# Summer-Ready QSR Menus Jersey Mike’s Subs Debuts Chicken Salad for Summer By Kalin Ned | Published 2026-05-27 | Marketing Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/chicken-salad1 References: [southernliving](https://www.southernliving.com/jersey-mikes-chicken-salad-11983659?srsltid=AfmBOoohXMY7IS31gfCWIcJjI-kJt7wmf7l3zHA3daQNiVpJlfRNRvqX)  [Jersey Mike’s Subs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/roasted-chicken-breast-sandwich) has reintroduced its Chicken Salad for the summer of 2026. This menu item first appeared the previous year and quickly sold out across more than 3,200 locations. The limited-edition Chicken Salad offering consists of freshly prepared roasted chicken breast pieces combined with a creamy mayonnaise dressing, diced celery, and a small amount of black pepper. The menu item is available as a sub, wrap, or bowl and optionally finished with the chain’s signature 'juice' for added flavor. Stacy Peterson, President and Chief Operating Officer of [Jersey Mike's Subs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/day-of-giving), shared: "After we launched Chicken Salad last summer and saw it sell out across the country in mere weeks, we knew we had to give our fans the chance to savor it again this summer." Image Credit: Jersey Mike’s Subs ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 3.6/10 - Popularity: 16% | Activity: 14% | Freshness: 78% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Marketing](https://www.trendhunter.com/marketing) > [Branding](https://www.trendhunter.com/branding) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Limited-edition Seasonal Menus:** Creates a scarcity-driven demand model that enables premium pricing, rapid assortment rotation, and heightened customer urgency around short-run items. - **Protein-forward Fast-casual Offerings:** Signals consumer preference for hearty, protein-centric menu items that open space for novel ingredient sourcing and differentiated nutritional positioning. - **Customizable Serving Formats:** Highlights consumer desire for multi-format offerings (sub, wrap, bowl) that support modular menu architecture and streamlined prep systems. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Quick-service Restaurants:** Faces opportunity to leverage limited-time offerings and seasonal relaunches to drive store traffic, operational scalability, and loyalty program integration. - **Food Manufacturing:** Stresses demand for scalable, shelf-stable or chilled prepared-protein solutions and co-manufacturing partnerships tuned to short production windows. - **Supply Chain & Cold-chain Logistics:** Underlines need for agile distribution networks and inventory forecasting tools that accommodate spikes from national, time-limited product rollouts. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Fruit-Forward Summertime QSR Menus](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wendys-seasonal-menu.md) - [Protein-Forward QSR Menus](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/protein-pockets.md) - [Pregnancy-Inspired Sub Sandwiches](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/jersey-mikes-1.md) - [Pizza-Inspired Sandwich Menus](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sandwich-lineup.md) - [Mix-and-Match Salads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/summer-of-salade-samplers.md) - [Spicy-Sweet Chicken Sandwich Menus](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/chicken-guy-summer-menu.md) - [Mediterranean-Inspired Gyro Options](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/greek-gyro.md) - [Savory Spicy-Sweet Subs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hot-honey-chicken-crispy-onion-sub.md) - [Seasonal Fast-Casual Updates](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/california-chicken-club.md)