlapping fast-casual investment isn't unique to this one strip mall. Just 2.5 miles away, Lowe's Home Centers filed plans in August to build a $10.5 million, 107,136-square-foot store at East Loop 1604 North and Coppergate, as the San Antonio Express-News reported. And H-E-B confirmed in July that construction is underway on a $21.2 million, 125,000-square-foot grocery store and True Texas BBQ restaurant at Interstate 10 and Loop 1604 near Converse, a project expected to employ 400 workers when it opens later this year, according to MySA.
Why Converse Keeps Landing New Chains
The surge of retail interest tracks with Converse's rapid population growth. The city's estimated population hit 30,321 residents in 2024, a 161% jump since 2000 that makes it one of the fastest-growing suburban cities in Bexar County, according to U.S. Census Bureau data compiled by AreaVibes. Much of that growth is tied to a 17-year interlocal annexation agreement Converse signed with San Antonio in 2017, which is tripling the suburb's municipal boundary from 7 to 22 square miles and letting it absorb commercial corridors along Loop 1604.
State regulatory data tracked by Zabalist as of August shows Converse now has 246 active construction and renovation projects valued at $466.8 million combined, with commercial remodel work making up 44% of all local development filings. That construction boom is echoed elsewhere in the metro: Tozzi previously filed state permits in April 2025 for a $400,000, 1,334-square-foot Jersey Mike's location in Spring Branch while managing multiple other units across the region, per WhatNow's earlier reporting.
Corporate Backing Fuels The Expansion
Behind the local buildout is a much larger corporate push. Private equity firm Blackstone completed an $8 billion majority takeover of Jersey Mike's Subs in January 2025, partnering with founder Peter Cancro to accelerate store openings and technology upgrades nationwide, according to Nation's Restaurant News. The chain went further in January, hiring Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase to prepare for a potential initial public offering that could seek a $12 billion valuation later this year, Restaurant Business reported.
That expansion is visible across Texas. Jersey Mike's website lists locations in development in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Katy, Little Elm, Manor, Rockwall, San Antonio, Waco and Wylie, per the company's own site. San Antonio has already seen multiple new Jersey Mike's projects surface this year, including a planned Shops at Nacogdoches location, while the chain has also lined up a spot at Katy Park's shopping center. No opening date has been confirmed for the Converse location.
