The Decline of Blimpie...What Happened?

[@gatsbye53]

First they were everywhere, then they were nowhere.

[@shanthegamer21]

That’s what happens to everything we forgot existed.

[@sor3999]

Being in California, I've never heard of them until now.

[@Tornado1994]

@@sor3999 I First had Blimpie back in May 1993 here in Houston. This was back when they were STILL widely around. It was not too shabby, but it seemed entirely like the Discount Alternative to Subway. When my Family and I were transferred to Seattle in '97, I noticed Dozens of Blimpies, but by '99, Those Locations closed and were converted to Quiznos. By The time we were transferred back to TX in 2000, Majority of The Locations I had remembered had completely disappeared and maybe 2 or 3 were left. In its place was Jason's Deli, I do remember when Jimmy Johns opened its VERY first Location in West Houston, this was October 2008, right during the Recession, but JJs Grew Faster than I thought as I saw a Half a Dozen more locations by 2012.

[@MustraOrdo]

Just like blimps in ye old days.

[@ladysilverwynde]

Yep. I don't miss them.

[@zacharystrobel7646]

Company Man is my HERO when it comes to learning about sandwich chains.

[@KennyVengeance]

I see what you did there…

[@gigabyteaurora]

I worked at a Hess gas station for a summer that had a Blimpie inside of it. Gas station employees were supposed to make the sandwiches, and I received no training on food safety, or specifications on how to make the Blimpie products, not a good idea.

[@ckfinke7625]

That said, we shall see a video of the decline of Hess in the future!

[@JohannRosario1]

THAT is what I sensed about Blimpie; it was not properly run and it was a bit too random for a food item.

[@daewooparts]

When customers asked for oil on the sandwiches, it was probably 5w30

[@animeboi3939]

@@ckfinke7625 Hess got bought by Chevron, who ain't going away.

[@ckfinke7625]

@@animeboi3939 I thought Speedway took the stations.

[@nlpnt]

College friend of mine owned a Blimpie franchise and did well enough from it to stay in business but chose to let the franchise agreement expire and rebrand/relaunch as an independent. He's still in business doing pretty well a decade or more later.

[@ScottPalmer-mp1we]

Did you continue in the restaurant or go onto something different? Did you feel that your Blimpie experience was useful later in life? Its nice to know your former partner is continuing to be successful in the business.

[@NewGuy2024]

Back in college in the late 1990's as a poor college kid I remember the phone books around campus had a B1G1 Blimpie coupon in the back. I went around gathering all these coupons across campus each semester and every Friday my treat was at the Student Union a Blimpie sub for lunch and the second sub for dinner. Mmmmm.....good times and good memories.

[@PaulJohn01]

Hahaha did the exact same thing in Texas when Papa John's opened up and had no name recognition. Got every coupon from every phone book in every library i could get to and used them at different locations.

[@BrianK-zz4fk]

the only blimpie I ever saw was right downstairs from my dormroom in the 90s 😂. Remember smoking some weed and going down to grab one, they were pretty good! Then I discovered the Pub sub and was game over but have good feelings about blimpie

[@kevinmach730]

Am I the only one who watches these things and goes: "I think I've seen this one before? Wait... what?? It was just posted!" The way these business have initial success, ramp up, and go public, and then fail is so consistent, Company Man should compile it into a business course and make it required reading in colleges across the country!

[@LTBudd]

Franchising can be the death of a restaurant if it doesn't have its ducks in a row. McDonald's makes its money, as an example, on 1) Property Leases - each McDonald's restaurant, everywhere, is owned by that national McDonald's corporation. Those restaurants are leased to franchisees. The exception to this is corporate locations. 2) The supply chain -McDonald's owns the supply chain. Everything a franchisee buys is bought through McDonald's. There are few exceptions. 3) Franchise agreements - on a monthly basis, McDonald's gets their portion of sales. Whatever else is left after that pays for the employees, food, etc. McDonald's gets its cut first. This is why McDonald's has been turning corporate locations over to franchisees, they make more money off of a franchisee than they do from a corporate location. What you see in many of these examples with restaurants is those companies try to use one of the three to build a profitable company off of. Quiznos, for example, used their supply chain, but because they relied solely on that supply chain, they drove the prices sky high making it impossible for the franchisees to make a profit. Burger King had a problem in the 1990's, which cause many of their franchisees to drop their agreements, where they were advertising items for much less than was profitable for the franchisee without providing the franchisees a discount on those menu items. So, they'd have to buy their inventory at full price, while they were expected to sell the items below their profit margin. McDonald's, as an example, provides franchisees with a discount on those ingredients for items that are offered at a reduced cost. So, they can sell you the sandwiches at a profit.

[@TheEWFX29]

Because unfortunately most businesses that open up instead of having trying to have a good product and wanting to serve your customers they are trying to make their first million and being the biggest company. That is why most businesses fail, foolish leadership.

[@wichhouse]

I could have swore I saw "the one about Blimpie" already from this channel. That's so weird.

[@gonfreecss6386]

I was a frequent customer at my local Blimpie because I enjoyed their tuna sub. The store was always bustling, and the staff were always friendly and willing to go the extra mile to assist you. However, one day it closed down unexpectedly. I was disappointed to learn that they had gone out of business.

[@daisymae3883]

How long ago was that?

[@IMRROcom]

Our Blimpie store in Tempe AZ that I would go to was standing room only with long lines out the door both at Lunch and diner time. This was a larger store around a dozen 4 seat tables. Ut was located in the suburb area of Tempe and not close to ASU. So it was not the ASU people going to this story. We would end up at Subway somtimes down the street when the line was too long at Blimpies. No one went to Subway back in the 90's

[@maxsmodels]

Blimpies was one of Go-To's in college in the early-mid 90s. Way better than Subway.

[@theemagicalgurl]

When I got my knee drained, my dad brought me a Blimpie Cheese Trio. Outside of a local sub shop that cut meat and cheese fresh RIGHT THERE for you to see, it was one of the most delicious subs I had ever had... I always wanted another, but it never came to be...

[@FowlerAskew]

I think the first sub I ever ate as a kid was a blimpie from a gas station in the middle of a 10 hour road trip. That's still up there as one of my favorite sandwiches I've ever had

[@Bill_Woo]

I ate a lot of them, a lot of Subways, a lot of everything. It and Jimmy Johns are the only two outstanding taste. Subway - meh except for a couple of exotic entries. Jersey M. - meh. Blimpies would make it right in front of you, and you saw the premium meat and cheese packages. Quizno's - they hide from you, and instead of the soft buttery tasting bread it's - whatever. They had a great product, at every branch; I just have had the worst time finding them because they close.

[@AlGoYoSu]

​@@Bill_Woo Jersey Mike's -meh?! Jimmy John's a standout? IMO and every sub shop tier list I've seen, you got those two opinions mixed up. I'm a turkey club mikes way kind of guy, you can't beat it. Went to a JJ once and it was just sad from the bread to the meat and toppings. The cookie IIRC was good, but never been back.

[@ryanjohnson4565]

“When I got my knee drained…” wait… what you just said???

[@dagfinissocool]

@@ryanjohnson4565 gym bro speak

[@dw2291]

Havnt seen a Blimpie in a decade! Can we get a video on Saturn car company next ?

[@DeepDeepSpace]

Saturn was one of the GM companies cut as a result of the great recession along with Pontiac, Saab and Hummer.

[@joshpiotrowski3487]

Dent resistant polymer side panels, decent enough cars, gm was hitlering and spreading focus too thin.

[@Miner-49]

We bought the Ion for my wife’s work/commuter car. It was quirky but not bad at all. 300 thousand miles and only had to replace the park position switch. Followed standard maintenance practices and never had mechanical problems. I was actually surprised especially for the price.

[@amcdavey]

Blimpie in Rancho Cucamonga used to be the best thing ever. And I would probably go there after hanging out at the Best Buy and Barnes & Noble. The good old days…

[@brianwilliamson4546]

When I turned 18 (2005) I got my first apartment by it off Foothill and Millikin. That used to be the spot back in the day!

[@douglassun8456]

I think I ate there once. But other than that - and I have lived in the Los Angeles area for about 50 of the last 60 years - I don't recall Blimpie having a strong presence in the region. Subway used to be everywhere and you still see plenty of them around. Blimpie, rarely ever.

[@MoonMagicks]

7:40 Quiznos!! The Black Angus Steakhouse is the best sub ever.

[@MikeJr9284]

I remember going to a Blimpie as a kid for the first time 20 years ago. I returned to said Blimpie this year and it's surprisingly still around.

[@KyleJett]

Where!?

[@MikeJr9284]

@@KyleJett Long Island.

[@brotatoe3299]

How does it compare to subway and the other mainstream subs?

[@KyleJett]

@@MikeJr9284 Cool!

[@Alexvander10]

Growing up in New York City they were all over. Used to love their subs.

[@ManChan-w5p]

First Avenue and 14th street in Manhattan near the L train station.

[@Alexvander10]

@@ManChan-w5p I remember that location and even ate there! I used to ride the L train back and forth for school as a teen.

[@ManChan-w5p]

@@Alexvander10 I might have run into you. I grew up in Alphabet City and went to High School of Art and Design then Hunter College CUNY. 1989 and 1994.

[@Alexvander10]

@@ManChan-w5p I remember Hunter CUNY and I even wanted to go there but ended up going to City College CUNY at 137th st in Manhattan

[@Alexvander10]

@@ManChan-w5p Hey that Art and Design school wouldn't happen to be the one that was inside the old Stuyvesant building on like 15th and 1st Ave in Manhattan? I went to a different high school in that same building.

[@Hot_LeafJuice]

I have very fond memories of Blimpie. My dad and I used to have season tickets for our local ECHL hockey team and the arena had a Blimpie stand no the concourse. We'd get sandwiches before every game (there was also a shop at our ice rink and I'd get sandwiches after hockey practice/games). That stand turned into a Subway which is still good, but it wasn't the same and we almost completely stopped getting sandwiches before games. I was also really sad when the Blimpie next to my house closed. Really unfortunate because they were a legitimately good alternative to Subway and my family preferred them.

[@michaelspencer1315]

I've been to the Blimpie pictures at 10:11. I'm always surprised it's still in business every time I'm over in that area.

[@robertyasumura]

I seem to recall that the initial success of Blimpie was the bread. Maybe they were the first chain to go wide that baked the bread on site. I think the bread was also a lot softer than what delis were using in the tri-state area.

[@SkaterOperator]

Our Blimpie in Arlington Texas had soft bread too.

[@0tuc]

So after I saw this yesterday I tried to reach out to someone I know from college who used to own a few in Connecticut from 1994-1999. I hadn’t spoken with him in a couple years and found out he passed away last year. Too bad. This is what I remember what he told me. He franchised his first one right after college in 1994 and grew to five or six. It did well but adding each store was diminishing returns. The franchisor was promising huge growth and he felt based on his previous experience that it would fail so he sold in 1999. He went to OCS in 2000 and became an officer in the Army, he was a logistics officer. He did say that running those restaurants helped him in that matter. That is about all I know about Blimpies. Retired in 2019 and passed away in 2023. Sad. I wish I knew more.

[@mattcolver1]

I used to go to a Blimpie near my house. I preferred them to Subway. Then a Jimmie Johns opened up nearby and Blimpie closed soon after.

[@Tornado1994]

Jimmy Johns first popped up here in Houston in the Mid Autumn of '08.

[@emmettturner9452]

They opened a Blimpie in a gas station near me a few years ago: Hemrick’s in Newnan, GA. This gas station was featured in a photo from the ‘70s that went viral on Facebook (girl filling up her Chevy Nova wearing a “Foxy” shirt). Yeah, they are still around. Currently a Marathon station.

[@caidenparisien]

Ahah yeah the description says they still have locations! This video is the decline of business.

[@emmettturner9452]

@@caidenparisien Right, but they aren’t typically opening new locations while in “decline.” :(

[@caidenparisien]

@@emmettturner9452 a lot of places do!

[@emmettturner9452]

@@caidenparisien Then they are expanding.

[@caidenparisien]

@@emmettturner9452 when you’re closing more locations than you’re opening, thats called declining.

[@tech.noire.]

Great video. I do remember sometime in the late 80s or early 90s while visiting family on Long Island NY, my uncle suggested that maybe we all "get a Blimpie" for one of the family meals we had up there. It sounded so weird to me and I didn't initially know what he was talking about but later saw the restaurant while driving around and understood he meant a sub sandwich. I think we just ended up getting pizza instead. This video reminded me of that small statement from decades ago.

[@PrecludeLP]

The Rise of Nothing Bundt Cakes. This is a video I'd like to see.

[@jagboy69]

I ate one of those last night. We only buy them when we get the buy one get one free deal. I'm not paying 6bucks for 3bites of cake.

[@claireconover]

I’ve never seen or heard of this company. where is it based?

[@jergervasi3331]

Those are gooooooood.

[@MaddieOlson1993]

You can submit a video idea.

[@bcb5696]

@@jagboy69you must be huge if you can eat one of those in 3 bites

[@donaldwatson7698]

This answers a lot of long-standing questions in my mind. Blimpie was my favorite sub shop. I felt the product was just better. Only Firehouse Subs has come close, and I've noticed some inconsistencies with them of late. That said, I saw first-hand the Blimpie franchisees going their own way. My local Blimpie had developed, among other things, a chicken based hot sub sandwich which was knock-your-socks-off good. They always advertised it via a poster on the wall, not on the main menu. One day the poster was gone, and they declined my order of the sandwich stating HQ had come around and told them to cease and desist. They were to stick strictly to the company standards. I noticed a sharp decline in crowds after that, and eventually the franchisee folded and reopened as a Subway. It's really a shame. I feel the company could have benefited by listening to the franchisees, trying their concoctions, and putting the best ones on the main menu, or at least a seasonal rotation menu. Isn't that how the McDonald's Filet-o-Fish got started?

[@BSReese93]

never heard of this place at all.

[@jetman80pops]

Really if you're not from the Northeast you probably wouldn't have

[@BSReese93]

@@jetman80pops well I was born in the 93 and born in border line state of northeast and southern

[@SouthsideKidd550]

They were all over the south. Especially in malls.

[@TheManny717]

Me neither.

[@knuclear200x]

I've seen one at a gas station

[@Adrianlover89]

About time. Blimpie was very popular sandwich shop in the 80s and 90s. Good job......

[@johngaltline9933]

Blimpie was my favorite sub shop. They had the best tasting subs, with good portions, at competitive or cheaper prices than places with worse sandwiches. Don't have one within a couple hundred miles now.

[@ashtonturner2862]

That makes sense. The Blimpie near my work office closed earlier this year.

[@mikewallace3030]

There was a Blimpie near my college. What I remember most is that nothing stood out about it. There was Subway, Penn Station, Quizno's, Atlanta Bread Company (back when they were rapidly franchising as well), and others. We also had some large bookstores, both local and national chains, that added cafes around this time. Each sandwich shop had their own style and/or options to draw in customers, but not Blimpie. Perhaps it was just the way that this location was run, but you'd often forget that it was there.

[@OrthwormJEB]

Oh man! Seeing this logo brought back memories of my mom taking me to a Blimpie after school in the early 2000s. There were like two in my hometown that was minutes from where we live by car. Nowadays I would remind myself of this place as I drive by the building where a Blimpie use to be.

[@kerrynewman1221]

Former Subway owner. 1990-2023. Now I repair toaster ovens for many of the Subways in Houston. Great self employed retirement life.

[@travisbickle1455]

Smart move...Subway has seen better days.

[@deadzio]

​@@travisbickle1455 yet they never sold bread

[@Bacopa68]

If you are from Houston, do you remember how Antone's was in the seventies and eighties? At least Antone's is centrally manufacturing sandwiches and selling them in Kroger and HEB. The bread is still better than anyone else. But back in 1981 or even the 90's you could get baked on site bread at the shops. They even had a breakaway faction that started Droubi.

[@tonycrabtree3416]

@@Bacopa68Yeah, the standalones are slowly being converted to another “name” with the same kind of vibe. Paulie’s Poboys.

[@middleagebrotips3454]

Smart move to fixing shovels

[@JustJessee]

We had one Blimpie in a gas station in the late 90s/early00s in Anchorage, AK. I miss it so much. Their bread was always better than Subways (way too sweet)

[@FreddieFoodieKing]

i grew up in jersey. they were in hoboken and union city. they had the blimpie best which used italian cold cuts like capicola ham. it was so simple but so good. and they were huge more than 12 inches long and cheap compared to todays ridiculous prices

[@woodcider]

They stopped adding capicola to the Blimpie’s Best and it was never the same since. The Blimpie’s Best had a taste that I’ve been unable to duplicate anywhere else.

[@angelhernandezrivera6195]

When I lived in NYC, I would consistently go to the one in the Lower East Side. Loved it

[@antionecharles2134]

Blimpies was my first job at 16yrs old in Watchung NJ. Loved it! & those Otis Spunkmeyer cookies...Oh My Stars 🤩 When the OG Blimpies (not the one with the subway colors) was in their bag Subway couldn't come close. The Capicola & the Blimpie Best were the top ordered subs in my time there.

[@lancex5195]

The cookies fresh out of the oven were the absolute best. Always snagged two or three for myself when I was opening.

[@SkaterOperator]

No wonder they were in decline; y’all eatin the profits. 😆💸

[@antionecharles2134]

@@SkaterOperator 😂

[@RAPPERScantSPELL]

Mid to late 90s we had one just outside of the rec soccer club. All the kids couldn’t wait to scarf down a Blimpie sub after a game, had lines out the door every weekend. I get nostalgic for it here and there, need to try them again if I come across one

[@DLDX]

I liked Blimpie back in the day. I ate a variety of sandwiches there. The one I remember eating most often was a cheeseburger sub with cheese, lettuce, tomato, ketchup and mayonnaise.

[@EpicCamraMan]

I used to work at the movie theater at the river center mall in San Antonio when I was in college, they had a Blimpies there that I went to almost daily. The mall also had a which witch and a unique take out only ihop.

[@Cha-chingWV]

My family grew up in New Jersey. Blimpie sandwiches had a taste like no other. Surprised they weren't more dominant in the market.

[@woodcider]

I think it was the oil & vinegar that made them unique.

[@AlexRoivas]

I have lived in Florida, NC, Texas and Kentucky and I have never seen one in my entire life.

[@reijigamer]

Simply Blimpie for fresh sliced slubs. This is from a commercial where they get people to see how they would say "Simply Blimpie for fresh slice subs". The commercial played on the fact that saying the phase would end up with funny mistakes liking saying "slubs" instead of subs.

[@briandougherty5622]

I worked at a Blimpie in Mi in the early 2000’s and Jim Debore was amazing to work for, he held us to high blimpie policy, and it was a great place to work. I do miss the Best. - 6:20 If you see this Hi Bob and/or Beth and RIP Jim. -

[@reh303]

I've lived my whole life in the same county that Jersey Mike's was founded in, but we used to have a good number of Blimpie stores here too. The last one around was in a Hess gas station, but that's been closed for at least a decade. According to Google the closest one is now over 30 miles away.

[@lusitaniafilms]

I Love your Videos. I have learned allot about companies from you. Thank you Buddie :)

[@jrios29]

My first sub was at Blimpie's in Jersey City on Central Avenue. It was amazing! It's heartbreaking to hear that not all locations had the same care and pride that my location had. I live in Northern California now, and Jersey Mike's and Jimmy John's taste the exact same as they did in Jersey. Consistency is crucial when it comes to franchises.

[@jimv77]

My back in 2004 my wife had all her impacted wisdom teeth removed and couldn't eat for several days. Her first "real meal" was a Blimpie sandwich......20 years later she still remembers how delicious that sandwich was.....

[@kenmore01]

Yep, food is wonderful after you have been starving for awhile. I'm pretty hungry right now, and those sandwiches looked great!

[@Barry-Sweaty]

Love me some blimpie. Was sad when the left Albuquerque NM. I’d go there so incredibly baked out of my mind. So delicious so delicious.

[@FreddieFoodieKing]

was my favorite go to for subs. damn shame they are gone. they were the best out there before everyone started doing subs

[@egomaniac247]

Had one near my work when I lived in GA…..the pickles on their subs were so dang good, never found anything like them since

[@roecocoa]

I used to eat there several times per week when I was working weird hours at a Walmart Portrait Studio and there was a Blimpie about 50 feet away inside the same store. There were two Subways and a Quiznos within a few blocks of the Walmart at that time; I think most of the customers also worked at that Walmart. I /think/ back in the '90s they used to run radio ads with the slogan "Blimpie: It's a beautiful thing," but with the fog of time and our perpetually unreliable FM reception, I don't fully trust that memory. I am quite sure there was a series of TV ads lampshading how they were shamelessly using marketing tricks. There was one that said the colors red, yellow and green make people hungry, and another where the spokesperson is slicing meat so that his arm keeps covering and uncovering the Blimpie logo on his apron while he talks about how repeatedly flashing the logo makes it stick in your mind

[@jennteal5265]

They _did_ run that slogan! You opened my memory hole XD

[@babyswheels54]

Wow, Blimpie! I loved them. Great video. Learned a lot. Good job.

[@lukerinderknecht2982]

Blimpie just reminds me of Lutz on 30 Rock.

[@aaronk534]

YES!

[@RequiemDelta]

there was a punchline in the last episode where they wanted one last meal since they were being shut down, and Lutz ordered Blimpies, and everyone else groaned. SO yeah Blimpies was a punchline on "stuff that sucks"

[@zmusicoffical]

First type watching you in a while just really got out of this content but thanks for continue to upload my man.

[@CheveeDodd]

I used to eat at Blimpie in a gas station near work and I liked it, but it wasn't anything special. Their sandwiches were no better than the pre-wrapped subs at my local grocery. I think you're right, they just didn't do anything to attract customers beyond existing and despite being in "convenience" stores, were really not that convenient.

[@adventarchivist5789]

I remember a Blimpie's near me. My dad used to tell me they had the best subs you could order, even if it was a chain franchise. But when I went into one, it felt extremely run down. And the sub they severed me was extremely greasy. Plus, looking back, the panini press they used looked like it hadn't been cleaned in months.

[@arizonawildcat3821]

I grew up in Atlanta, we had one right by my highschool next to a Publix. The closest Blimpie to the one in Atlanta in that random shopping plaza? New Jersey…

[@GrnXnham]

You were right about them not standing out. I always confused Blimp with Quiznoes.

[@MrKnoxguy101]

Quiznos.. I forgot about them Lol. They had a very unorthodox marketing strategy back in the day with those crazy commercials with the dead rat sponge monkeys and later with the talking oven that made sexually suggestive remarks to Scott the store employee. You’d see them a lot at night on Adult Swim. They were wild.

[@Tornado1994]

@@MrKnoxguy101 Tell me about it. Quiznos Ads in the 2000s were just offbeat and weird. And I do remember when they brought a Ton of Air Time on Cartoon Network/Adult Swim.

[@brdnmlna]

Our local Blimpie had a party room and every kid would have a birthday there. We’d also get sandwiches around the end of the year at school for Field Day. They really were a part of our community and it was sad when they closed.

[@tomwheeler8288]

Had a Blimpie in downtown Pittsburgh around 1999, the college years. Friends and I went there all the time. I we kept joking that they would go out of business because of how much meat was piled on the sandwich. I didn't stay in business for very long

[@CubeAtlantic]

i haven't been to Blimpe in probably yrs that boosted-up nice beautiful nostalgia.

[@cedwardsmedia]

When I was in high school, a classmate of mine worked at our local Blimpie. I was a BIG man in high school with a massive appetite. He, and his co-workers, had no problem piling my sub up with toppings. They knew I'd keep coming back for it. That was 2005. I last visited a Blimpie in 2019 and I barely got a bologna sandwich I could've made from groceries I bought at Walmart. The service was miserable, quality was non-existent and I genuinely wished I'd had gone to McDonald's instead.

[@ian3580]

So your friends were basically stealing from their employer to feed your enormous appetite and you're mad that you'd have to pay for reality when the ride ended? You were basically shoplifting with the help of your friends. Yay you!

[@cedwardsmedia]

​@@ian3580 did your mommy not hug you enough when you were child?

[@ian3580]

@@cedwardsmedia she did, and taught me right from wrong

[@krmu7068]

What a blast from the past! My mother was store manager for one of the early ones in Sweden in the late 1990s- early 2000s. I think it was combined with local kiosk-line Pressbyrån. I remember we used to have blimpie-branded napkins and plastic straws at home for years afterwards.

[@madeofstyrofoam]

What is the type of sub shown at 1:53? Looks so good

[@678treehouse]

looks like pastrami my dawg

[@madeofstyrofoam]

​@@678treehousethank you! 👍🤜

[@osirisandilio]

Crazy this popped up. I went to Blimpie for lunch today in East Grand Rapids Michigan. I still love their subs

[@pepperroni4016]

Border Cafe is the #1 restaurant around Boston Massachusetts

[@brendathorpe6179]

I have fond memories of Blimpie. We didn't have one in CNY where I grew up but my step-dad was from Bayonne and he ALWAYS had to stop at Blimpie when we visited. It was definitely my favorite as a kid/teen

[@Doodle1776]

I used to love their footlong cheeseburger sandwich. But if you're not from the Northeast you've probably never heard of them. And I always assumed that they named in Blimpie because one slang term for that I heard growing up was "Blimp" or a "Blimp sandwich" for that type of large sandwich.

[@rich-s6c]

Great video! I used to love Blimpie! I was amazed to learn that the sub shop they were copying was Jersey Mike's, since the Blimpie Best and the Jersey Mike's Italian sub were essentially the same.

[@6LVRDRGN]

It’s been a long time since I’ve heard “Blimpie”!

[@DavidLLambertmobile]

My wife says that 😕 ....

[@danjohnson887]

I LOVED Blimpie's Best!!! We had one in a gas station in Marysville Ohio. They had this great deal of buy one get one for 25 cents on Tuesday!

[@ttabood7462]

I ate at a Blimpies once in the 90s and got sick. I haven't gone to one since.

[@omegaalpha3594]

Yeah! Mom would take me and get the gyros…. I would get sick from them too

[@JohannRosario1]

Any Brand that makes you sick, has no future. It’s really that simple.

[@Lithilic]

I remember them being somewhat common when I was growing up in the 90s. I was only recently reminded of their existence when I took a new job 2 years ago and found out there was one still open just down the road that some co-workers will sometimes get for lunch. Not standing out definitely seems like a big factor to me- I think I've only eaten there twice in my lifetime and I feel no reason or curiosity to change that.

[@LlamaBobby]

Short version is their marketing and branding were not memorable. No catchy slogans, promotions or mascot. That’s pretty much 75% of why they’re as small as they are now.

[@NaturallyBeautyNaturallyYou]

I haven't been to a Blimpie in years. Subway took over down here in South Georgia

[@LordMcKrakenVonLittleBits]

It's been about 30 years since I ate at a Blimpie. The competitors have really tore them up.

[@Tornado1994]

Last time I went a Blimpie was in like 1997. The Last time I SAW one out here, was like 2001.

[@seatspud]

I've been in a Winchell's that had a Blimpie in it.

[@JohannRosario1]

I went to a Blimpie in the late 80s and I remember feeling it felt disorganised and chaotic. I was in the medical field so structure and cleanliness was a big thing for me, plus it felt like it was not a real Manhattan deli experience, which tended to feel like a homemade sandwich experience. My friend ate his sandwich while all I had was a drink. It was the only time I ever went, and it did not do it for me. When Subways appeared, I instantly sensed that it was different, clean, fresh, structured, simple and cheep. What else do you want in a quick sandwich? I also saw that suddenly Blimpie started to improve and become more like Subways. I still didn’t go to one, but I remember understanding the importance of good competition that improves quality. Natural Selection works even for franchises.

[@Nuptup89]

Watching the video and telling myself, " damn that subway looks really familiar," turns out it's the subway at the corner of my street, shout out to the Subway on Frontenac street in Montreal. Great video!

[@BollingHolt]

I used to love Blimpie... then they just vanished.

[@butteryfriedwizard2219]

I used to eat at a Blimpie pretty regularly at a rest stop going north on the 77/64 in Virginia on the turnpike. I always had to tell them how to make a sandwich, or they would just squirt oil and vinegar directly into the top of my bread. That being said, done correctly, i thought the blimpies best was a pretty good sandwich. The biggest issue i had, which you covered, was the employees. That Blimpies was supposed to be open 24/7. It always had ingredients in the case. Sometimes I'd go there at around 2am, and the girl there would say it's closed. I spoke to the manager a few weeks later, i was told she was the one supposed to be making the sandwiches. Lazy. I'm not sure if she was fired or not.

[@Saintnick90]

"They decided on a sandwich shop because they knew about one that seemed to be popular that was over an hour's drive away." Me: Hmm, a sub shop in New Jersey that predated Blimpie? I wonder if that was Jersey Mike's. "By the way, that other sub shop that they were copying went on to evolve into a national chain called Jersey Mike's." Me: Called it!

[@deliacurlin4997]

I went to one in 2003 on a Thursday. They had pre-made sandwiches which had been prepared on Monday. I walked out.

[@PepperTreeVilla]

It’s been years since I’ve had a sandwich at a Blimpie restaurant. I hadn’t even known about their troubles. As always, another well-researched video, Mike.

[@ROBLOXTHANOS]

The downfall of the MrBeast company may be extremely profitable to document.

[@christiandauz3742]

Both MrBeast and Trump should have been drafted into the military

[@jfbrasch]

We had Blimpies all over Denver. We even had them in a few convenience stores. I always felt the key was their fresh sliced deli meats. Blimpie’s Best was a great sandwich. I did not know about their history with Jersey Mikes and I used to tell people they reminded me of each other (Like, Fire House reminds me of Quiznos). Thank you for the video.

[@corgiville8191]

In my opinion, Blimpie was way better than Jersey Mike's.

[@SkaterOperator]

I was a shift leader at a Blimpie in Arlington Texas in 1988/89. We outsourced the bread 🥖 from a local bakery and it was the most delicious, soft bread 🥖 I’ve ever had. Also, Tony came by our store so, I got to meet him. 🤩

[@Bacopa68]

In Texas Blimpie was usually a side hustle of exurban and small-town gas stations. They also went into ghetto areas of large cities that had money to spend, but few services. Also, a Houston company called Antone's was the best sub chain ever. The bread is incredible. They only have a few locations, but passably good Antone's subs are sold in Kroger and HEB stores in Houston.

[@Tornado1994]

I'm Also in Houston. I remember Antone's.

[@taperina2801]

Every field trip we would get Blimpie’s with an over night pack . Oil vinegar in a little separate container . Brings back memories

[@theviking1359]

It has been years since I even thought about Blimpie even more years since I even had one. They were good though much better than Subway in my opinion.

[@FrenchCelt]

Blimpie is a place I've known about for decades without ever seeing a location anywhere I've been. Mostly lived in California, especially from 1982-1985 and then 1988-2011, and apparently there were locations in CA, just not where I spent any time (and I lived in Orange County, the Monterey Bay, and Los Angeles). I lived in Maryland from May 1987 to July 1988 and never saw one. Been in Indiana since 2011 and none are to be found around here. It's just a name I picked up from other contexts so much it became familiar, but never got a chance to try out.

[@LapNgo-h9u]

Just did a quick maps search in Houston (4th largest city in country). All the other 8 were permanently closed and there is now 1 sole location still open in the Northern outskirts of the city. I've never recalled seeing one in the wild.

[@TheDnlnext]

I work in the office building, just one light down (Spring). The owner is friendly, and it’s spotless, but it is small. The bread is baked daily, and deli meats are sliced in front of you. Two lights down is Subway - which I never go to anymore.

[@morgangallowglass8668]

I truly MISS Blimpie! I can honestly say, from my days in grade school in NYC to many locations across the U.S. over decades, I never once had a bad experience with a Blimpie. I can not say the same of Subway and the other chains.

[@dexterdugarjr.3217]

This video made me look up how many are left in NYC. There are only 3 and are in The Bronx. Your comments about them not standing out are spot on as I discovered I walked right past the closest location to me numerous times. I didn't notice because it looks like every other store. Gotta go though as it's been years lol

[@SpookLuc]

really appreciate when you cover an obscure, somewhat nostalgic brand. had birthdays there, got an uncle who failed to open a Blimpie's franchise during the 90s a few towns over from me🤣

[@digitaldiablo1653]

I haven't seen a Blimpie in 30 years. The one in my town closed 30 years ago and I've never seen them again. There have been a few more sub shops that have opened around here since then. I miss them because I loved them as a kid.

[@eaglescout1984]

So a couple of things to say: There was a Blimpie not too far from my house growing up, and it was one of those smaller locations shoe-horned into a gas station. And this particular gas station was a little run down, not the cleanest, and tended to have some characters hanging out at it. So, I actually formed a very negative perception of Blimpie because it will forever be associated with dirty sketchy gas stations in my mind. I sort of figured you would mention Jersey Mike's. As soon as I saw the map with Point Pleasant, NJ, I recognized it as the home of Jersey Mike's. And I love Jersey Mike's because they slice the meat fresh. It's the best cold cut sandwich, hands down. So the fact Blimpie tried to duplicate them, and for a while was bigger, but ultimately fell flat makes sense to me.

[@theelk801]

when I was a little kid in the late 90s I loved going to the location in my home town, I yearn for that feeling again knowing it will never come

[@halnwheels]

I remember when a Blimpies opened in the early 70's by my high school in Manhattan. The sandwiches were great tasting. I remember the yellow napkins that had the blimpie base blimp printed on it with the slogan "the world's second best taste treat". We all giggled as to what the first was. Then one day they started slicing the cuts onto a scale and the sandwiches became skimpy blimpie. Many years have passed and one just closed in Clifton NJ only a couple of years ago. I always thought they were better sandwiches then Subway because everyone was using portion control anyway. I miss them.

[@jdmboy1234]

There was a blimpie down the road at this fuel station I lived close to, I remember mowing grass for our neighborhood to save up for blimpie subs for Friday night suppers. I always got the meatball. It was such a treat! Cheap and good. I still remember blimpie to this day and that was YEARS ago.

[@9286lucky]

I remember Blimpie. Had one in our local Walmart super center for years. I looked at it every time I went in with my parents and don't remember ever stepping into the restaurant.