Real or fake? Jersey Mike’s photo on BLM sandwich goes viral, Internet asks, ‘Is it April Fool's Day again?’
In the wake of George Floyd's death and Black Lives Matter, most celebrities, businesses and franchisees are taking a moment to raise their voice against systemic racism by making donations or by creating an awareness among their followers on social media.
Following a similar path, a picture from Jersey Mike's Subs, a submarine sandwich chain headquartered in Wall Township, New Jersey, started floating on Twitter and went viral. "We here at Jersey Mike's are always striving for greatness. With our sandwiches, but also in our community," the message said. "We have listened to the larger cultural conversation and have decided that effective tomorrow, July 1st, our famous BLT: Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich will now be known as the BLM: Bacon, Lettuce and ‘Mato sandwich," their message further read and ended with "Black Lives Matter."
No sooner did the picture start circulating on social media, Internet couldn't help but crack jokes and post satirical comments. "'That’s it, Jersey Mike’s solved racism. We can all go home now," one said and another wrote, "I’m sorry did I fall asleep for 9 months? Is it April fools day again?" Another Twitter user posted, "Oh gosh I thought he was going to say Mayo." Another said, "Holy shit guys. Jersey Mike’s just single-handedly eradicated racism with one single sammach. Roll up the signs, put your fists down, and stop the protests. We are good fam. The BLM Sammach has arrived and saved humanity. Let us give praise."
However, it couldn't be found on their website or Twitter account. "People are posting this photo all over Twitter, but there’s nothing on Jersey Mike’s website or on @jerseymikes feed to back this up. It’s either a hoax or 2020 is giving us some terrible comic relief," one pointed out. Another asked, "What is the source of the Jersey Mike's image people are dunking on because it doesn't seem to be Jersey Mike's."
Slamming their sandwiches as a whole, one said, "I never liked BLTs and won't buy these BLMs either. I prefer Turkey hoagies or Chicken Salad hoagies with provolone cheese and mayo and oil. I wish it could be Thanksgiving every single day, but since it's not, I get Turkey hoagies." Meanwhile, another user asked, "Are they going to donate money to #BLM #BlackLivesMatter or they just gonna Profit!?!"
Soon, people wanted to cancel Jersey Mike's. "They need to cancel Jersey Mike's PR team.. @jerseymikes Heres some advice.. next social movement, just saying nothing! Honestly WT in the F," one posted and another said, "Jersey Mike’s just proved that companies should shut up about social issues. This is so dumb that I can’t decide if they’re serious or if @jerseymikes is trolling?"
But many said the photo could be fake as not even one screenshot was attached to the tweet. "I am not surprised at all how many people are falling for that fake Jersey Mike's pic. You guys really forgot people lie on the internet for fun," one tweet read and another said, "I think this might be fake. Like, if Jersey Mike's posted this then deleted it, someone would've definitely screenshotted the tweet itself. But I can't find any screenshots of said tweet (assuming it ever existed). It's just this image that's floating around."
MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) cannot independently verify the chatter or claims being made on the internet