There is a new culinary option on the Northfield brigade: good old Jersey Mike’s. I’ve had a personal grudge against Jersey Mike’s since I was a child — maybe around 8 to 10 years old. My distrust of Jersey Mike’s started when I was foolish enough to agree to try a new sub sandwich with my dad and got violently sick afterward. From then on, I never wanted to eat their subs again, no matter how many Danny Devito ads they played on TV.
So let’s get back to Northfield. Why Jersey Mike’s? Even though I don’t have the best rapport with the restaurant, and I personally wouldn’t choose to eat there, other aspects of Jersey Mike’s grand debut into Northfield society rubbed me the wrong way as well. It aggravates me that Northfield couldn’t have brought in a different food option to our area such as a Panda Express, Panera Bread, Canes, or even put the funds toward a new small-business restaurant. I also noticed the absolutely crazy marketing they did for their grand opening. Signs were — and still are — everywhere.
It felt like an invasion of Jersey Mike’s was descending upon our town. What was most peculiar was a lawn sign on the corner of St. Olaf’s main road into campus. How were they allowed to advertise on St. Olaf property? I thought for sure the school would immediately get rid of it but as far as I know, it has stayed. Another sign was placed under the highway’s “Welcome to Northfield” sign. Again, how did they get permission to place a sign there? It quite honestly feels slimy. There are many awesome small businesses to eat at in Northfield, so there’s no real reason to advertise a chain restaurant, because a majority of the population knows what Jersey Mike’s is, but not Desi Diner, Bread People, or Hogan Brothers.
This level of advertisement should be given to the town’s small businesses that are less known to the tourists of Northfield.
As far as I know, there is no serious reason not to support the business. It is just my personal opinion that Jersey Mike’s is not the best addition to our town, and their marketing tactics are a little psycho. It almost felt like their plethora of advertisement signs were there to compensate for the lack of interest in its arrival. I’d love to hear the opinions of townies and Carls on what they think of the new restaurant addition. Maybe some people love it, but in the end, it feels disjointed from the rest of Northfield’s culinary culture.
