He's a real Subway man

COEUR d'ALENE - So, there was Jerry Jensen, clearing tables at the Subway store on Fourth Street on a weekday afternoon.

He was wiping down tables after the lunch rush that saw him baking bread and manning the cash register.

"I like to make sandwiches but they kept pushing me on the cash register. I wasn't really happy about it," he said, laughing.

"Whatever needed to be done," he added. "Just a typical employee today."

Except that Jerry Jensen isn't your typical Subway employee.

He's the guy that owns those sandwich shops with the distinctive Subway logo. Not two or three stores. Try 13, including four in Coeur d'Alene and two in Hayden.

Each store has a manager, and there are three regional managers who report to Jensen.

He likes to know the names of each his 120 employees, but admits that's not always possible.

"I have a lot of good people who work for me," he said.

Customers might be surprised to find the energetic 40-year-old whipping up their footlong Veggie Delight on whole wheat - but they shouldn't be, he says.

That comes with the territory, along with 60 hour weeks, when you're responsible for the food that keeps thousands of guests well fed and satisfied each day.

"I don't mind jumping in and making some sandwiches," the Spokane resident said. "That's a lot of what I do. Popping in and out, making sure things are going OK."

"If I could choose to do one thing, it would be to stand there and make sandwiches all day," he said. "I'd much rather do that than all the paperwork I have to do."

Not to mention employee evaluations, talking with managers, emails, phone calls, meetings, seminars, attending conventions, food and supply orders and being sure things get done right, "the Subway way," on a daily basis.

"It's important to get everybody on the same page, doing things the right way, from the guy that's closing Saturday night to the person that's opening Wednesday morning," he said. "Consistency is the key."

Earning his way

Jensen was 18, out of high school, when he started at Subway in 1990 as a regular sandwich artist.

"My parents said get a job," he said, chuckling.

He continued working weekends at Subway while he attended Eastern Washington University. He eventually climbed his way up to a manager position, earning his degree in social science and education as he went, with plans to be a history teacher.

After graduation, though, instead of leaving Subway, he stuck with it.

"Bottom line, I could make more managing a Subway than I could being a brand new teacher so I stuck with Subway," he said, smiling. "Turned out pretty good."

Yes it did.

He worked in the regional development office that oversaw Eastern Washington and North Idaho stores, then as a field consultant, visiting and evaluating those stores.

Six years ago, he got the chance to own his first Subway at the Industrial park in Spokane.

Next came an opportunity to be a partner in the purchase of three stores in Lewiston. In January 2009, he bought an Orofino Subway, followed by buying three Coeur d'Alene stores.

He opened a Subway in Clarkston, Wash., and put one inside the Hayden Walmart. Most recently, he opened a Subway on Prairie and Atlas.

He's also on the advertising board that oversees the Spokane/Coeur d'Alene market, and determines how advertising dollars are spent.

Jensen credits his managers and staff for his success, and loves teaching people how to lead, how to manage, how to deal with customers.

"The time I get to take people and promote them up the ladder to a management position or assistant, I feel like I did something to help that person succeed," he said. "For me, personally, that's most rewarding."

"You can only grow as much as you have good people," he added.

More expansion is possible.

"There's nothing imminent, but if the good Lord blesses us, then we'll have our eyes and ears open and we'll jump on any opportunities that come our way," he said.

Success

Subway's sales skyrocketed with the introduction of the $5 footlong in 2008. Company officials expected it to attract customers, but the response was overwhelming.

Suddenly, everyone was buying a sandwich packed with veggies and meats.

"That's something the really helped our sales take off," he said.

And Subway maintained that momentum with a boost from the successful Jared the Subway Man campaign, and most recently, hiring Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps as its pitchman.

Jensen said Subway is one of the few quick-service restaurants that has done well through the recession.

"We didn't plan on doing a $5 footlong because we knew a recession was coming. It was just something we did in Florida that worked, then went national," he said. "It's been a fantastic thing for the brand."

Jensen doesn't just work for Subway. He eats and lives it, too.

He and wife Nicole are parents to three hockey-playing sons. They're on the road often for games, so naturally, they eat at Subway.

"The kids need to eat healthy," he said.

Even on business trips, Subway is a standard stop - for the meal and to check on operations.

And yes, Jensen dines daily on Subway. He eats fresh, for sure, he says.

"Steak and cheese is the one I eat the most," he said, smiling.