Each week The Pantagraph profiles a different community member. Know someone we should talk to? Email kheather@pantagraph.com.
Name: Scott Miller
Position: Bloomington Jersey Mike's franchise owner. The New Jersey-based sandwich shop opened its first Bloomington location Wednesday.
1. Where are you from and why did you want to bring this restaurant to Bloomington?
I’m from all over the country. I moved to Champaign my junior year of high school. I went to Centennial High School in Champaign and then I went to Purdue University. I worked in Chicago for a couple years and I actually came back and was a McDonald’s franchisee in Champaign and Decatur from 2011 until we sold our business in 2019. I missed the food business, so I became a Jersey Mike’s franchisee at the end of last year.
Jersey Mike’s is an emerging brand with a lot of popularity, especially in communities like Bloomington. We own the Jersey Mike’s in East Peoria and we get a lot of customers that ask us, "When are you going to bring it to Bloomington, I drove from Bloomington." We looked at the makeup of the city and thought what a great place to open a new restaurant. We think the customers really appreciate us being there, come try us out, and so it was a no-brainer. We looked at the makeup of Central Illinois and it’s just like a missing piece; how could it not be in Bloomington? So, we had to go there first when we opened our first new store.
2. Can you tell us more about the fundraiser you have been conducting since your Aug. 25 opening?
There’s actually two fundraisers going on within the Boys & Girls Club. We passed out some cards and if you have a card, you could donate at least $2 and then you can get a free sub on us, and that money goes to the Boys & Girls Club. That goes until Aug. 29. The other promotion running goes until Aug. 31. That is if you come in and tell us the code — it’s BGC20 — 20% of the sales of your order will go to the Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal.
3. Why did you choose to partner with the Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal?
I grew up going to the club in Champaign, I played basketball there and went there all the time. I’m on the Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club Board in Champaign. Because of that board, I’ve been able to create a relationship with the Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal and I get to see what they do on a local and national level and how many kids they help. So I’ve always had an affinity for the Boys & Girls Club, and it was a no-brainer for me that that was the nonprofit I wanted to partner with.
4. Will you have an ongoing partnership with the Boys & Girls Club and/or other community organizations for future charity opportunities?
Definitely. We do a month of giving in March and then we have our big day of giving on March 31, so 100% of our sales for that day are going to go to the Boys & Girls Club. It’s a huge day for us and we have a lot of people come out and support. I’ve been able to meet a lot of great people, customers have come in and had conversations with me, and I know there are a lot of great organizations in Bloomington-Normal, so I look forward to having more conversations with other local nonprofits so as the years go on we can kind of share the wealth as to where we’re allocating some of our fundraising.
5. Have you owned a Jersey Mike’s before, or what experience do you bring to the Bloomington location?
My operations manager, who’s a partner of mine and has been working with me and my family for over 20 years, Johnna LaRue, and I acquired the Springfield and East Peoria locations on April 1, so we’ve had those for a couple months now. We’ve been very lucky; our restaurants have been up about 40% since we purchased the stores. I think the staff’s done a phenomenal job servicing the customers. We have some experience in this and we’re lucky to have 28 amazing employees at our Bloomington location and we’re still always looking to hire more, and so we’re just really excited to hit the ground running and be a part of this community.
Bloomington-Normal business openings and closings
Sugar Mama Bakery
On Track Car Wash
Panda Express restaurant
Jersey Mike's Subs
Support local journalism
Texas Roadhouse restaurant construction
Lu Lu's Pizza
Contact Kade Heather at 309-820-3256. Follow him on Twitter: @kadeheather
Bloomington's Jersey Mike's employees stand at the franchise's new location, 305 N. Veterans Parkway, Bloomington, on its first day in business Aug. 25.