Cousins Submarines, better known as Cousins Subs, is a

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

-based sub sandwich shop with more than 100 locations, founded in 1972 by cousins Bill Specht and Jim Sheppard. Cousins Subs is a regional chain with restaurants in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, and

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

History

Cousins Subs was founded in

in 1972 by cousins Bill Specht and James Sheppard, who could not find a suitable sub sandwich option in Milwaukee like they had when they lived in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

Cousins-subs-60th-silver-spring-milwaukee

Specht and Sheppard opened their first restaurant in Milwaukee, which was located at 60th Street and Silver Spring Drive. After opening the shop, they partnered with a local baker to make their own bread, highlighted in the slogan "Better Bread, Better Subs". A large segment of customers during Cousins' early years were former East Coast residents. In 2009, Cousins Subs announced it would put an increased focus on the local side of the business. During the

Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At ...

, Cousins Subs closed over 40 locations to better focus on quality. In 2013, Cousins Subs established The Make It Better Foundation, which focuses in improving the welfare and quality of life in the communities, particularly in health and wellness, hunger, and youth education. Christine Specht-Palmert, daughter of co-founder Bill Specht, took over as CEO in 2015 when her father retired. Cousins Subs announced another rebranding in 2016, which included expanding its footprint throughout the Midwest; remodeling all locations to its Milwaukee Sub Shop to unify the brand; in look and feel, updating its exterior design, logo, packaging and uniform designs; and digitally enhancing the in-store experience for its guests. Along with the remodel, Cousins Subs struck sponsorship agreements with the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers,

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

and Wisconsin Badgers. As of October 2019, there are approximately 100+ Cousins Subs locations throughout

and

. Cousins Subs continues to develop new locations throughout the Midwest with franchise partners focused on multi-unit development. In August 2018, Cousins announced their expansion into the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

market with 40 new locations opening by 2025. As of July 2021, there are six locations in the Chicago area. Also in 2018, Cousins announced it would re-enter the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in statu ...

market of

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, after shuttering stores in 2015. The initial plan is to open about six stores per year, but as of August 2021, none have come to fruition.

References

{{Fast-food chains of the United States Economy of the Midwestern United States Regional restaurant chains in the United States Fast-food chains of the United States Restaurants established in 1972 Submarine sandwich restaurants 1972 establishments in Wisconsin American companies established in 1972 Companies based in Wisconsin

History

See also

References