Marketing

Jersey Mike’s to sponsor an e-sports league

The sandwich chain is getting on the gaming league bandwagon by sponsoring the League of Legends Championship Series.
Jersey Mike's

Jersey Mike’s Subs on Wednesday became the latest restaurant chain to get into the esports business with its sponsorship of the 2018 Summer Split of the North American League of Legends Championship Series.

The league is one of 14 professional League of Legends leagues around the world.

The sponsorship gives the 1,500-unit chain access to a group of customers, young teens, that are increasingly difficult to reach through traditional means.

“We’re looking at the customer of tomorrow,” Jersey Mike’s Chief Marketing Officer Rich Hope said in an interview. “We’re looking at customers who are 13 instead of 27. They’re hard to reach with traditional media. This is an opportunity to reach them in an environment they’re in.”

A growing number of restaurant chains are sponsoring esports leagues, in which players compete in video game competitions. Chipotle Mexican Grill, for instance, said last month that it would sponsor a team competing in the popular "Fortnite" video game.

The “Summer Split” will kick off on June 16. Jersey Mike’s will enable promotions in connection with the league. League of Legends players, for instance, will be able to redeem promo codes from the chain to get in-game items.

For Jersey Mike’s, esports sponsorships follows the chain’s sponsorship of more traditional sports, including baseball and football. “This was a natural extension of that,” Hope said.

“We’ve watched a few other brands test out the space,” he said. “We like to try and stay ahead of the trends.”

He said that the sponsorship will be easy to monitor and track so the chain can plan its offers accordingly. “We really see this as an opportunity,” Hope said.

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

Another thing for restaurants to consider: A GLP-1 pill

The Bottom Line: The drugmaker Eli Lilly this week said that tests of its GLP-1 pill could work just as well as injectable drugs like Ozempic. That could be huge, for the medication and for restaurants.

Technology

The tech buzz at RLC was all about personalization

Tech Check: Restaurants clearly want to make their digital customers feel seen, judging by conversations at the Restaurant Leadership Conference this week. It’s what consumers say they want, too, but will it work?

Financing

The rise, fall and (possible) rebirth of Hooters

America’s first breastaurant chain started as a joke and then became a juggernaut. Now, forced into bankruptcy by debt, inflation and some questionable decisions, it is hoping for a second chance, back where it all began.

Trending

More from our partners