USA 
United Kingdom
Jersey Mike’s Subs has appointed Betsy Mercado as its first Chief People Officer, a newly created role designed to reinforce the company’s people-first culture and guide its rapid expansion.
Founded in 1956 as a single sandwich shop in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, Jersey Mike’s has grown to more than 3,000 locations across the US and Canada. The company was ranked numner two on Entrepreneur’s 2025 Franchise 500 and sixth on Yelp’s 2025 list of fastest growing brands.
Mercado will oversee leadership development, compliance and the employee experience across the organization, with a mandate that includes strengthening high-performance teams, enhancing organizational capability and safeguarding the company’s distinctive culture as it scales both nationally and internationally.
Chief Executive Charlie Morrison said: “Betsy brings an exceptional combination of franchise expertise, strategic vision, and a genuine passion for developing people. Her background in franchise operations and proven success building world-class HR departments make her the ideal leader to advance our people-first culture. As we continue our rapid expansion, her leadership will be instrumental in strengthening and supporting our team members and ensuring we preserve the authentic Jersey Mike's culture as we scale nationally and globally.”
Experienced HR leader joins growing brand
Mercado brings more than two decades of HR leadership across restaurant and franchise operations. Most recently she served as Chief People Officer at Flynn Group, the world’s largest franchise operator, where she managed a 100-member HR team supporting more than 2,700 restaurants and fitness clubs nationwide. Her remit there covered talent acquisition, leadership development, culture programs, total rewards, HR technology and compliance.
She also held senior roles at The Palm Restaurants, where she led employee relations, talent management and compensation and benefits.
Speaking about her new role, Mercado said: “Jersey Mike’s has established itself as a brand that truly cares about its people and communities. I'm energized to build on that legacy, strengthening the foundation already in place while shaping the future of people development at the company. My goal is to enhance an environment where every team member can grow, contribute meaningfully, and take pride in being a part of the Jersey Mike's story as it enters this next chapter of growth.”
