Jersey Mike's is recognized for its freshly sliced meats, "Mike's Way" preparation, and "juice," otherwise known as oil and vinegar. The Turkey and provolone sandwich came with all of the above.

The menu noted that all cold subs, including the turkey and provolone, are prepared "Mike's Way," which meant with lettuce, tomato, onion, seasonings, and the aforementioned "juice." Sliced turkey and provolone cheese completed the sandwich.

The regular (almost) 7-inch sub cost me $9.80 before tax, or roughly $1.40 per inch.

This put my homemade turkey sandwiches, which I considered solid, to shame.

Oil, vinegar, oregano, and salt gave an otherwise simple sandwich an incredibly flavorful twist, and it paired beautifully with the soft, crusty-at-the-edges bread. It felt like a hybrid turkey-and-Italian sandwich.

The turkey was surprisingly moist, as was the cheese — which made sense in hindsight, given that I watched the staff slice these ingredients in real time. I expected only a couple of slices of each, but I found at least five of turkey and three of cheese.

I can't say the lettuce, tomato, and onion were crisp, but that's probably because they soaked in "the juice" for the 30-minute drive home. In my opinion, though, the "Mike's Way" preparation was worth slightly soggy produce.

The sub didn't have mayonnaise, which would be a dealbreaker for some, but with brightness from "the juice," I didn't miss it. (Plus, I could always customize the sandwich to add the condiment on.)

Aside from its 2008 "five-dollar footlong" advertisement, Subway is known for its freshly baked bread and customizable sandwiches. I didn't take advantage of the latter this time, but normally, I prefer building my own.

I ordered the oven-roasted turkey sandwich as is. It came with turkey, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayonnaise. I opted for the standard artisan Italian bread.

My sub, which was meant to be 6 inches long, measured a little closer to 5½. It cost me $7.99 before tax, or roughly $1.33 per inch; although narrower, it towered almost as tall as Jersey Mike's.

Like Jersey Mike's, Subway's sandwich was generous with the turkey. Plentiful, yes, but it was papery-thin and a bit lacking moisture. It reminded me of deli turkey from the grocery store.

On a lighter note, I liked the mild, buttery cheese and crisp lettuce, which tasted especially fresh. The thick tomato slices added a nice, juicy bite.

Those who enjoy raw red onions would appreciate Subway's crunchy slices. They sharpened the flavor, but in my opinion, they were a little too strong for a turkey sandwich.

The most dominant element of this sandwich was the mayonnaise, which was slathered on as if life depended on it. Again, some people might dig it, but it was too much for me.

Most disappointing was the bread. Given that Subway's known for its fresh-baked bread daily, I hoped it would be soft and chewy.

However, the bread in my sandwich seemed so dry that I wondered if it was stale.

I hadn't been to Jimmy John's in a few years, but I was excited to see if it still had its fresh French bread that so many people rave about.

The Turkey Tom included turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. No cheese, but I figured if the sandwich was good, it wouldn't need it.

My turkey sandwich cost $7.99 before tax, or about $1 per inch.

Although it didn't seem to have much filling, I was impressed by its 8-inch length.

If thin and slim is your forte, Jimmy John's sandwich will be right up your alley. However, for something satisfying, it wouldn't be my first choice.

To its credit, the sandwich had juicy turkey slices and mayo that tasted like Hellmann's. (After checking the website, I confirmed that it actually was.)

But I felt the sub lacked pizzazz, probably because it didn't contain onions, cheese, or much of anything at all. I missed the cheese most.

I could customize it to include those things next time, but I'm not sure I'd come back for this sandwich.

I expected Jimmy John's bread to be a redeeming factor since, according to the chain's website, it bakes fresh loaves every four hours, but it was mediocre at best.

It might have been softer had I eaten it at the restaurant, but after the drive home, it wasn't particularly pillowy.

Overall, I found this sandwich forgettable — something I could easily make at home with a few simple ingredients. If I did so, I'd certainly add cheese.

Even though it came out the priciest per inch, Jersey Mike's turkey sub felt like the best value. Its substantial weight, well-balanced ingredients, and signature "juice" set it apart from the pack.

The wet produce was my only major complaint, and I definitely would not try to eat this drippy, messy sandwich in a car or on the go.

Subway and Jimmy John's also offered passable turkey sandwiches, and if I were in a pinch, I'd be fine with either. However, for a truly special, memorable sub, Jersey Mike's did it for me.

I had only eaten at the chain once before, and I will certainly be back after this.

When reached for comment, a Subway spokesperson provided the following statement:

"For over 60 years, Subway has been built on customization. While we offer standard builds, every freshly made sandwich can be tailored to a guest's preferences, from adding extra cheese and protein to swapping veggies and adjusting condiments. We celebrate our guests' individual tastes and encourage them to make each meal their own."

Business Insider reached out to Jersey Mike's and Jimmy John's for comment.

The small roadside diner was later renamed when it became one of the chain's "Dwarf Houses." The original location previously served as one of 12 Chick-fil-A locations, offering modern favorites and items from the original restaurant's "blue menu."

The first restaurant to bear the name Chick-fil-A opened in the Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta in 1967.

According to the company, the restaurant occupied just 384 square feet, and some have credited the chain with being an "early pioneer" of what would become the modern mall food court.

Free-standing locations are now the norm for Chick-fil-A, and mall locations are much less common.

The first-ever drive-thru-only Chick-fil-A restaurant opened in 1993 in Greenville, South Carolina. By eliminating dining rooms in these locations, the restaurants were designed to be faster and more convenient for customers.

The chain, which was founded in Georgia, still has its headquarters there, and is regarded as a "Southern" fast-food chain. However, restaurants can actually be found in 48 different states as well as Washington, DC.

In 2019, Chick-fil-A expanded internationally by opening its first location in Toronto. Later that year, the chain opened its first restaurant in the United Kingdom.

The chain now has locations across Canada, Puerto Rico, the UK, and Singapore.

The chain's tag line used to read, "The best thing that ever happened to a Chicken."

The "A" in Chick-fil-A comes from both a play on the word "fillet" and a nod to the "grade-A top quality chicken" used in Chick-fil-A's chicken sandwiches.

The "Eat Mor Chikin" slogan, accompanied by two "rebel cows," debuted in 1995 on an Atlanta billboard, according to the company.

The campaign quickly gained traction and is now regarded as one of Chick-fil-A's most famous and successful advertising campaigns.

Menu items included everything from waffles to sandwiches, steak and potatoes, and the chain's famous Hot Brown, a hot casserole dish made with lean white meat chicken, gravy, mashed potatoes, cheese, and bacon. 

Launched in 1986, the first item added to the breakfast menu was the Chick-fil-A chicken biscuit.

Today, the Chick-fil-A menu typically includes more than 50 items.

The Dwarf Grill served both hamburgers and cheeseburgers, which the restaurant's menu said were made from "100% choice beef, chopped in our kitchen." Served on a large toasted bun, the menu also boldly said that "they're the best."

Business Insider's Hayley Peterson tried the burger for herself when she visited the Dwarf House, and she found the patty "thick and flavorful" and that the cheese "melted perfectly between the patty and the bun."

In 1964, Truett Cathy created the recipe for Chick-fil-A's original chicken sandwich: a fried, boneless chicken breast nestled between two buttered buns and topped with two pickles.

Though the sandwich soon shot to popularity at the Dwarf House, the invention was odd compared to other fast-food offerings and food tastes of the time.

However, Cathy's bet on chicken would soon pay off.

Though Chick-fil-A has expanded immensely since the launch of its chicken sandwich, the recipe has remained virtually the same.

Introduced as a health-conscious option for Chick-fil-A customers, Cathy introduced the original grilled chicken sandwich alongside the deluxe grilled chicken sandwich, which included the same pickle-juice-marinated grilled chicken, pickles, and white bun, along with lettuce and tomato.

According to the restaurant's website, Cathy tested more than 1,200 recipes to perfect the chain's grilled chicken recipe.

"While we recognize that not everyone enjoys spicy food, for the growing customer constituency that does, our Spicy Chicken Sandwich offers a unique, well-balanced and craveable spicy flavor," William F. Faulk, Chick-fil-A's vice president of innovation and new ventures, said in a press release at the time.

"The batter on the outside is light and crispy, and the okra inside is hot and juicy, with a hint of salt," Business Insider's Hayley Peterson said in a previous article.

The chain began selling waffle fries in 1985, with the unique shape chosen as a perfect vehicle for dipping sauces.

The first Chick-fil-A nuggets came in a six-count box, inspired by customers asking restaurant employees to cut up pieces of its signature chicken sandwich so they could eat them by hand or serve bite-sized nuggets at parties.

"We are still serving the same delicious nuggets today that we started with," Shona Jonson, senior manager of culinary, product strategy, and development at Chick-fil-A, once said.

Today, Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets come in 5-, 8-, 12-, or 30-count packs. 

The item first appeared on the chain's kids' menu before being added to the main menu.

Cathy's impact on Chick-fil-A is undeniable, from his decades working at the Dwarf Grill to the invention of the chain's famous chicken sandwich.

Another part of Cathy's legacy that contributed to Chick-fil-A's success was its unique process for hiring franchisees, which also upheld the chain's values of "customer first, personal excellence, continuous improvement, working together, and stewardship."

As the creator of the first Chick-fil-A scholarship fund for restaurant employees, Cathy left a legacy that inspired franchisees and employees across the country to continue his mission of building a customer- and employee-focused fast-food chain.

Dan T. Cathy was made CEO in 2013, two years before his father died. Cathy worked alongside his brother, Donald "Bubba" Cathy, who still serves as executive vice president of the chicken chain and president of the company's Dwarf House and Truett's Grill restaurant concepts.

Both Donald and Dan T. Cathy recall growing up in their father's early restaurants, doing odd jobs like scraping gum from underneath tables and spending time in the Hapeville Dwarf House.

Dan T. Cathy stepped down as CEO of Chick-fil-A on November 1, 2021, but still serves as chairman of the company. He was succeeded by his son, Andrew Cathy.

Chick-fil-A's contentious reputation largely stems from donations made by Chick-fil-A to charities criticized for anti-LGBTQ+ positions, as well as comments made by Dan T. Cathy in 2012.

According to a previous article by Business Insider, the Cathy family and Chick-fil-A donated millions of dollars to groups opposing same-sex marriage, from Christian charities to "more extreme" anti-LGBTQ+ lobbying organizations through the WinShape Foundation.

Some of these organizations included Fellowship of Christian Athletes, an athletic organization that, according to Vox, requires applicants to sign a "sexual purity statement" that condemns LGBTQ+ relationships, the Marriage & Family Foundation, which has spoken out against marriage equality, and Exodus International, a group that supported the use of gay-conversion therapy.

In the interview, Cathy said that he believed in the "biblical definition of the family unit," or that a marriage should be between a man and a woman.

Protests ensued nationwide, including a number of "kiss-ins" led by LGBTQ+ activists, at Chick-fil-A restaurants across the country, CNN reported.

Others came out in support of the chain and Cathy's comments. Following the controversy and subsequent calls to boycott the brand, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee created a Facebook page encouraging people to participate in "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day" and to buy food from the chain that day, Huffington Post reported.

Cathy did little to quell criticism of his comments when he later clarified his position in a 2012 radio interview, saying, "As it relates to society in general, I think we are inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say, 'We know better than you do as to what constitutes marriage.'"

In 2002, a Houston Chick-fil-A restaurant manager sued the chain for discrimination, Forbes reported. The employee, who is Muslim, said he was fired one day after refusing to pray to Jesus along with their fellow coworkers during a training session.

At the time, Jerry Johnston, a spokesperson for Chick-fil-A, told the Houston Chronicle that the company had not yet been served with a lawsuit and therefore couldn't comment on the dispute, My Plainview reported. Forbes states that the suit was settled out of court on undisclosed terms.

Then, in 2011, a Pennsylvania Chick-fil-A prompted a nationwide boycott of the chain when the restaurant provided free lunch to a Valentine's Day marriage seminar sponsored by the Pennsylvania Family Institute, a controversial "pro-family" group that has spoken out against same-sex marriage.

The decision prompted criticism, including a petition that gathered thousands of signatures urging Chick-fil-A to stop discriminating against LGBTQ+ people. However, the franchise in question claimed the decision to donate food was not motivated by any anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments.

"It's absolutely, categorically blown out of proportion," the Pennsylvania franchise owner Brian Gibson said, Penn Live reported. "We donate food all the time. We certainly don't take into consideration anyone's political affiliations or anything like that. We just like to feed people."

Dan T. Cathy released a statement in 2011 following the accusations that Chick-fil-A was anti-LGBTQ+, saying, "In recent weeks, we have been accused of being anti-gay. We have no agenda against anyone. At the heart and soul of our company, we are a family business that serves and values all people regardless of their beliefs or opinions. We seek to treat everyone with honor, dignity, and respect, and believe in the importance of loving your neighbor as yourself."

Cathy continued, saying, "While my family and I believe in the Biblical definition of marriage, we love and respect anyone who disagrees ... Chick-fil-A's Corporate Purpose is 'To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us, and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.' As a result, we will not champion any political agendas on marriage and family."

The Daily Beast reported on June 1, 2021, that the National Christian Charitable Foundation (NCF) has donated money to groups actively fighting legislation to protect LGBTQ+ rights in the US. Among the organization's "high-dollar donors" is Chick-fil-A's CEO, Dan Cathy.

The National Christian Charitable Foundation is one of the largest charitable organizations in the country and supports thousands of charities and causes. Among them are the Heritage Foundation and the legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom, both of which strongly oppose the Equality Act.

Chick-fil-A itself has not donated any funds to Christian charities or political groups in recent years, saying in 2019 that it would instead support charities focused on "three specific initiatives of homelessness, hunger, and education." 

In 2019, Chick-fil-A announced it would no longer donate to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Salvation Army, two groups that have been criticized as being anti-LGBTQ+.

"We made multiyear commitments to both organizations, and we fulfilled those obligations in 2018. Moving forward, you will see that the Chick-fil-A Foundation will support the three specific initiatives of homelessness, hunger, and education," a Chick-fil-A representative said in a statement to Business Insider.

However, some LGBTQ+ advocates said that while they were hopeful about the decision, Chick-fil-A still has a ways to go before it can be considered truly inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community.

"In addition to refraining from financially supporting anti-LGBTQ organizations, Chick-fil-A still lacks policies to ensure safe workplaces for LGBTQ+ employees and should unequivocally speak out against the anti-LGBTQ+ reputation that their brand represents," Drew Anderson, the director of campaigns and rapid response for GLAAD, an organization that condemns LGBTQ+ discrimination, said in a statement in 2019.

When asked to comment on the company's past controversies and criticism from LGBTQ+ advocacy groups in 2026, Cathy offered a diplomatic response, emphasizing the company's commitment to serving "anybody" who walks through the door.

"We've always been focused on serving great food and hospitality, and so for anybody that comes in the door, we're going to continue to do that," he said in a recent interview with NBC News.

Business Insider previously reported that anti-same-sex-marriage comments said by Dan T. Cathy in 2012, controversial donations, and resulting backlash over the years have done little to slow Chick-fil-A's growth.

Today, Chick-fil-A is the third-largest chain in America and has frequently been voted the most popular chain among customers.

Nation's Restaurant News reported that the company generated nearly $24 billion in sales in 2025 and operates over 3,000 locations nationwide.

One thing is for sure — while Chick-fil-A has an undeniably controversial past, there's no stopping the chicken chain from winning over customers nationwide, one chicken sandwich at a time.