A sandwich chain that got its start in a Rutgers University dorm room has planted its flag in Morristown. Mr. Subs opened a new location at 66 South St. last Sunday, marking another stop in the company's steady march across New Jersey.
The shop celebrated its grand opening at 11 a.m. on Oct. 18, according to NJ.com, with customers able to grab one free sub per person at the event. It's the kind of launch-day giveaway that's become something of a signature move for the brand as it works its way into new towns.
From a Rutgers Dorm Room to a Statewide Chain
Mr. Subs didn't start with any grand plan for empire-building. The company says on its website that it began as a concept dreamed up by three longtime friends in a Rutgers University dorm room, and that it has since grown into what it calls a local sub shop with a cult following, per Mr. Subs's own account of its origins.
The first physical location opened at 100 South Plainfield Avenue in South Plainfield back in 2010, according to 95.9 The RAT. By May 2014, the chain had added spots in Rahway, North Brunswick and Cranbury, the station notes, building out a footprint across central Jersey one shop at a time.
The expansion hasn't stopped there. Mr. Subs was also set to open its eighth location in Downtown Jersey City at 389 Monmouth Street, a storefront that had previously been home to the Diesel & Duke burger restaurant, according to Jersey Digs. The company has said it hopes to keep expanding throughout New Jersey, per its own account, and the Morristown opening appears to be the latest step in that push.
What's on the Menu
Mr. Subs specializes in submarine sandwiches available in 8-inch and 16-inch sizes. The signature Mr. Sub comes loaded with pressed ham, pepperoni, salami and cheese, according to the company's menu listing.
Beyond the classic cold subs, the menu stretches into hot territory too, with ribeye cheesesteaks and an Impossible cheesesteak made with plant-based meat among the options. For sides, the shop offers shoestring fries, homemade macaroni salad and mozzarella sticks, a lineup also seen at the chain's Jersey City location as reported by Jersey Digs. The company says its bread comes fresh daily from its own bakery, a detail it highlights as central to what keeps customers coming back.
Joining a Growing List of Jersey Towns
The Morristown shop adds to a location list that has grown considerably since those early South Plainfield and Rahway days. As of a 2024 account from 95.9 The RAT, Mr. Subs had shops in North Brunswick, Rahway, Cranbury, East Brunswick, Bound Brook and a newer Englishtown location. With Jersey City and now Morristown in the mix, the chain's reach across the state keeps widening.
For a business that started as three friends with an idea in a college dorm room, the spread from South Plainfield to Morristown marks a notable stretch of New Jersey real estate covered in roughly a decade and a half. Whether Morristown residents turn into the kind of devoted regulars the company describes elsewhere in the state remains to be seen, but the free subs handed out on opening day were likely a good start.
