Best Student Discount: Ike's Love & Sandwiches

The "Matt Cain" sandwich at Ike's Love and Sandwiches. Ike’s offers a student discount on sandwiches with a valid school ID. (Christian Cendejas / Aggie)

Ike’s has become a student favorite for its student discount and loyalty program

Ike's Love & Sandwiches, located on F Street in Downtown Davis, was voted by students as the restaurant offering the best student discount. The deli sells a variety of sandwiches, including vegan options.

Ike’s offers a student discount between 3 and 9 p.m., which can drop the price of sandwiches to about $9.89; sandwiches typically cost anywhere from $12 to $23. To be eligible for the discount, students must show a valid student ID, whether they attend UC Davis or a local community college.

To use the discount, Ike’s also requires students to set up a loyalty account. The Davis location’s manager, Melinda Velazquez, has worked at the location since 2022. She said that the loyalty account has an array of benefits beyond the discount, including half-off sandwiches on birthdays, a free sandwich after spending $10 for the first time and other rewards based on the number of points a customer accumulates.

“The student discount really applies to anybody [who] comes in with a college card,” Velazquez said. “I really just enjoy seeing people coming in, bringing their families and then seeing their families enjoy it, coming back every time they are in town. I've noticed that our staff has a lot of good relationships with some of our regular customers, especially because we do get regulars and people [who] come in for the student discount.”

Ike’s also offers a variety of options for people with dietary restrictions, aiming to make their selection more accessible for every customer.

“We accommodate everybody,” Velazquez said. “We have halal chicken, we have gluten-free bread. I feel like our variety is just so wide that we can accommodate anybody with any allergies, any dietary restrictions or just anybody with following their flavor profile.”

Located just minutes away from campus, students make up most of Ike’s customer base. Velazquez shared that what she likes most about working in a college town is the range of backgrounds students come from and the chance to connect with a diverse array of people.

“I enjoy seeing people that come in from here, from different areas out of state, out of the country,” Velazquez said. “The diversity here, it’s great.”

Written by: Khadeejah Khan — campus@theaggie.org