A sandwich stop is joining the shopping trip at Bates Towne Crossing. The Jersey Mike’s Little Elm project calls for a 1,427-square-foot restaurant at 26556 E. University Drive, Suite 100, along the U.S. 380 corridor.
Plans would turn an existing retail shell into a Jersey Mike’s, adding fresh-sliced subs to the Target-anchored center near Ryan Spiritas Parkway. The state filing lists an Aubrey mailing address, but the development belongs to Little Elm’s growing retail landscape.
Another Lunch Option at Bates Towne Crossing
Target is already open at the center, according to the Little Elm Economic Development Corporation. Its update also names Jersey Mike’s among the businesses following the anchor, alongside concepts including Paris Baguette, Playa Bowls and Mo’ Bettahs.
A separate Paris Baguette filing identifies Suite 120 at the same 26556 E. University Drive address. Together, the plans point toward a mix of quick meals, baked goods and other stops around the larger shopping destination.
Target describes its Little Elm store as approximately 148,000 square feet. That substantial anchor gives the smaller restaurants a setting where customers can combine a meal with a broader shopping trip. For people already using this stretch of U.S. 380, the appeal is practical: grab lunch while running errands or pick up sandwiches on the way home. Jersey Mike’s would give the center another everyday dining option as individual tenants finish their spaces and prepare to welcome customers.
Fresh-Sliced Subs, Served Mike’s Way
Jersey Mike’s builds its sandwiches around meats and cheeses sliced fresh for each order, with bread baked in its stores. The signature Mike’s Way preparation adds onions, lettuce, tomatoes, an olive oil blend, red wine vinegar and spices. It’s the combination of piled-up fillings, crisp vegetables and that oil-and-vinegar finish that defines the brand’s cold subs.
The menu also includes hot cheesesteaks, offering a warm, melted-cheese alternative. For the Jersey Mike’s Little Elm location, that familiar mix would bring another straightforward lunch-and-dinner choice to Bates Towne Crossing. Specific opening promotions and local operating hours have not been confirmed.
The Teenager Who Bought the Sandwich Shop
The chain’s origin story starts with a high school job. Mike’s Subs opened in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, in 1956. Peter Cancro began working there at age 14, learning the business before he was old enough to drive.
In 1975, the shop came up for sale. Cancro was 17 and still a high school senior when he bought it with help from his football coach, according to the company’s account of its history. The teenager who had worked behind the counter became the owner, then grew the business into the Jersey Mike’s franchise.
That gives the planned Little Elm restaurant a connection to a much smaller beginning: one neighborhood sandwich shop and a teenager willing to take it on. Decades later, fresh-sliced subs remain central to the concept.
What’s Next for Jersey Mike’s Little Elm
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing lists an estimated $107,025 construction cost. The interior work includes architectural changes and new electrical, plumbing and mechanical features within the existing shell.
The filed schedule runs from December 1, 2026, through May 31, 2027. May 31 is an estimated construction-completion date, not a confirmed opening day. Jersey Mike’s has not announced a verified opening date for this location.
For now, Suite 100 is a future sandwich stop to watch. Once it opens, a trip to Bates Towne Crossing could come with a familiar question at the counter: would you like that Mike’s Way?