Our Story

In 1989 – inside a glowing Madison, Wisconsin oven – the bread was born. The recipe was
catalogued. The vegetables, meats, and cheeses were locally sourced and carefully crafted.
The signature menu was created. The result: the freshest sandwiches in Madison.

We’ve baked the same fresh bread in our ovens every four hours, every day since opening our
first shop – then called Big Mike’s Super Subs – on West Johnson Street over 35 years ago.
Soon after our delicious sandwiches hit the Madison streets, word got around quickly.
In 2004, we began franchising and changed our name to Milio’s Sandwiches. Today, more than
200 employees work at 19 franchise and company locations across Wisconsin, Minnesota,
and Iowa.

Passion for Milio’s runs deep. Brand loyalty extends beyond just fans and the ownership group.
All of our franchise owners have been with Milio’s for more than ten years. Half of our general
managers have been with the company for over ten years as well; with a few even nearing their
twentieth anniversary.

You can include our company’s new president among those long-time fans. Gerard Helminski
first started working with us as a food vendor at the very beginning in 1989. He officially joined
the company in 2000 as an area supervisor and has held a variety of leadership roles ever
since.

In October of 2020, Brian Bergen, Timm Heller, Todd Mancusi, Tony Mancusi, and Chris Gentilli
took their Milio’s fandom to the highest level; becoming owners of their favorite sandwich
company! With strong ties to the Madison community and the greater Midwest, the new
ownership team believes that relationships are a two-way street – shopping local should mean
your dollars also support local community efforts. They are ‘adopting’ each of our Milio’s
communities as their home-away-from-home by supporting important local projects.

“Our bread might be our claim to fame – but our real mission is to serve and support the
local communities that we’re lucky to call home.” -Brian Bergen