National Sandwich Day 2026 falls on Tuesday, November 3, and the six biggest US sandwich chains together generated about $27.5 billion in 2025 sales. Subway leads at $9.2 billion but lost 729 net US stores last year to 18,773, Panera ranks second at $5.9 billion, and Jersey Mike’s grew sales about 91% since 2021 to $4.2 billion. Grilled cheese is America’s most-liked sandwich at 79% in a YouGov survey, and the widely repeated claim is that Americans eat about 300 million sandwiches a day.
National Sandwich Day in US 2026 – Introduction
National Sandwich Day in the US 2026 show a category that is huge and reshuffling. The largest brand, Subway, is shrinking its US footprint for a ninth straight year, according to Tasting Table, while Jersey Mike’s, owned by Blackstone since January 2025, sells about 2.8 times as much per store as Subway. Chicken sandwich orders grew strongly in 2020, though a 2025 industry report says strips and wraps are now taking some servings from breaded chicken sandwiches.
This report uses sales and unit counts from the QSR 50 ranking of 2025 US system-wide sales, consumer preference data from a YouGov survey, and order data from NPD/Circana. National Sandwich Day is not an official holiday. Some figures that circulate every November, such as the 300 million sandwiches a day, have no clear original source, and this report labels them. Figures run through November 3, 2026.
Interesting Facts About Sandwiches and National Sandwich Day in US 2026
US SANDWICH CHAIN SALES, 2025 ($ MILLIONS) (1 block = $300 million)
Subway | ██████████████████████████████▌ $9,200M
Panera Bread | ███████████████████▌ $5,894M
Arby's | ██████████████ $4,239M
Jersey Mike's | ██████████████ $4,217M
Jimmy John's | █████████ $2,737M
Firehouse Subs | ████ $1,209M
| Fact | Confirmed Data |
|---|---|
| National Sandwich Day 2026 | Tuesday, November 3 |
| Combined 2025 US sales, six largest sandwich chains | About $27.5 billion (calculated) |
| Largest chain by sales | Subway, $9.2 billion, 18,773 US units |
| Highest sales per unit | Panera, about $2.6 million |
| Fastest-growing large chain | Jersey Mike’s, +238 units in 2025 to 3,227 |
| Jersey Mike’s acquisition | Blackstone, valued at about $8 billion, completed January 2025 |
| Most-liked sandwich in America | Grilled cheese, 79% like it (YouGov) |
| Sandwiches eaten per day in the US | About 300 million (widely repeated, original source unclear) |
| Sandwich origin story | 1762, John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich |
| Sandwich deals share, all restaurant traffic | 29% of foodservice traffic was on a deal (Circana, 2025) |
Source: QSR 50 2026 (2025 US system-wide sales); YouGov; Circana; Blackstone and Jersey Mike’s announcements; NationalToday.
Sales are concentrated in a handful of brands. The six chains in QSR’s sandwich category generated about $27.5 billion in US system-wide sales in 2025, and Subway alone accounted for about 33.5% of that total. Panera, which QSR counts as a sandwich chain, is the second largest at $5.9 billion.
Size and productivity tell different stories. Subway has 18,773 stores but averages about $490,000 per store, while Jersey Mike’s averages $1.36 million and Panera $2.6 million. That gap is why a chain with a fraction of the locations can sell more per store.
Top Sandwich Chains in the US 2026: Sales, Units and Sales per Store
AVERAGE US SALES PER STORE, 2025 ($ THOUSANDS) (1 block = $100,000)
Panera Bread | ██████████████████████████ $2,611K
Jersey Mike's | █████████████▌ $1,360K
Arby's | █████████████ $1,300K
Jimmy John's | ██████████ $1,000K
Firehouse Subs | █████████▌ $960K
Subway | ████▌ $490K
| Rank | Chain | 2025 US Sales | Avg Sales per Unit | Total Units | Unit Change vs 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Subway | $9,200 million | $490,000 | 18,773 | -729 |
| 2 | Panera Bread | $5,894 million | $2,611,000 | 2,214 | +29 |
| 3 | Arby’s | $4,239 million | $1,300,000 | 3,265 | -100 |
| 4 | Jersey Mike’s | $4,217 million | $1,360,000 | 3,227 | +238 |
| 5 | Jimmy John’s | $2,737 million | $1,000,000 | 2,777 | +88 |
| 6 | Firehouse Subs | $1,209 million | $960,000 | 1,276 | +43 |
| Total, six chains | About $27,496 million | Not applicable | 31,532 | -431 |
Source: QSR 50 2026, 2025 US system-wide sales. Subway and Panera figures are QSR estimates. Totals calculated.
Arby’s holds third place by only $22 million over Jersey Mike’s, and trade coverage expects Jersey Mike’s to pass it soon. Jersey Mike’s did that with 38 fewer stores than Arby’s, because its average store sells $60,000 more per year. Jimmy John’s added 88 units and Firehouse Subs added 43, so most of the category outside Subway and Arby’s is still growing.
Subway and Arby’s are the two shrinking chains in the table, down 729 and 100 units. Together the six chains had 31,532 US units in 2025, a net loss of about 431 across the group, more than accounted for by Subway’s 729 closures. Sales per store, not store count, now separates the strongest brands from the rest.
Subway in the US 2026: Shrinking Stores and Sales
SUBWAY US STORE COUNT (1 block = 500 stores)
2021 | ██████████████████████████████████████████ 21,147
2022 | █████████████████████████████████████████ 20,576
2023 | ████████████████████████████████████████ 20,133
2024 | ███████████████████████████████████████ 19,502
2025 | █████████████████████████████████████▌ 18,773
| Year | Subway US Units | Change | US Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21,147 | -1,043 | $9,350 million |
| 2022 | 20,576 | -571 | $10,372 million |
| 2023 | 20,133 | -443 | $9,925 million |
| 2024 | 19,502 | -631 | $9,511 million |
| 2025 | 18,773 | -729 | $9,200 million |
Source: QSR 50 (2021 to 2023 and 2025); Technomic Top 500 for 2024 units and sales (Technomic estimate). 2024 change calculated.
Subway lost 2,374 US stores between 2021 and 2025, a decline of 11.2%, and its US sales fell about 11% from the 2022 level to $9.2 billion. Tasting Table reports the chain has shrunk its store count for nine straight years. In 2023, Roark Capital bought Subway in a deal reported at $9.6 billion.
Subway remains the largest sandwich brand by sales, with about 6 times as many stores as Jersey Mike’s and about 2.2 times its sales. The brand is also far from its peak: Restaurant Business says Subway once had a much larger share of the sandwich segment, and its competitors now use larger operators and avoid building stores next to one another.
Jersey Mike’s in the US 2026: Sales Growth and the Blackstone Deal
JERSEY MIKE'S US SALES ($ MILLIONS) (1 block = $100 million)
2021 | ██████████████████████ $2,203M
2022 | ██████████████████████████▌ $2,680M
2023 | █████████████████████████████████▌ $3,342M
2025 | ██████████████████████████████████████████ $4,217M
| Year | US Sales | US Units | Avg Sales per Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Not shown | 857 (Technomic) | Not shown |
| 2021 | $2,203 million | 2,100 | $1,145,000 |
| 2022 | $2,680 million | 2,397 | $1,210,000 |
| 2023 | $3,342 million | 2,684 | $1,300,000 |
| 2025 | $4,217 million | 3,227 | $1,360,000 |
Source: QSR 50 (2021, 2022, 2023, 2025); Technomic via Associated Press for 2014 units. 2024 figure not shown.
Jersey Mike’s sales rose about 91% between 2021 and 2025, from $2.2 billion to $4.2 billion, while units rose about 54% to 3,227. The chain had only 857 stores in 2014, so it has about 3.8 times as many stores as a decade earlier. Average sales per store rose from $1.15 million to $1.36 million over the same period.
Blackstone agreed in November 2024 to acquire a majority stake in Jersey Mike’s in a transaction reported at about $8 billion, and it completed the purchase on January 16, 2025, according to the company. Founder Peter Cancro kept a significant stake and remains CEO, and he has said 10,000 units is an achievable goal. Subway and Jimmy John’s have also been sold to private equity, in deals reported at $9.6 billion and $2.3 billion.
Most Popular Sandwiches in America: YouGov Survey Results
SHARE OF AMERICANS WHO LIKE EACH SANDWICH (YOUGOV) (1 block = 2 percentage points)
Grilled cheese | ███████████████████████████████████████▌ 79%
Grilled chicken | █████████████████████████████████████▌ 75%
Turkey | █████████████████████████████████████▌ 75%
BLT | ██████████████████████████████████▌ 69%
Ham | ██████████████████████████████████▌ 69%
Club | ██████████████████████████████████ 68%
Bacon | █████████████████████████████████▌ 67%
| Rank | Sandwich | Like or Somewhat Like |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grilled cheese | 79% |
| 2 (tie) | Grilled chicken | 75% |
| 2 (tie) | Turkey | 75% |
| 4 | Roast beef | Top five |
| 5 (tie) | Ham | 69% |
| 5 (tie) | BLT | 69% |
| 7 | Club | 68% |
| 8 | Bacon | 67% |
| 9 | Peanut butter and jelly | Top 10 |
| 10 | Pulled pork | Top 10 |
Source: YouGov survey of 1,223 U.S. adults, conducted July 12 to 15 (survey year not shown in the sources reviewed).
Grilled cheese is the most popular sandwich in America by a clear margin. In the survey, 54% said they “really like” it, and only 7% said they dislike it. It ranked in the top three in all four regions, and Southern respondents rated it higher than the national average, at 82%.
Preferences vary by region and by definition. In the Northeast, 46% liked lobster rolls versus 35% nationally, and 65% liked meatball subs versus 56%. In the West, 57% liked the French dip against 45% nationally. Respondents also disagreed on what counts as a sandwich: 62% said a sloppy joe is one, 60% said a hamburger is, and only 34% said a hot dog is.
Chicken Sandwiches and Restaurant Orders: How Many Sandwiches Americans Buy
US RESTAURANT SERVINGS IN 2020 (BILLIONS) (1 block = 0.25 billion servings)
Burgers (about) | ████████████████████████████ 7.0B
Chicken sandwiches, breaded and grilled | ██████████████ 3.5B
Breaded chicken sandwiches, QSR only | ██████████ 2.5B
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Burgers, share of 2020 restaurant orders | 13.5%, about 7 billion servings |
| Chicken sandwiches (breaded and grilled), share of 2020 orders | 6.7%, about 3.5 billion servings |
| Breaded chicken sandwiches at QSRs, 2020 | 2.5 billion orders, up 9% from 2019 |
| US population buying a breaded chicken sandwich from a QSR in 6 months | About 65% |
| Total restaurant traffic, 2025 | -0.3% (Circana) |
| Share of foodservice traffic on a deal, past 12 months | 29%, highest in 50 years (Circana, October 2025) |
| Circana outlook | QSR chicken expected to beat QSR burger, pizza and sandwich concepts through 2028 |
Source: NPD Group (now Circana), 2020 order data; Circana, 2025 foodservice trend reports.
Sandwiches are among the most ordered items in US restaurants. In 2020, NPD counted about 3.5 billion servings of chicken sandwiches, half the volume of burgers, and found that about 65% of Americans bought a breaded chicken sandwich from a quick-service restaurant in a six-month period. The 2020 data are the most recent order counts in the sources used for this report.
The chicken sandwich boom has slowed. Circana’s 2025 analysis says chicken strips and wraps posted the largest servings increase, at the expense of breaded chicken sandwiches and wings. It still expects QSR chicken to outperform other QSR sub-channels through 2028, helped by menu innovation and chicken-chain expansion.
National Sandwich Day History and Deals: What to Expect on November 3
| Chain | Offer on November 3, 2025 | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Subway | Footlong for $1 with another footlong of equal or greater value | MVP Rewards members, app or online |
| Jersey Mike’s | Free delivery | App or online orders |
| Jimmy John’s | Picklewich at 50% off with a toasted sandwich, code TOASTED | Rewards members, app or online |
| Firehouse Subs | Free medium sub with a purchase of $15 or more | App or online |
| McAlister’s Deli | Buy one, get one 50% off sandwiches, Nov 3 to 9 | Rewards members |
| Panera | Whole sandwich for $5 with a whole sandwich of equal or greater value | MyPanera members |
Source: Dallas Express, November 3, 2025; AARP, 2025; WRAL, 2025. 2026 offers were not confirmed in the sources reviewed.
According to the story told most often, John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, asked for meat between slices of bread in 1762 so he could keep playing cards. National Sandwich Day is celebrated on his reported birthday, November 3, though one source gives his birth date as November 13, 1718, so the date is traditional. The day is unofficial and falls on Tuesday, November 3 in 2026.
The deals above are the 2025 offers and are a guide, not a list for 2026. Chains tend to repeat them: Jersey Mike’s free delivery and Jimmy John’s Picklewich deal both appeared in several recent years. Check each brand’s app on the day, because many offers require rewards membership.
Frequently Asked Questions About National Sandwich Day in US 2026
When is National Sandwich Day 2026?
Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The date is the same every year.
How many sandwiches do Americans eat per day?
The widely repeated figure is about 300 million a day, but its original source is unclear, and it should be treated as an estimate.
What is America’s most popular sandwich?
Grilled cheese, with 79% of Americans saying they like it in a YouGov survey of 1,223 adults. Grilled chicken and turkey tied for second at 75%.
What is the biggest sandwich chain in the US?
Subway, with $9.2 billion in 2025 US system-wide sales and 18,773 US stores, according to the QSR 50.
Which sandwich chain makes the most per store?
Panera, at about $2.6 million per store in 2025, ahead of Jersey Mike’s at $1.36 million and Subway at about $490,000.
How many Subway locations are in the US?
18,773 at the end of 2025, down 729 from 2024 and about 2,374 below 2021.
How big is Jersey Mike’s?
3,227 US stores and $4.2 billion in 2025 sales, up about 91% in sales since 2021. Blackstone bought a majority stake in a deal valued at about $8 billion.
Who owns Subway?
Roark Capital, which bought the chain in 2023 in a deal reported at $9.6 billion. Roark also owns Inspire Brands, which includes Arby’s and Jimmy John’s.
Who invented the sandwich?
John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, is credited with popularizing it in 1762, though bread-and-filling meals are much older.
Are hot dogs sandwiches?
Only 34% of Americans said yes in YouGov’s survey, compared with 60% for hamburgers and 62% for sloppy joes.
How many chicken sandwiches do Americans buy?
About 3.5 billion servings of breaded and grilled chicken sandwiches were ordered in US restaurants in 2020, according to NPD.
Do restaurants offer deals on National Sandwich Day?
Yes. In 2025, Subway, Jersey Mike’s, Jimmy John’s, Firehouse Subs, McAlister’s Deli and Panera all ran promotions, mostly for app or rewards users.
Disclaimer: This research report is compiled from publicly available sources. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is given as to the completeness or reliability of the information. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions, losses, or damages of any kind arising from the use of this report.