Redberry Restaurants plans to open 24 Jersey Mike’s restaurants across Canada this year as the sandwich chain continues its rapid expansion.
Ken Otto, CEO of Redberry Restaurants, said the company plans to open another 25 locations in 2027 as it works toward its initial goal of 300 Jersey Mike’s restaurants in Canada over the next 10 to 12 years.
The company currently operates Jersey Mike’s locations in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and Manitoba locations. Otto said the chain plans to enter Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in 2027, expanding its presence across the country.
It has 40 locations in Canada.
Otto said the brand’s growth is being driven by the quality of its ingredients, its made-to-order preparation and its customer service. He said Redberry believes strong restaurant concepts that deliver on service, quality and value can continue to perform well despite changing conditions in the quick-service restaurant industry.
Two years ago, Redberry bought two Jersey Mike’s that were in London and Kitchener, Ontario and the first one it built was in York Mills, which opened in the summer of 2024.
“Our first goalpost is 300 stores. But that’s just the first goalpost. We want to get to 300 stores in 10 to 12 years. Clearly, we believe, based on the success of our current Jersey Mike’s and the success of Jersey Mike’s in the U.S., that there’ll be more. And we’ll find out what more looks like a decade from now,” explained Otto.
Otto said three things make the brand appealing.
“One, we are very proud of the quality of our ingredients. Freshly baked bread, our hams and our cheeses and our ingredients really are a sub above in Canada. So I think it’s giving guests a very high-quality product.
“And a lot of it, right? Our subs, we just make them big. The second reason is the fresh slicing and made-to-order nature of what we do. No sub starts before you order it. When you order it, you see your sub, all the meats are freshly sliced, the cheese are freshly sliced right in front of you. On the hot subs, the ingredients hit the flat top after you order it.
“Of course, we recommend everything being ordered Mike’s Way, where there’s lots of lettuce, lots of tomatoes, onions, and of course our favourite Jersey Mike’s juice, custom blend of red wine vinegar and olive oils. So we splash it with that.”
He said customers really enjoy seeing their sub made in front of them.
The company’s secret sauce, if you will, and the third appeal, the icing on the cake, is its service style, added Otto.
“We are very engaging with our people. They like talking to our customers and our guests when their sub is being built, and we’ve got some great feedback on the energy and the enthusiasm of our people, and they come back for more.”
“Great concepts and great brands that deliver on the promise of service and quality and value, those concepts will always do well, they do well no matter what.”
Redberry has 168 Burger Kings and 35 Taco Bells.
“We love our mix. Burger King is a leader now in the burger QSR segment in all of North America, including Canada. Taco Bell is one of the fastest-growing iconic brands in the world. So we’re super thrilled to be their partner in Canada. At Redberry, we are a growth platform, and we’re always looking for more brands to take on.”
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