Big Kahuna Cheesesteak
Jersey Mike's Subs - Hazleton, PA
When I was growing up, my grandfather used to tell me how candy bars cost a nickel when he was my age, except for the Chunky which cost a dime. It was pretty hard for me to imagine. They were around 35 to 50 cents each throughout much of my childhood, with the king size bars ranging from 79 to 99 cents. Good luck finding one that cheap in 2025.
I fully recognize that I'm about to sound like my grandfather right now, but you could get a hoagie for about three bucks when I was a kid; maybe even less. The price didn't go up too much in my adult life either. I worked at a Subway restaurant in Wilkes-Barre when I was in college and all footlong hoagies cost five dollars... even the cheesesteak. I'm not sure what Subway charges these days, but the Big Kahuna Cheesesteak from the Jersey Mike's shop next to the Starbucks and Ethos in my hometown costs $18.75.
I fully recognize that I'm about to sound like my grandfather right now, but you could get a hoagie for about three bucks when I was a kid; maybe even less. The price didn't go up too much in my adult life either. I worked at a Subway restaurant in Wilkes-Barre when I was in college and all footlong hoagies cost five dollars... even the cheesesteak. I'm not sure what Subway charges these days, but the Big Kahuna Cheesesteak from the Jersey Mike's shop next to the Starbucks and Ethos in my hometown costs $18.75.
Now I know inflation has gotten out of control and the braying jackass in the White House is only going to make things worse for all of us for the foreseeable future, but $18.75 for a hoagie from a fast food chain is absurd. You can get a ribeye cheesesteak at Campo's on Ashburn Alley in Citizen's Bank Park for $15. They also sell The Heater, which is a ribeye cheesesteak made with buffalo wing hot sauce and topped with jalapeno peppers and jalapeno cheddar cheese, for $16.25. These aren't old prices that I remember paying at my last ballgame either... they're the prices for the 2025 season.
In fairness, it was a tasty cheesesteak, but come on. Jersey Mike himself could sit on my lap and feed this thing to me one bite a time while whispering in my ear that I'm a sexy boy and it still wouldn't be worth damn near twenty bucks after tax.
We had a buy one, get one free coupon which brought the price down to something a little more reasonable, but unless I hit Powerball or get another of those coupons in the mail, this is going to be my first and last visit to Jersey Mike's. It's a good hoagie, but dude... it's a sandwich from a fast food chain next door to the weed shop off I-81.
