By Matt Wendland

With a ribbon cutting by Discover Burien on the morning of August 27th, Jersey Mike’s Subs officially opened in the Five Corners Shopping Center (15830 1st Avenue South) in Burien. The new Jersey Mike’s Subs shop is a locally owned franchise location of the sandwich chain which first opened in 1956 in Pleasant Point, New Jersey as one of the first American submarine sandwich restaurants and now has over 1,300 locations across the country.

Leading up to the ribbon cutting, Rob Martin, the franchise owner of the new Jersey Mike’s Subs, and his staff handed out thousands of coupons around Burien offering anyone who returned the coupon a free sub with a $1 minimum donation to Discover Burien between the dates of August 27th and 31st. “We are local owners, and were interested in opening a business that would allow us an opportunity to do more for our community. This fundraiser and this business was a wonderful opportunity to introduce ourselves to Burien. We are proud to serve this community and are happy to be members and engaged with Discover Burien,” said Rob Martin. After 5 days of pumping out subs, the new sandwich shop had raised about $1900 for Discover Burien which was presented to their Executive Director, Andrea Reay, and Board President, Noel Gibb at their board meeting on September 10th. “We are so grateful for the support of the community and the generous donation from Rob and Jersey Mike’s Subs… We are a small independent non-profit dedicated to economic development and community engagement in Burien. Every penny raised helps us increase our capacity and maximize our impact. Working with amazing community partners like Rob, ensures we maintain vital resources for future projects and greater success. We can’t thank him and all the community members who came and donated enough for their support. Thank you everyone,” said Executive Director Reay following the donation of the check.

Discover Burien is an independent non-profit that works with the City of Burien, Burien residents, and businesses on economic development, education and promotion of Burien’s business community with the goal of creating and sustaining a vibrant economy and dynamic community. They are responsible for a number of events put on throughout Burien each year including the Fall Carnival Days, this year held at Puget Sound Park from September 18th through the 21st, and the Burien Wellness Fair Saturday on September 27th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Burien Town Square Park.