The Big Ingredient Change Jersey Mike's Made To Its Sandwiches After COVID-19, According To Reddit

Established nearly a decade before Subway, Jersey Mike's has been around since 1956 and remains one of the best places to grab a custom-made sandwich, especially if you're after a good turkey sub; the chain placed at the very top of our 10 fast food turkey subs ranking. But recently, a certain ingredient change has taken loyal fans by surprise. The sandwich chain apparently ditched the olive oil they used to make their sandwiches and now uses a new blend that many aren't too keen on.

According to users on Reddit, Jersey Mike's used to have an oil mix that was predominantly made of olive oil, with some even claiming it was 100% olive oil. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic happened, and the company allegedly changed its oil mixture. As it stands now, the oil is officially listed as Olive Oil Blend on Jersey Mike's nutrition page and is said to contain "soybean oil and/or canola oil" and olive oil. Tasting Table reached out to Jersey Mike's to inquire about the details of this oil blend, but the chain declined to comment.

Some Redditors claim that the new oil mixture is only 25% olive oil, with the rest being soybean oil. For now, the exact percentages remain one of the secrets of Jersey Mike's. Most customers don't care about the ratio as much as they do about the flavor, though. And some have been voicing their disappointment with the change, saying the subs simply don't taste the same anymore.

The global food market certainly saw some upheaval as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. From supply chain issues to food shortages to rapid inflation of basic groceries, the pandemic's effects on the food industry are difficult to understate. One of the ingredients that has seen a dramatic increase in prices since the pandemic is olive oil. 

Aside from the pandemic-related economic reasons, the olive oil industry has suffered from extreme droughts that have caused lower harvests and, inevitably, higher oil prices. Olive oil is pretty expensive on any regular day, but in 2024, its prices reached an all-time high. In Europe, prices rose by 9% on the lower end and went as high as 69%, as reported by Euronews.

Given that the majority of olive oil consumed in the United States is imported, it's not unreasonable to assume that the eye-watering inflation pushed Jersey Mike's towards a new oil blend, one that's mostly based on soybean and canola oil. That said, the prices of olive oil finally began dropping in 2025, so perhaps another change could be on the horizon.