Used to work at JJ's and I can personally attest that everything is PAINSTAKINGLY hand prepared every single morning. Most restaurants can show up an hour before opening flip on the lights turn on the stove and they're ready to start serving but we used to be in the store at 5am every morning for prep. To this day I will back JJ's 100% in a "best sandwich" conversation.
thats pretty funny because thats exactly how it was when i used to work at taco bell. drop the beef and chicken in the heater, pour bunn water on the beans and youre ready to go within the hour
I was a delivery driver for JJs in college for a couple years. Fastest delivery I ever personally completed was 4 minutes from hanging up the phone to knocking on the door, proud of that one. Fun job
@@hmoobmeeka Depends on where you live and traffic. If it's rush hour in a major car dependent city, þe only way it's delivered in 4 minutes is if þe person who ordered it was too lazy to walk next door. If it's a smaller town, more walkable city, or when people aren't driving, 4 minutes is a larger radius, especially wiþ a car.
I think one of their most memorable radio ad campaigns was the biker who biked too fast and got in trouble with the police, immortalized their name in my young mind permanently.
I worked at Jimmy Johns for a few years in my early 20s. They have the most intense corporate audits I've ever seen. They REALLY keep things clean and food fresh, they follow all the procedures, despite the staff all being teens and 20 somethings. It's really impressive, I was blown away while I worked there. I know that if I eat at a JJ's, it'll be spotless, clean food, clean floor, clean everything.
I don't live in the US anymore, but I always make it a point when I do go back to visit to stop by Jimmy John's. I can never figure out why I crave it so much, but I guess as you mentioned the freshness and simplicity have always made me like it. A beach club with a pickle and salt and vinegar chips is something my dreams are made of!
I have a theory it tastes better the less it is eaten (yeah this makes no sense). For some reason if i eat them more than once a week- the second time isn't half as good as the first. Haven't been in a few months, but think this video has me going soon and i bet it's amazing. I also haven't bought their day old bread to make cheese garlic bread in years- shame on me.
I agree with other reply. I don't think I've been to subway in over ten years. Jimmy John's might be the best chain sandwich shop and is at least in the discussion. Only reason I used to go to subway more was better price, but quality kept going down to the point i was done. My only complaint about jimmy johns is i don't go often, so i usually buy enough food for two people and eat it in one night regardless of telling myself I'll make two meals out of it. More of a compliment than a complaint 🤣
Helped open store #5 in Urbana back in '92. Jimmy came in for the grand opening and was working the line with the rest of us schlubs. Got to shoot the shit with him after the lunch rush, hell of a guy. Btw, "subs so fast you'll freak" was the eventual tagline winner, but "the best 9 inches you'll ever have in your mouth" was the employee favorite at the Lincoln Avenue store. Edit: store #3 in Champaign was in a strip mall with a bar/laundromat called Suds. I'd spend many a Sunday over there lol. Btw, that picture on the wall of the kid in the chef's hat surrounded by meats and cheeses? That's Jimmy, about age 22.
I can't understand how people enjoy wonderbread, especially when it's the only option at JJ's. Their BLT is awful too, cold and no flavor whatsoever, even when warmed up
@@ynwa8459 I haven't ate anything in McDonald's in years. I don't eat any of this trash Americans feel qualifies as food. Probably why I'm shredded and in my 11th marathon this year this coming weekend.
One of their radio commercials was so memorable. Door bell rings over and over again and guy answers it and all the delivery people say "Jimmy Johns, did you know your house is on fire?" and he keeps telling them, "Yes, I know, grab a bucket." Then the Fire Department gets there, but the fire is already out, and they ask "why he didn't call the fire department first?" and he says "I did."
At a college in the Midwest (Ohio) I ate a lot of Jimmy John's. It was fast, cheap, fresh, delicious. They also did frequently cater small sandwiches that our faculty or student groups would sometimes give us for midterms or finals in the library as a pick me up. They have pretty good cookies and such.
I worked at Jimmy Johns for 6 years and the most prominent thing that stands out to me is quality. I think I would throw up just working in most fast food places. I literally ate at Jimmy Johns almost every shift (not everyday). I saw EVERYTHING that went on and it's all fresh, all good. Very impressive. Veggies and meats are all sliced in house. It's like what subway lies about being. It's really impressive.
I agree! Been to Subway several times here and more times then I can count the veggies were old, wilted and turning colors. You never ever or atleast I haven't gotten anything like that from JJ. Always fresh and always very good! Love the Cuban.
It's not that fresh, you slice every day but that doesn't get used until you go through the held stock from previous days. So you almost never get fresh meat or veggies. I also saw a manager one time tell a coworker to scoop a dying cricket out of the mayonnaise and wrap it back up.
@@skipfred I worked at a decently busy store but i've never personally seen meat or anything sit through more than two shifts (there are two shifts a day) so while you could get meat or cheese from the night before, you're never going to get it from over a day old. Again, this could just have been my store, but if i remember correctly this was policy. We threw out stuff if it was ever discovered older than 2 shifts. Same with veggies. I think the longest shelf life was the tuna but it was because of the ingredients and it still only could sit 3 shifts.
@@peytonmanning04 It's been quite a while (like 8 years) since I worked there so maybe they've changed the policy on this. Or my store just sucked haha.
@@skipfred same it's been about 5-6 years since i've worked at mine. Mine wasn't a corporate store but was one of the top ten busiest. I'd imagine a corporate store would be cleaner tho. Who knows. maybe just different management? I was a PIC for a while and I saw the handbook and safe and such. I do believe it was run to the book. Maybe yours wasn't.
Just finished my Jimmy John’s right before watching this. I used to hate JJs but I think their ingredients are quality and always fresh. Might not be the most glorious sandwich but is hard to beat for a quick and relatively inexpensive lunch.
@@ethanneutz2982 Interesting. I don't think much has changed with their food quality versus 17-20 years ago when they popped up in my area. I understand though as i thought similar about blimpie at the time.
I used to work at JJs and it was the best job I’ve ever had. Everything is made a very specific way down to the order you put the ingredients on the sandwich which took longer to learn but definitely leads to a better experience for customers. I had the opportunity to go through their training program in Champagne Illinois and it was such a great experience. You spend a week learning how to do every little thing and then have to past a test at the end of the week to become a certified Mayo master, I think I definitely leads to better management overall, I worked at three different stores over my career there and the only thing that changed was the people I worked with. During training they often told us that we should strive to be the best not the biggest and that definitely shows when visiting any restaurant. Highly recommend Jimmy John’s wether your a customer or looking for a place to work! The only reason I quit was to become a stay at home mom otherwise I’d probably be there until I retired honestly
I was a delivery driver for JJs and we were freaky fast and I agree the food was very fresh and great tasting. I do prefer Jersey Mike’s in taste and Jersey’s takes it a step further and cuts the meats and cheeses as you order it, and more variety. Favorite sub at Jimmy John’s is either the #1 + onions and hot peppers (ham and cheese) or the tuna Tom plus onions (secret ingredient of their tuna is soy sauce!)
Was in my local JJs a couple of weeks ago and openly remarked to the staff how clean everything was behind the counter, including the spotless makeline. It was impressive and refreshing ordering food in a restaurant where the work ethic, rather than tacitly encouraging employees to stand around when there’s nothing to do, but instead emphasized cleanliness, store presentation, and that there’s always something that needs doing at a successful business.
It's easy to keep a restaurant clean when there's no fryers, grills, or hot oil of any kind. Hard part was the cold tables when they would get icy or messy MFs would get a bunch of condiments down there
Best manager I ever had said the best line I ever heard as an employee, "If you have time to lean, you have time to clean!" Thanks L.P. for the best advice I've ever heard on the job. 🙂
More than seeing JJ's as the 4th biggest sandwich place, I was surprised to see Portillo's on the chart you showed. Would love to see a video about them in the future, including some of the history of the Portillo family, which is pretty interesting.
Literally just had them last Friday for the first time visiting Chicago. Surprised by the number of people just coming through and ordering stuff. The cake shake was an experience to say the least.
As a West Virginian who married a woman from the Chicago area, Portillo's is strange to me. I mean, relish, pickle and tomato on a hot dog? Who comes up with that? Mustard, ketchup, onions, chili, and cole slaw is how you make a real hot dog.
@@KamenRiderGumo You've bastardized the proper description of a Chicago-Style Hot Dog. Check this: Relish, pickle, tomato, sport peppers, white onion, celery salt. That is the most delicious thing ever done to a hot dog.
When I was in college In worked at Jimmy John's as the freakiest fastest delivery boy there ever was. Even though I ate 1000's of free (stolen) subs while I worked they're still good and consistent.
Jimmy John’s always hits the spot but my favorite will always remain as Jersey Mike’s. Jimmy John’s does have a simple menu but it’s the way they work with it to deliver a great sandwich.
I think Jimmy John’s is wildly underrated for the quality of their food. It just tastes fresher than most other places. I love the club lulu and turkey Tom. By far my favorite subs there! 🙌🏼
I’ve had a lot of family attend EIU (and actually went to HS with the son of the local franchisee) so Jimmy John’s has always been pretty close to my heart and I’ve always enjoyed it. As for the delivery radius they will literally map out and drive around what the five minute boundary is, and boom, there’s your delivery area.
I used to live right down the street from one and it was in a shopping center where every other restaurant there delivered to my apartment…except for Jimmy John’s 🤷♂️
That's kind of insane to think about. Jimmy John's has picked some very decent places in my area and now I find out Arby's is like a sister company that is in a similar market, just as well placed establishments, but Arby's pretty much slashed half of their locations in some areas. The only one close is literally an hour to hour an a half drive now instead of 10 minutes. It was kind of sad to see so many sandwich shops close up during the pandemic but its nice to see that quality that earned itself some reputation still hang in there.
When I was in Community College, I used to order JJ for delivery quite a lot. It never dawned on me that they probably opened specifically because of college business like that. Even still, the quickness with which they deliver sandwiches is crazy. The absolute longest I’ve ever had to wait for a JJ sandwich is probably ten minutes from placing the order. That’s pretty impressive in my opinion.
Never worked at JJ’s, but they’re one of my favorite sub joints. I swear it’s something with the bread that makes it so good. I could eat their bread every day
I work at one and I will proudly say, we hate your guts. No seriously unless the people working there ACTUALLY like the job, we legit bitch at you soon as you leave and shit talk every delivery we see. Just being honest. But we do everything as fresh as possible. Closings are pain staking long and openings take ages. Through out the day we just hate every person we see. So next time you go into one, remember to just hurry up the order. No "uh let me think give me a second" or "OH wait I forgot can you do No tomatoes and add hot peppers." If you know everything before hand you probably will just be forgotten
I read somewhere that Alice Cooper was one of Jimmy Johns' first famous fans. What happened was he was on tour (forgot exactly where?) and Jimmy John convinced Alice's management to cater his crew. Apparently Alice Cooper was on his private jet after the show and he took a couple bites of the sandwich and he couldn't stop talking about it
I love Jimmy John’s! They’re my go to when I need lunch or dinner FAST that I can throw into my backpack for work later. I love their roast beef and add the kickin’ ranch every time!
Worked at JJ for a couple of years as a driver and I'll say this, trying to deliver within a 2 mile radius with multiple orders coming in was a nightmare. Especially if it was just me and/or another driver. The sandwiches were good. I usually get the ultimate porker with extra peppers, oregano and onions along with the kickin ranch
I love JJ's. My typical experience "I'd like a number 7, no mayo" and then I hear a groan because the guy had already put mayo on the bread, 1 millisecond after I said "7". Freaky Fast!
To the ignorant repliers (you could have just looked this up), it's wrapped in a sturdy wrap of lettuce, and it holds it together well, and you hardly notice the lettuce. The meat doesn't fall out of it; it's cleaner than eating a burrito.
@@PortugueseKeto Yes, and I used to go there a LOT buy like you it's now more of a treat because they very cleverly and subtly but steadily raised the prices. They used to be a great bargain but no doubt that was part of their scheme all along :) Actually, very smart of them, and well executed in hooking the public then slowly doing that.
Great video. you've reminded me of what someone once said ❤ Your assets are your employees. Invest more on those performing well. Let the non-performers go
I work at a Jimmy John's that opened a few months ago, and they are currently about to fire a quarter of their staff due to not that many sales coming in. And despite us being "overstuffed" we're always still somehow understaffed anytime a rush comes through. I really don't get why anyone would eat there, their food is very overpriced and not even that good. Most sandwiches will cost you $9-10 when you could go anywhere else for more food at a cheaper price. And don't get me started on how stingy we're supposed to be with portions and such (even on NAPKINS). The drivers also really get fucked over, making $4 less per hour than the rest of the staff (a dollar over minimum wage) while still having to do most of the work regular workers have to do. And no, tips don't really make up for it, best case scenario you'll break even, assuming you aren't using your car, in which case you're just borrowing the equity out of your car for money now because they only pay you like 53 cents a mile which comes nowhere near making up for gas + wear on your car. And they have a really shift system called split shifts, meaning you're going to be spending even more of your day around work with less pay. And they treat that like a "break," no bitch that's you having me clock out w/o paying me for two hours and coming back so you can have me for the next rush. And lately they've been cracking down on everything even more to increase profits, reducing the amount of food employees can get with employee meals, having us underdo portions, stuff like that. My coworker and I are trying to unionize with not much success, and unfortunately they slashed my hours into the single digits and I'm hoping they don't fire me. tl;dr Jimmy John's sucks just like every other company ever for its workers and its staff. What's even worse is that you're paying casual dining prices for a fast-food experience. I would not recommend going here.
Their sandwiches are literally just 8 inches of low-quality bread with a tablespoon of mayo, lettuce, 4 tomato slices, and then some meat and cheese. You could buy the ingredients to eat that at a store for less than you pay there. Would be about the same quality too.
Jimmy J's got me through many college nights...and some mornings! Their speed is unmatched and was perfect for late-night study and "study" sessions! I might be behind on you seeing these, but you should eventually take a look at Wizards of the Coast. It's been insane for the last sixish years.
I thought this was going to be "Why They Failed" there were half a dozen in my market for a year or two but they all closed down after the news about the CEO being a trophy hunter came out Rochester straight up boycotted them out of business around here. I've never seen one anywhere else since 2019. The tweet of him giving a thumbs up while sitting on a dead elephant was *tasteless*
This is the comment I came here looking for. They’re the most convenient restaurant to my home but I have never and will never eat there for that reason.
Company Man, your videos are very well researched and very informative. Great job, like always. JJ's is consistently a decent fresh sub and you can't beat the "freaky fast delivery". These are my ratings on the mainstream sub shops: 1. Jersey Mike's 2. Jimmy John's (very close to Jersey Mike's, but JM's has the Mike's way toppings where they are super liberal with the olive oil and red wine vinegar and they have hot subs. Both have real fresh ingredients. 3. Penn Station 4. Quizno's (not many left anymore). 5. Firehouse (way overrated, but better than Subway. But that isn't saying much). 6. Shitway (oops I mean Subway). Between their non-tuna tuna and their nasty sugary bread and last year's cold cuts, not much to love there.
Used to work as a delivery driver at JJ. Loved it! Those guys made work fun to show up to and I made BANK on tips. Food quality was good. Jimmy John's is the model fast food company.
It's been 12 years since I've had my last Jimmy John's sandwich (moved to different country), and i can still recall the taste. Best sandwiches I've ever had.
When I went through Jimmy John's corporate training, Jimmy spoke to everyone in that class. I'll never forget his 30 minutes of rambling that he was 1/16 black and if a young African American man like himself could make it in America the anyone could. I'm pretty sure he was on cocaine. True story.
I worked at JJs for 3 years and watched my mangers get absolutely destroyed mentally and get fucked by our franchise owner, employees get treated like absolute dog shit and even though Jimmy John himself was hands on at the start, I never once heard of anyone from the actual head Jimmy John’s corporation showing up or talking to our owner or mangers after over 1100 days of working there. I now work at a Jersey Mikes and I can solidly say I will never be looking back or even thinking twice about my decision to leave. Also despite the delivery zones being small, in my store we only had 1-2 drivers max on a shift and there were plenty of times I saw orders taking over 30 minutes to be delivered. Jersey mikes absolutely shatters Jimmy John’s in quality since the produce level is equal, but Jersey mikes has better meat and slicing it fresh makes such a huge difference, also Jersey mikes actually COOKS THE FUCKING BACON. This is my third edit after seeing the video, quality is not there, vegetables are the only area where it can be deemed quality. The roast beef is well flavored but not exactly and it doesn’t look that pretty in the bag before you slice it, the turkey is horrendous when it’s unpackaged, the salami is average along with the ham. The bread is okay but the outer crust is hard and it’s super chewy and sometimes hard to pull apart without a fair amount of effort. I cannot express enough how much I despise this company after wasting so much of my time there. The only thing I can take away from it is that it I knew I literally could only go up considering no job would be shittier than working for Jimmy John’s again.
Despite having Jimmy Johns as a food option basically my whole life, I never really gave it a fair shot until 2015 when I went to EIU in Charleston, Illinois, home of the first Jimmy John's. Sadly, the location they have there now is a newer building just right down the street from the first location. But after my first ultimate porker with cheese and dijon, I fell in love. They have a few display cases of old Jimmy John's memorabilia. Some of the locals had memorabilia as well, and I traded a dimebag to one of them for an old pin that said "Hot Buns". I regret to say I lost it when I moved back home to St. Louis area, but I like to think that some freshman found it and wore it while partying like a fucking legend, Chuck Vegas style. So many good memories.
Jimmy John was a year behind me in high school. I do remember where he lived and the group he hung out with. Definitely the guy that made it big in that high school, so cool to see.
@@dcastnick7064 I've lived in Manhattan all my life? I am on E 103rd and Park Ave, literally can see Central Park 1 block away from me. Yes, I am the poor and jealous classmate. Where do you live? In the middle of no where in the woods?
My first Jimmy John’s sandwich was delivered on campus in Springfield, Missouri. They are everywhere there. Also their kettle chips are never talked about as much as they should be.
But yet Quiznos has all but disappeared. I think their biggest problem was nobody wanted to pay the premium prices for a sandwich back then. Now a standard footlong at Subway is $10. Only sandwich cheaper is the cold cut combo and it’s even $8, was $5 just a couple years ago.
Yeah Subway dropped the whole $5 footlong like a bad habit. Carl's Jr / Hardy's had to do the same thing with their "Six Dollar Buger", which was their fancy $4 burger. Now everything there is over $6 so the gimmick had to be abandoned. Gone are the days when you could get a solid burger and drink a whole gallon of gasoline for like $5.
Jimmy John's makes sandwiches faster than any other submarine sandwich shop I've ever tried. You show up at the counter, make your order, and before you even have time to sit down, it's done! It's like magic.
Man. I worked at Jimmy John's for several years. I worked for multiple locations. One in a college town (Bloomington, IN) I have to admit, it's the best place I've ever worked. I remember going in first thing in the morning and squeezing tuna for over an hour. Everything really is fresh. I delivered on a bicycle and in my car. Their cleanliness standards are absolutely insane. Cleanest restaurant I've ever worked for. Seriously they are so anal about being clean. I can't imagine the department of health EVER coming after a Jimmy Johns. Especially not with all these other nasty ass restaurants around.....
I used to deliver for Jimmy John's, as others have said: absolutely they take speed, freshness, and accuracy seriously. Yes, if you order during lunch rush in a business/industrial district it may take more than 5 minutes to get your sandwich but that driver likely has two other orders in their car
JJ's is one of those restaurants where you know you will get EXACTLY what you want when you want it, and you'll never be dissatisfied with it. Their ingredients are fresher than any other sandwich place out there. I always get either the Club Lulu, or the Ultimate Porker with BBQ chips on the side. Oh, and let's not forget about their chips and cookies! Absolutely delicious!
I work at one and the conditions are way better than a regular fast food chain like mcdonalds or burger king. Its not dirty and is kept up really well in the kitchen.
Love this video and channel. Not sure if i missed it, but it would be great if you can define what "success" means in your videos. Certain sales dollar amount, well-known brand, more stores than any other sandwich shop etc. How do you quantify success? Again, great job 👏 !
First time I had Jimmy Johns I was blown away as the only chain sandwiches I ever had was Subway. I was surprised to learn it was a franchise and thought it was a local deli given how it tasted.
I am a delivery driver for Jimmy John’s. I have had a lot of fun being a delivery driver and the food is always fresh. I have seen quite a few comments saying there is barely any meat on there and I do agree personally. But hey I would much rather get a little less food that is actually fresh rather than more that tastes horrible. Also if you never tried the kickin ranch it is great! I don’t plan to work here much longer but if you are in high school looking for an easy job then I recommend it!
I just need to add, the atmosphere and the quality of food brings back my regulars. There are people that have eaten at my store almost every day at lunch for many years.
I remember when I was in high school I'd end up stopping by JJs on my home from the bus stop multiple times a week...the bread is just on another level lol
JJ’s and Jersey Mike’s are an even split for me. I can’t describe what it is but some days I feel like having JJ’s and others Jersey Mike’s. I hear many people say the bread is too hard at JJ’s but I actually like it a lot and sure it takes a bit longer to to chew through it but that means I get to enjoy the sandwich for longer. JJ’s and Jersey Mike’s definitely score high on quality more than any other chains local to me.
JJ seems to have skinny subs with few options as far as the ingredients. Feel like you better know exactly what to say when it’s your turn to order lol. I understand that “having it your way” slows down the whole process. So I tend to always get the Vito with all the freebies lol. But Jersey Mikes has a more standard or even wider sandwich size wise. And they are all better than that dog food place known as Subway 😂
As someone that only has a subway in my small town, it is a treat to eat at a JJs. The bread tastes better, the atmosphere is not chaotic with que lines going out the door as one highschool student rubs his last two braincells together to take 5mins to put on a single slice of cheese!
I worked there this summer and feel in love with the sandwiches. Specifically #13, the Cubano, is what I keep coming back for lol The franchisee I worked for was awful tho. Completely incompetent at running a sub shop and any profits we made for him was in spite of him
My local stores: the price went up, the filling went down. Now its 2 slices of meat, 1 slice of cheese, a Massive handful of lettuce, 2 tomato slices 😡😡
It’s great fresh food for the price. Why can’t other places understand this? You can get a giant sub that’s two meals for a regular person for like $16. Used to get it all the time when I lived downtown. Tons of meat, they don’t skimp on it like subway. Taste great and doesn’t bog you down like other fast food.
Used to work at a jimmy johns and there are two main things that could warrant a "fall" video in the future. The first is inspire actually since every few months they introduce a limited time sandwich which while usually do good throws a wrench in things since their a lot more complicated than the normal menu, involves a lot more prep work, and made ordering produce for the week. Corporate audits of a thing so store so the general standard has been slipping but I don't remember if that was because of covid or even if that was a franchise specific issue. The second one is staffing, because JJs markets being freaky fast and being able to handle I higher number of customers a day then it's competitors so a fully sized store can need anywhere from 10-15 employees during lunch rush to be fully staffed, and that's not counting delivery drivers. When you don't, delivery and inshop times start to take a nosedive which does effect sales and the amount of people willing to come back.
6:28: EVERY major fast food chain and sandwich operation is franchised! Why is this any different from Subway, Jersey Mikes, McDonalds, Wendy's, Burger King and on and on! And just all the other franchisers, they soak their franchisees with royalty fees, "advertising" fee and all kinds of charges.
I've never been in a Jimmy Johns. I've had them through work (maybe because they are cheap). I haven't been impressed but may be due to the basic sandwiches we've gotten. There is a Jersey Mike's which is fairly new and I've been thinking of doing that to see how it is.
There is a local franchisee that has about 4 or 5 of them in the area that we provide HVAC for. I don't know if it's just this owners JJs but they are in the top 5 cleanest kitchens I have ever seen... and I have seen a lot. Very impressed
Jimmy John is 'one of the most unlikely success stories'.... Guy goes to a private school and gets $25,000 in the 1980s from his dad. Yeah he really defied the odds lol
When talking about quality. Their business coaches are insanely meticulous. Weights of meats, measurements of veggies, and uniform standards. Store managers tend to not make what they deserve it is crazy how little some make if you aren't the franchisee. There are a lot of good things but a lot of bad things. Like the contract you have to sign saying you won't work for another sandwich shop for like 2 years i think they did away with that but it was too much at times.
I always get the Lil John Vito sandwich. The smaller ones make the meat seem plentiful and they have the freshest veggies! The free sandwich incentive comes around pretty fast too!
I really want to see an H-E-B video. With them opening up more and more in Texas along with them always on the top ten grocery stores while only being in one state
tried them a couple of times and the sandwiches were just ok. one day saw my next door neighbor get JJ delivery. i had a craving so i tried to order and they said i was outside of their delivery radius. i literally just saw a delivery driver at my next door neighbor! afterward i swore off Jimmy Johns
As I said in my comment (Knew the son of a franchise owner), they literally map/drive out the radius before the store opens so they know they’ll make it in that delivery window. This did not soothe my pain when I literally was on the wrong side of the street in college of their delivery radius 😂.
As an employee it's mostly likely your neighbor had their order approved by accident but since they paid we had to send it out regardless it happens sometimes
I used to clean the main corporate office of Jimmy John's. The absolute mess the office was constantly in (popcorn thrown everywhere) plus the sexual banter the staff engaged in convinced me to NEVER eat at JJ ever again, and I haven't.
I eat JJ a few times per week. Fast, cheap, and always quality simple sandwiches. Protip: you can buy 16 inch one-day-old loaves of bread for $0.50 each at any JJ. Super cheap, quality bread. Makes amazing garlic bread too. Usually I'll grab a loaf or two every time. My local JJ has gotten to know me so well that when they see my mobile order, they'll often just go ahead and thrown in a day old loaf no charge. Always super friendly staff.
A few years ago, I would order JJs at least once a week and have it delivered to my office. Once, it arrived in less than 2 minutes. When my coworkers saw, they actually said, “ Wow that was freaky fast. How did they get here so fast?”
When I worked at Univ of Illinois I was thrilled when Jimmy Johns opened around the corner from my office. Where I live now Jimmy Johns is the top sandwich place. The only time we hear about Subway is when they get another health violation and I went to Jersey Mike's once, it took 20 minutes to get a sandwich. No thanks.
I order JJs about twice a month and they will continue to get my business since it is hands down the cheapest food delivery you can buy. $1 is amazing on a $7 sandwich, great value so I'm a repeat customer
Still always love the hard work you put into company history! I eat there a few times a year but I do prefer Firehouse subs personally. Sorry but I still gotta bug you about a "bigger than you know" episode of the J.R. Simplot Company request lol. Thanks for doing what you do!
Several years ago I ordered a sandwich from a location less than a mile from my house. It took an hour for them to deliver the wrong sandwich. That was my first and last experience with Jimmy John's.
Jimmy John's has permanently etched itself into my brain because they have Danny Devito and Robert Barone advertising for them along with hand-made subs (?)
This channel is always interesting. The main reason I love Jimmy John's, besides what you listed, is you don't have to pick 20 options. You can just say #4 and be done with it. Subway use to be cool cause I could pick 20 options. But then the curse happened that I always find myself behind the person who takes 20 years to pick them options at lunch break.
There was a Jimmy John's where I used to live in Missouri. I always loved eating there for a quick lunch or supper. Unfortunately, there isn't one near me now, and it is one of the restaurants that I do miss.
Used to work at JJ's and I can personally attest that everything is PAINSTAKINGLY hand prepared every single morning. Most restaurants can show up an hour before opening flip on the lights turn on the stove and they're ready to start serving but we used to be in the store at 5am every morning for prep. To this day I will back JJ's 100% in a "best sandwich" conversation.
i drank so many monsters when i was a store opener
Omg yes down to the damn bread. Which always smelled sooo good while baking. But the turkey? No thanks 😭😭
But slicing the Beef is always the worst.
Jeez and I thought dough, veggies and sauce prep at 8 AM at little Caesars was sucky.
thats pretty funny because thats exactly how it was when i used to work at taco bell. drop the beef and chicken in the heater, pour bunn water on the beans and youre ready to go within the hour
I was a delivery driver for JJs in college for a couple years. Fastest delivery I ever personally completed was 4 minutes from hanging up the phone to knocking on the door, proud of that one. Fun job
So how did you make the sandwich in under 4 min and get it delivered?
@@Mr.DISRESPECT work fast. Small order. Close delivery 🤷♂️
Unless the person lived across the street, no way you made the sandwich and delivered it in 4 mins
@@Mr.DISRESPECT sandwhiches take like 30 seconds tops to make - also a Jimmy John's delivery driver
@@hmoobmeeka Depends on where you live and traffic. If it's rush hour in a major car dependent city, þe only way it's delivered in 4 minutes is if þe person who ordered it was too lazy to walk next door. If it's a smaller town, more walkable city, or when people aren't driving, 4 minutes is a larger radius, especially wiþ a car.
I think one of their most memorable radio ad campaigns was the biker who biked too fast and got in trouble with the police, immortalized their name in my young mind permanently.
The fire dept was great too.
Why didn't u call them first..
long pause
We did
I worked at Jimmy Johns for a few years in my early 20s. They have the most intense corporate audits I've ever seen. They REALLY keep things clean and food fresh, they follow all the procedures, despite the staff all being teens and 20 somethings. It's really impressive, I was blown away while I worked there. I know that if I eat at a JJ's, it'll be spotless, clean food, clean floor, clean everything.
i got one with old tomatoes the only time i tried i just think this place is just bad compared to which wich and subway.
@@asrr62 old tomatoes? they slice them fresh daily and throw them away if they aren't sold. maybe their cooler was broken or something.
@@zombiesingularitymaybe someone didn't date the stuff correctly / forgot to throw away old stuff
It feels good to have a good sandwich in a good place given in a good time, and it feels good to help give that to people
In 2023 what is the early 20s?
I don't live in the US anymore, but I always make it a point when I do go back to visit to stop by Jimmy John's. I can never figure out why I crave it so much, but I guess as you mentioned the freshness and simplicity have always made me like it. A beach club with a pickle and salt and vinegar chips is something my dreams are made of!
I have a theory it tastes better the less it is eaten (yeah this makes no sense). For some reason if i eat them more than once a week- the second time isn't half as good as the first. Haven't been in a few months, but think this video has me going soon and i bet it's amazing. I also haven't bought their day old bread to make cheese garlic bread in years- shame on me.
JJs just hits the spot, especially during the hot summers when you really want fresh, quality ingredients. In my mind they are a step up from Subway.
JJs absolutely destroys Subway imo. Like it's not even close
I agree with other reply. I don't think I've been to subway in over ten years. Jimmy John's might be the best chain sandwich shop and is at least in the discussion. Only reason I used to go to subway more was better price, but quality kept going down to the point i was done. My only complaint about jimmy johns is i don't go often, so i usually buy enough food for two people and eat it in one night regardless of telling myself I'll make two meals out of it. More of a compliment than a complaint 🤣
Also their day old bread makes some of the best cheese garlic bread one can make at home.
Yeah I don't shit my brains out after eating JJ like I do subway.
Dog food is a step up from Subway.
Helped open store #5 in Urbana back in '92. Jimmy came in for the grand opening and was working the line with the rest of us schlubs. Got to shoot the shit with him after the lunch rush, hell of a guy. Btw, "subs so fast you'll freak" was the eventual tagline winner, but "the best 9 inches you'll ever have in your mouth" was the employee favorite at the Lincoln Avenue store.
Edit: store #3 in Champaign was in a strip mall with a bar/laundromat called Suds. I'd spend many a Sunday over there lol. Btw, that picture on the wall of the kid in the chef's hat surrounded by meats and cheeses? That's Jimmy, about age 22.
That sign has been replaced
I worked from about 2003-2006 for JJ, and the slogan at the time was "Damn good, Damn fast".....even the whiners got that one taken down.
Sandwiches are 8 inches, what do you mean by 9
@@time502 in 1992 we used 18" loaves, cut in half.
@@spddiesel oof I was a fetus my bad haha
"I don't want to be the biggest, I want to be the best at what I do."
These are the most wise words I've heard in a long time.
Jimmy John's is hands-down my favorite, mainly for the freshness of the ingredients and the simplicity.
It's basically a big piece of bread sprinkled with meat and cheese LOL. I don't support any of these 'sandwich' shops.
I can't understand how people enjoy wonderbread, especially when it's the only option at JJ's. Their BLT is awful too, cold and no flavor whatsoever, even when warmed up
@@JakeobE probably why this country is fatter than ever. All they eat is bread!
@@TraumaER McDonald’s is a frozen patty put on a bun, at least this is freshly prepped everyday
@@ynwa8459 I haven't ate anything in McDonald's in years. I don't eat any of this trash Americans feel qualifies as food. Probably why I'm shredded and in my 11th marathon this year this coming weekend.
One of their radio commercials was so memorable. Door bell rings over and over again and guy answers it and all the delivery people say "Jimmy Johns, did you know your house is on fire?" and he keeps telling them, "Yes, I know, grab a bucket." Then the Fire Department gets there, but the fire is already out, and they ask "why he didn't call the fire department first?" and he says "I did."
At a college in the Midwest (Ohio) I ate a lot of Jimmy John's. It was fast, cheap, fresh, delicious. They also did frequently cater small sandwiches that our faculty or student groups would sometimes give us for midterms or finals in the library as a pick me up. They have pretty good cookies and such.
I worked at Jimmy Johns for 6 years and the most prominent thing that stands out to me is quality. I think I would throw up just working in most fast food places. I literally ate at Jimmy Johns almost every shift (not everyday). I saw EVERYTHING that went on and it's all fresh, all good. Very impressive. Veggies and meats are all sliced in house. It's like what subway lies about being. It's really impressive.
I agree! Been to Subway several times here and more times then I can count the veggies were old, wilted and turning colors. You never ever or atleast I haven't gotten anything like that from JJ. Always fresh and always very good! Love the Cuban.
It's not that fresh, you slice every day but that doesn't get used until you go through the held stock from previous days. So you almost never get fresh meat or veggies. I also saw a manager one time tell a coworker to scoop a dying cricket out of the mayonnaise and wrap it back up.
@@skipfred I worked at a decently busy store but i've never personally seen meat or anything sit through more than two shifts (there are two shifts a day) so while you could get meat or cheese from the night before, you're never going to get it from over a day old. Again, this could just have been my store, but if i remember correctly this was policy. We threw out stuff if it was ever discovered older than 2 shifts. Same with veggies. I think the longest shelf life was the tuna but it was because of the ingredients and it still only could sit 3 shifts.
@@peytonmanning04 It's been quite a while (like 8 years) since I worked there so maybe they've changed the policy on this. Or my store just sucked haha.
@@skipfred same it's been about 5-6 years since i've worked at mine. Mine wasn't a corporate store but was one of the top ten busiest. I'd imagine a corporate store would be cleaner tho. Who knows. maybe just different management? I was a PIC for a while and I saw the handbook and safe and such. I do believe it was run to the book. Maybe yours wasn't.
Just finished my Jimmy John’s right before watching this. I used to hate JJs but I think their ingredients are quality and always fresh. Might not be the most glorious sandwich but is hard to beat for a quick and relatively inexpensive lunch.
Agree
Depends on the franchise
What didn't you like about them at first?
@@uhoh7541 I just thought it was super bland and plain. However, I must say, I hadn’t had it but a few times before a year or so ago
@@ethanneutz2982 Interesting. I don't think much has changed with their food quality versus 17-20 years ago when they popped up in my area. I understand though as i thought similar about blimpie at the time.
I used to work at JJs and it was the best job I’ve ever had. Everything is made a very specific way down to the order you put the ingredients on the sandwich which took longer to learn but definitely leads to a better experience for customers. I had the opportunity to go through their training program in Champagne Illinois and it was such a great experience. You spend a week learning how to do every little thing and then have to past a test at the end of the week to become a certified Mayo master, I think I definitely leads to better management overall, I worked at three different stores over my career there and the only thing that changed was the people I worked with. During training they often told us that we should strive to be the best not the biggest and that definitely shows when visiting any restaurant. Highly recommend Jimmy John’s wether your a customer or looking for a place to work! The only reason I quit was to become a stay at home mom otherwise I’d probably be there until I retired honestly
I used to work for Jimmy John's as a delivery driver. Actually fun to be there. Good sandwiches too.
a jimmy jones delivery guy had an affair with my mom he used to come to deliver sandwich and fcuk my mom
I rarely go to Jimmy Johns but when I do it’s a treat. They’re always clean and the food is always great!
I was a delivery driver for JJs and we were freaky fast and I agree the food was very fresh and great tasting. I do prefer Jersey Mike’s in taste and Jersey’s takes it a step further and cuts the meats and cheeses as you order it, and more variety. Favorite sub at Jimmy John’s is either the #1 + onions and hot peppers (ham and cheese) or the tuna Tom plus onions (secret ingredient of their tuna is soy sauce!)
Was in my local JJs a couple of weeks ago and openly remarked to the staff how clean everything was behind the counter, including the spotless makeline. It was impressive and refreshing ordering food in a restaurant where the work ethic, rather than tacitly encouraging employees to stand around when there’s nothing to do, but instead emphasized cleanliness, store presentation, and that there’s always something that needs doing at a successful business.
It's easy to keep a restaurant clean when there's no fryers, grills, or hot oil of any kind. Hard part was the cold tables when they would get icy or messy MFs would get a bunch of condiments down there
Best manager I ever had said the best line I ever heard as an employee, "If you have time to lean, you have time to clean!" Thanks L.P. for the best advice I've ever heard on the job. 🙂
I agree with this. Jimmy John's and Chick-fil-A are the two cleanest chains...
More than seeing JJ's as the 4th biggest sandwich place, I was surprised to see Portillo's on the chart you showed. Would love to see a video about them in the future, including some of the history of the Portillo family, which is pretty interesting.
Literally just had them last Friday for the first time visiting Chicago. Surprised by the number of people just coming through and ordering stuff. The cake shake was an experience to say the least.
It's a Chicago institution!
As a West Virginian who married a woman from the Chicago area, Portillo's is strange to me. I mean, relish, pickle and tomato on a hot dog? Who comes up with that? Mustard, ketchup, onions, chili, and cole slaw is how you make a real hot dog.
@@KamenRiderGumo You've bastardized the proper description of a Chicago-Style Hot Dog. Check this:
Relish, pickle, tomato, sport peppers, white onion, celery salt.
That is the most delicious thing ever done to a hot dog.
no naruto wanna be
When I was in college In worked at Jimmy John's as the freakiest fastest delivery boy there ever was. Even though I ate 1000's of free (stolen) subs while I worked they're still good and consistent.
Hunter's Club, not complicated by any means but the quality ingredients make it a delicious treat.
Jimmy John’s always hits the spot but my favorite will always remain as Jersey Mike’s. Jimmy John’s does have a simple menu but it’s the way they work with it to deliver a great sandwich.
Jersey Mike's is absolutely the better sub shop. Jimmy's a close second.
I think Jimmy John’s is wildly underrated for the quality of their food. It just tastes fresher than most other places. I love the club lulu and turkey Tom. By far my favorite subs there! 🙌🏼
JJs and jersey mikes I'll take any day over a shifty subway
@@franciscomiranda1471 shifty subway 🤣🤣 made me laugh
I’ve had a lot of family attend EIU (and actually went to HS with the son of the local franchisee) so Jimmy John’s has always been pretty close to my heart and I’ve always enjoyed it. As for the delivery radius they will literally map out and drive around what the five minute boundary is, and boom, there’s your delivery area.
Ah so your taste is garbage, you'd probably eat trash and give it a 5 star review
I used to live right down the street from one and it was in a shopping center where every other restaurant there delivered to my apartment…except for Jimmy John’s 🤷♂️
The one in Charleston is not a franchise.
@@C0RRUPTCUP5 I grew up in Minnesota; both sides of my family happen to be from Illinois.
You have an excellent voice for these types of videos.
That's kind of insane to think about. Jimmy John's has picked some very decent places in my area and now I find out Arby's is like a sister company that is in a similar market, just as well placed establishments, but Arby's pretty much slashed half of their locations in some areas. The only one close is literally an hour to hour an a half drive now instead of 10 minutes. It was kind of sad to see so many sandwich shops close up during the pandemic but its nice to see that quality that earned itself some reputation still hang in there.
When I was in Community College, I used to order JJ for delivery quite a lot.
It never dawned on me that they probably opened specifically because of college business like that.
Even still, the quickness with which they deliver sandwiches is crazy. The absolute longest I’ve ever had to wait for a JJ sandwich is probably ten minutes from placing the order. That’s pretty impressive in my opinion.
Never worked at JJ’s, but they’re one of my favorite sub joints. I swear it’s something with the bread that makes it so good. I could eat their bread every day
I work at one and I will proudly say, we hate your guts. No seriously unless the people working there ACTUALLY like the job, we legit bitch at you soon as you leave and shit talk every delivery we see. Just being honest. But we do everything as fresh as possible. Closings are pain staking long and openings take ages. Through out the day we just hate every person we see. So next time you go into one, remember to just hurry up the order. No "uh let me think give me a second" or "OH wait I forgot can you do No tomatoes and add hot peppers." If you know everything before hand you probably will just be forgotten
French Bread
If you go right before they close, there's a chance you might get offered a bunch of the bread because they'll have to toss it.
I read somewhere that Alice Cooper was one of Jimmy Johns' first famous fans. What happened was he was on tour (forgot exactly where?) and Jimmy John convinced Alice's management to cater his crew. Apparently Alice Cooper was on his private jet after the show and he took a couple bites of the sandwich and he couldn't stop talking about it
Really digging their new ads with Brad Garret .
Everybody Loves Raymond
I love Jimmy John’s! They’re my go to when I need lunch or dinner FAST that I can throw into my backpack for work later. I love their roast beef and add the kickin’ ranch every time!
Worked at JJ for a couple of years as a driver and I'll say this, trying to deliver within a 2 mile radius with multiple orders coming in was a nightmare. Especially if it was just me and/or another driver. The sandwiches were good. I usually get the ultimate porker with extra peppers, oregano and onions along with the kickin ranch
I love JJ's. My typical experience "I'd like a number 7, no mayo" and then I hear a groan because the guy had already put mayo on the bread, 1 millisecond after I said "7".
Freaky Fast!
As a low-carb devotee, I love their breadless “unwiches”. They can be a bit expensive so it’s a rare treat when we get Jimmy John’s.
@@iamReddington are you saying it’s not worth eating out if you don’t get bread on your sandwich? Lol ok you do you.
Would that not be just a salad?🤔 trying to picture that? Or maybe a lettuce wrap?
To the ignorant repliers (you could have just looked this up), it's wrapped in a sturdy wrap of lettuce, and it holds it together well, and you hardly notice the lettuce. The meat doesn't fall out of it; it's cleaner than eating a burrito.
@@Bill_Woo well said thank you
@@PortugueseKeto Yes, and I used to go there a LOT buy like you it's now more of a treat because they very cleverly and subtly but steadily raised the prices. They used to be a great bargain but no doubt that was part of their scheme all along :) Actually, very smart of them, and well executed in hooking the public then slowly doing that.
The food is awesome and the service is fast and friendly. Simple menu is a plus in my eyes...
Great video. you've reminded me of what someone once said ❤ Your assets are your employees. Invest more on those performing well. Let the non-performers go
Assets that can make you rich
Crypto
Stocks
Real estate
You're right
You see many people remain poor because of ignorance
@@marydavid528
Not because of ignorance, but because of too many scammers in the business
I work at a Jimmy John's that opened a few months ago, and they are currently about to fire a quarter of their staff due to not that many sales coming in. And despite us being "overstuffed" we're always still somehow understaffed anytime a rush comes through. I really don't get why anyone would eat there, their food is very overpriced and not even that good. Most sandwiches will cost you $9-10 when you could go anywhere else for more food at a cheaper price. And don't get me started on how stingy we're supposed to be with portions and such (even on NAPKINS). The drivers also really get fucked over, making $4 less per hour than the rest of the staff (a dollar over minimum wage) while still having to do most of the work regular workers have to do. And no, tips don't really make up for it, best case scenario you'll break even, assuming you aren't using your car, in which case you're just borrowing the equity out of your car for money now because they only pay you like 53 cents a mile which comes nowhere near making up for gas + wear on your car.
And they have a really shift system called split shifts, meaning you're going to be spending even more of your day around work with less pay. And they treat that like a "break," no bitch that's you having me clock out w/o paying me for two hours and coming back so you can have me for the next rush. And lately they've been cracking down on everything even more to increase profits, reducing the amount of food employees can get with employee meals, having us underdo portions, stuff like that. My coworker and I are trying to unionize with not much success, and unfortunately they slashed my hours into the single digits and I'm hoping they don't fire me.
tl;dr Jimmy John's sucks just like every other company ever for its workers and its staff. What's even worse is that you're paying casual dining prices for a fast-food experience. I would not recommend going here.
*overstaffed
This was the comment I was looking for. 100% agree. I don’t understand how they have such loyal customers paying for $10 basic sandwiches
10 dollars a sandwich is kinda cheap
Their sandwiches are literally just 8 inches of low-quality bread with a tablespoon of mayo, lettuce, 4 tomato slices, and then some meat and cheese. You could buy the ingredients to eat that at a store for less than you pay there. Would be about the same quality too.
Do one on Jersey Mikes plz!
🤔 You would say that.
Jersey Mike's is far superior to Jimmy John's and Subway!
Jimmy J's got me through many college nights...and some mornings! Their speed is unmatched and was perfect for late-night study and "study" sessions!
I might be behind on you seeing these, but you should eventually take a look at Wizards of the Coast. It's been insane for the last sixish years.
I thought this was going to be "Why They Failed" there were half a dozen in my market for a year or two but they all closed down after the news about the CEO being a trophy hunter came out Rochester straight up boycotted them out of business around here. I've never seen one anywhere else since 2019.
The tweet of him giving a thumbs up while sitting on a dead elephant was *tasteless*
This is the comment I came here looking for. They’re the most convenient restaurant to my home but I have never and will never eat there for that reason.
Cope and seethe
I do not think anything's wrong with trophy hunting
@@geoDB. I pays for most conservation, like normal hunting, not that PETA will ever recognize that...
Company Man, your videos are very well researched and very informative. Great job, like always. JJ's is consistently a decent fresh sub and you can't beat the "freaky fast delivery".
These are my ratings on the mainstream sub shops:
1. Jersey Mike's
2. Jimmy John's (very close to Jersey Mike's, but JM's has the Mike's way toppings where they are super liberal with the olive oil and red wine vinegar and they have hot subs. Both have real fresh ingredients.
3. Penn Station
4. Quizno's (not many left anymore).
5. Firehouse (way overrated, but better than Subway. But that isn't saying much).
6. Shitway (oops I mean Subway). Between their non-tuna tuna and their nasty sugary bread and last year's cold cuts, not much to love there.
Used to work as a delivery driver at JJ. Loved it! Those guys made work fun to show up to and I made BANK on tips. Food quality was good. Jimmy John's is the model fast food company.
It's been 12 years since I've had my last Jimmy John's sandwich (moved to different country), and i can still recall the taste. Best sandwiches I've ever had.
When I went through Jimmy John's corporate training, Jimmy spoke to everyone in that class. I'll never forget his 30 minutes of rambling that he was 1/16 black and if a young African American man like himself could make it in America the anyone could. I'm pretty sure he was on cocaine.
True story.
At this point, it's easy for me wanting to guess his political affiliation.
@@michaeldavisnj88 dude would go hunting for animals in Africa, so, yeah haha
@@nihilisticbarbie he had frozen Gator meat in the walk-in of the store I trained at.
@@nihilisticbarbie What country in Africa?
I'll bet African American Dave Matthews could one day be a stock holder in the company 😉😀🤔😏.
Love JJ and always have. I pull up to the drive thru and get my food fast, fresh, and cheap. You just can't beat it.
Number 4 is THE reason I love Jimmy John’s. I just want a simple sandwich and I want decent quality ingredients. Jimmy John’s always hits the spots
I worked at JJs for 3 years and watched my mangers get absolutely destroyed mentally and get fucked by our franchise owner, employees get treated like absolute dog shit and even though Jimmy John himself was hands on at the start, I never once heard of anyone from the actual head Jimmy John’s corporation showing up or talking to our owner or mangers after over 1100 days of working there. I now work at a Jersey Mikes and I can solidly say I will never be looking back or even thinking twice about my decision to leave. Also despite the delivery zones being small, in my store we only had 1-2 drivers max on a shift and there were plenty of times I saw orders taking over 30 minutes to be delivered. Jersey mikes absolutely shatters Jimmy John’s in quality since the produce level is equal, but Jersey mikes has better meat and slicing it fresh makes such a huge difference, also Jersey mikes actually COOKS THE FUCKING BACON.
This is my third edit after seeing the video, quality is not there, vegetables are the only area where it can be deemed quality. The roast beef is well flavored but not exactly and it doesn’t look that pretty in the bag before you slice it, the turkey is horrendous when it’s unpackaged, the salami is average along with the ham. The bread is okay but the outer crust is hard and it’s super chewy and sometimes hard to pull apart without a fair amount of effort. I cannot express enough how much I despise this company after wasting so much of my time there. The only thing I can take away from it is that it I knew I literally could only go up considering no job would be shittier than working for Jimmy John’s again.
I had Jimmy John's for dinner last night so this is such a coincidence! Their Turkey Tom is delicious! ;D
Despite having Jimmy Johns as a food option basically my whole life, I never really gave it a fair shot until 2015 when I went to EIU in Charleston, Illinois, home of the first Jimmy John's. Sadly, the location they have there now is a newer building just right down the street from the first location. But after my first ultimate porker with cheese and dijon, I fell in love. They have a few display cases of old Jimmy John's memorabilia. Some of the locals had memorabilia as well, and I traded a dimebag to one of them for an old pin that said "Hot Buns". I regret to say I lost it when I moved back home to St. Louis area, but I like to think that some freshman found it and wore it while partying like a fucking legend, Chuck Vegas style. So many good memories.
Jimmy John was a year behind me in high school. I do remember where he lived and the group he hung out with. Definitely the guy that made it big in that high school, so cool to see.
all he has is useless money
@@superstar5123 Found the salty, poorer, classmate^
@@dcastnick7064 I've lived in Manhattan all my life? I am on E 103rd and Park Ave, literally can see Central Park 1 block away from me. Yes, I am the poor and jealous classmate. Where do you live? In the middle of no where in the woods?
And I hung out with Mark Hamill in hs. Who would have thought he'd star in those overrated Star Wars movies...
@@superstar5123 living in the middle of nowhere is better then living in the middle of a city
Jimmy John's, Blimpies, Subway, Firehouse, Lenny's, Jersey Mike's... Out of these major Sandwich chains, I love Firehouse...
My first Jimmy John’s sandwich was delivered on campus in Springfield, Missouri. They are everywhere there. Also their kettle chips are never talked about as much as they should be.
But yet Quiznos has all but disappeared. I think their biggest problem was nobody wanted to pay the premium prices for a sandwich back then. Now a standard footlong at Subway is $10. Only sandwich cheaper is the cold cut combo and it’s even $8, was $5 just a couple years ago.
Yeah Subway dropped the whole $5 footlong like a bad habit. Carl's Jr / Hardy's had to do the same thing with their "Six Dollar Buger", which was their fancy $4 burger. Now everything there is over $6 so the gimmick had to be abandoned. Gone are the days when you could get a solid burger and drink a whole gallon of gasoline for like $5.
Jimmy John's makes sandwiches faster than any other submarine sandwich shop I've ever tried. You show up at the counter, make your order, and before you even have time to sit down, it's done! It's like magic.
Man. I worked at Jimmy John's for several years. I worked for multiple locations. One in a college town (Bloomington, IN)
I have to admit, it's the best place I've ever worked. I remember going in first thing in the morning and squeezing tuna for over an hour. Everything really is fresh. I delivered on a bicycle and in my car. Their cleanliness standards are absolutely insane. Cleanest restaurant I've ever worked for. Seriously they are so anal about being clean. I can't imagine the department of health EVER coming after a Jimmy Johns. Especially not with all these other nasty ass restaurants around.....
Are the 7 meats they serve turkey, ham, roast beef, tuna, chicken, salami, and ?
@@jamesw7072 Capocollo
I used to deliver for Jimmy John's, as others have said: absolutely they take speed, freshness, and accuracy seriously. Yes, if you order during lunch rush in a business/industrial district it may take more than 5 minutes to get your sandwich but that driver likely has two other orders in their car
JJ's is one of those restaurants where you know you will get EXACTLY what you want when you want it, and you'll never be dissatisfied with it. Their ingredients are fresher than any other sandwich place out there. I always get either the Club Lulu, or the Ultimate Porker with BBQ chips on the side. Oh, and let's not forget about their chips and cookies! Absolutely delicious!
Thats my exact order. Put the bbq chips on the sandwich! You can thank me later. :P
I work at one and the conditions are way better than a regular fast food chain like mcdonalds or burger king. Its not dirty and is kept up really well in the kitchen.
Love this video and channel. Not sure if i missed it, but it would be great if you can define what "success" means in your videos. Certain sales dollar amount, well-known brand, more stores than any other sandwich shop etc. How do you quantify success? Again, great job 👏 !
First time I had Jimmy Johns I was blown away as the only chain sandwiches I ever had was Subway. I was surprised to learn it was a franchise and thought it was a local deli given how it tasted.
I am a delivery driver for Jimmy John’s. I have had a lot of fun being a delivery driver and the food is always fresh. I have seen quite a few comments saying there is barely any meat on there and I do agree personally. But hey I would much rather get a little less food that is actually fresh rather than more that tastes horrible. Also if you never tried the kickin ranch it is great! I don’t plan to work here much longer but if you are in high school looking for an easy job then I recommend it!
Id actually like to see a video on Jersey Mikes as well.
I just need to add, the atmosphere and the quality of food brings back my regulars. There are people that have eaten at my store almost every day at lunch for many years.
I remember when I was in high school I'd end up stopping by JJs on my home from the bus stop multiple times a week...the bread is just on another level lol
Just want to say that I appreciate how clean and tidy JJ's are kept. Y'all are the In-N-Out of sandwiches, and that is high praise.
They totally messed up my to go order once and the napkin enclosed read, "When you don't get what you want, what you get is experience." True, yes!
JJ’s and Jersey Mike’s are an even split for me. I can’t describe what it is but some days I feel like having JJ’s and others Jersey Mike’s. I hear many people say the bread is too hard at JJ’s but I actually like it a lot and sure it takes a bit longer to to chew through it but that means I get to enjoy the sandwich for longer. JJ’s and Jersey Mike’s definitely score high on quality more than any other chains local to me.
JJ seems to have skinny subs with few options as far as the ingredients. Feel like you better know exactly what to say when it’s your turn to order lol. I understand that “having it your way” slows down the whole process. So I tend to always get the Vito with all the freebies lol. But Jersey Mikes has a more standard or even wider sandwich size wise. And they are all better than that dog food place known as Subway 😂
My mom and I always butt heads because she loves Jersey Mike's and I swear by Jimmy John's. 😅
I love JJ. Their subs are CONSISTENTLY good. Much more than any other chain which has a lot of variance.
I agree
As someone that only has a subway in my small town, it is a treat to eat at a JJs. The bread tastes better, the atmosphere is not chaotic with que lines going out the door as one highschool student rubs his last two braincells together to take 5mins to put on a single slice of cheese!
I worked there this summer and feel in love with the sandwiches. Specifically #13, the Cubano, is what I keep coming back for lol
The franchisee I worked for was awful tho. Completely incompetent at running a sub shop and any profits we made for him was in spite of him
My local stores: the price went up, the filling went down. Now its 2 slices of meat, 1 slice of cheese, a Massive handful of lettuce, 2 tomato slices 😡😡
It’s great fresh food for the price. Why can’t other places understand this? You can get a giant sub that’s two meals for a regular person for like $16. Used to get it all the time when I lived downtown. Tons of meat, they don’t skimp on it like subway. Taste great and doesn’t bog you down like other fast food.
I’m sick right now but since this it’s Wednesday you uploaded and I’m feeling a little bit better
Keep up the good work
Used to work at a jimmy johns and there are two main things that could warrant a "fall" video in the future.
The first is inspire actually since every few months they introduce a limited time sandwich which while usually do good throws a wrench in things since their a lot more complicated than the normal menu, involves a lot more prep work, and made ordering produce for the week. Corporate audits of a thing so store so the general standard has been slipping but I don't remember if that was because of covid or even if that was a franchise specific issue.
The second one is staffing, because JJs markets being freaky fast and being able to handle I higher number of customers a day then it's competitors so a fully sized store can need anywhere from 10-15 employees during lunch rush to be fully staffed, and that's not counting delivery drivers. When you don't, delivery and inshop times start to take a nosedive which does effect sales and the amount of people willing to come back.
Oh agreed on the short term sandwiches. I made a similar comment, and said they were sandwiches that no one asked for. Stick with 1-16.
Vito is a brilliant sandwich, i do not have any inclination of trying anything else due to its perfection. cucumbers & spicy peppers. another level
My first job was being a delivery driver for jimmy johns and can confirm everything is FRESH
6:28: EVERY major fast food chain and sandwich operation is franchised! Why is this any different from Subway, Jersey Mikes, McDonalds, Wendy's, Burger King and on and on! And just all the other franchisers, they soak their franchisees with royalty fees, "advertising" fee and all kinds of charges.
I've never been in a Jimmy Johns. I've had them through work (maybe because they are cheap). I haven't been impressed but may be due to the basic sandwiches we've gotten. There is a Jersey Mike's which is fairly new and I've been thinking of doing that to see how it is.
Jimmy and jersey are both so far above the mega subway.
There is a local franchisee that has about 4 or 5 of them in the area that we provide HVAC for. I don't know if it's just this owners JJs but they are in the top 5 cleanest kitchens I have ever seen... and I have seen a lot. Very impressed
Jimmy John is 'one of the most unlikely success stories'.... Guy goes to a private school and gets $25,000 in the 1980s from his dad. Yeah he really defied the odds lol
As a lover of subs ,they are top tier ,the bread and ingredients are amazing
When talking about quality. Their business coaches are insanely meticulous. Weights of meats, measurements of veggies, and uniform standards. Store managers tend to not make what they deserve it is crazy how little some make if you aren't the franchisee. There are a lot of good things but a lot of bad things. Like the contract you have to sign saying you won't work for another sandwich shop for like 2 years i think they did away with that but it was too much at times.
This video took me back to walking out of the bars in Ithaca and going to Jimmy John’s before hopping on the bus back to campus
I always get the Lil John Vito sandwich. The smaller ones make the meat seem plentiful and they have the freshest veggies! The free sandwich incentive comes around pretty fast too!
That's my go to as well
I love that the Pepe and the Vito are still there from the original $2.10 menu
I really want to see an H-E-B video. With them opening up more and more in Texas along with them always on the top ten grocery stores while only being in one state
I've never eaten at a Jimmy John's. I don't even know if there's one in my area. But I do love their Brad Garrett-starring commercials.
tried them a couple of times and the sandwiches were just ok. one day saw my next door neighbor get JJ delivery. i had a craving so i tried to order and they said i was outside of their delivery radius. i literally just saw a delivery driver at my next door neighbor! afterward i swore off Jimmy Johns
That's awful.
any chance he went thru door dash, etc ??
either way, Awful
@@ev14304 this was years ago before the boom of uber, door dash etc. the delivery car had the JJ logo on the door lol
As I said in my comment (Knew the son of a franchise owner), they literally map/drive out the radius before the store opens so they know they’ll make it in that delivery window. This did not soothe my pain when I literally was on the wrong side of the street in college of their delivery radius 😂.
quit complaining
As an employee it's mostly likely your neighbor had their order approved by accident but since they paid we had to send it out regardless it happens sometimes
I used to clean the main corporate office of Jimmy John's. The absolute mess the office was constantly in (popcorn thrown everywhere) plus the sexual banter the staff engaged in convinced me to NEVER eat at JJ ever again, and I haven't.
I eat JJ a few times per week. Fast, cheap, and always quality simple sandwiches. Protip: you can buy 16 inch one-day-old loaves of bread for $0.50 each at any JJ. Super cheap, quality bread. Makes amazing garlic bread too. Usually I'll grab a loaf or two every time. My local JJ has gotten to know me so well that when they see my mobile order, they'll often just go ahead and thrown in a day old loaf no charge. Always super friendly staff.
I disagree that jimmy johns is cheap
I live JJs bread, it tastes very high quality, and obviously the consistency across all stores.
A few years ago, I would order JJs at least once a week and have it delivered to my office. Once, it arrived in less than 2 minutes. When my coworkers saw, they actually said, “ Wow that was freaky fast. How did they get here so fast?”
When I worked at Univ of Illinois I was thrilled when Jimmy Johns opened around the corner from my office. Where I live now Jimmy Johns is the top sandwich place. The only time we hear about Subway is when they get another health violation and I went to Jersey Mike's once, it took 20 minutes to get a sandwich. No thanks.
I order JJs about twice a month and they will continue to get my business since it is hands down the cheapest food delivery you can buy. $1 is amazing on a $7 sandwich, great value so I'm a repeat customer
JJ's is my favorite Sandwich chain. I think it's a lot better than the competition
Still always love the hard work you put into company history! I eat there a few times a year but I do prefer Firehouse subs personally. Sorry but I still gotta bug you about a "bigger than you know" episode of the J.R. Simplot Company request lol. Thanks for doing what you do!
Several years ago I ordered a sandwich from a location less than a mile from my house. It took an hour for them to deliver the wrong sandwich. That was my first and last experience with Jimmy John's.
Or you could just walk there
JJ is like the Target of subs vs. Subway being the Walmart
I would say Jersey Mike's is the Target (or maybe the Publix) to Subway's Walmart. Jimmy John's is more like the Aldi's.
Jimmy John's has permanently etched itself into my brain because they have Danny Devito and Robert Barone advertising for them along with hand-made subs (?)
This channel is always interesting.
The main reason I love Jimmy John's, besides what you listed, is you don't have to pick 20 options.
You can just say #4 and be done with it. Subway use to be cool cause I could pick 20 options.
But then the curse happened that I always find myself behind the person who takes 20 years to pick them options at lunch break.
It’s the Kickin’ Ranch sauce for me! It’s so good. Their sandwiches feel like home & their store brand chips are delicious!
There was a Jimmy John's where I used to live in Missouri. I always loved eating there for a quick lunch or supper. Unfortunately, there isn't one near me now, and it is one of the restaurants that I do miss.