Industry Restaurants CEO William Specht (1972–) Type of business Private | Website cousinssubs.com Founder William Specht | |
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Key people Bill Specht,
Founder
Christine Specht-Palmert,
President & CEO Products Sandwiches
Salads
Other food products Headquarters Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, United States Founded 1972, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States Profiles | ||
Cousins subs made to order grilled subs
Cousins Submarines, better known as Cousins Subs, is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based sub sandwich shop serving grilled and deli-fresh subs on freshly baked bread since 1972. Cousins Subs is a regional chain with restaurants in Wisconsin and Arizona.
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Cousins subs food truck built by custom concessions
Overview and history
Founded by two cousins from Jersey City, New Jersey in 1972, Bill Specht and Jim Sheppard, were determined to bring their favorite style of sub sandwich from the East Coast to their new hometown of Milwaukee.
Specht and Sheppard opened their first restaurant in Milwaukee—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 past slogan "Better Bread, Better Subs".
Today, Cousins operates 104 restaurants and is expanding to new locations in Wisconsin, the Midwest and Arizona.
Current history
Cousins Subs is united by a common obsession with doing things right, serving a better sandwich and supporting the communities it serves—all of which is the driving force behind the next phase of Cousins' longstanding history. Today, Cousins Subs continues to stay true to their mission to Believe in Better through the continual improvement in everything they do.
Led by President and CEO Christine Specht, the daughter of co-founder Bill Specht, Cousins Subs is undergoing a rebranding effort that includes: expanding their footprint to areas that crave their food most; remodeling all locations to its Milwaukee Sub Shop to create a better dining atmosphere; updating its exterior design, color palettes, logo, packaging and uniform designs; and offering improved in-store and online experience for its guests.
By investing in these key areas, Cousins Subs is reimagining the brand to thrive in existing markets and launch its fast casual restaurant concept nationally.
Menu
As a Wisconsin-based company and iconic Milwaukee brand, Cousins Subs uses locally-sourced products such as Wisconsin Cheese, Badger Ham, Klement's Sausage, Johnsonville Sausage, Best Maid Cookies and Sprecher Root Beer.
In addition to deli fresh and grilled sandwiches served on a variety of bread that's baked daily, Cousins Subs also serves: Fresh fries*, Wisconsin Cheese Curds*, potato chips, soups, salads, and freshly baked cookies.
Recent menu improvements include: antibiotic-free, all-white meat chicken and antibiotic and hormone-free 100% USDA choice steak for all grilled sub sandwiches; spinach and guacamole as permanent topping options; and a garden salad made with spinach.