Featured Story

Katherine Holt

JMC 2033- 011

March 22, 2010

Featured Story

Everyone knows you can’t really go anywhere on campus and not meet someone who hasn’t eaten or heard of Jimmy Johns Gourmet Sandwiches. In 1983 a 19-year-old boy in decided he would go into the business of making sandwiches, therefore created the birth of Jimmy Johns. Jimmy John Liautaud believed he could create the perfect sandwich, so he went to his local library and checked out as many cookbooks he could find. With just the cookbooks and his parents kitchen Jimmy perfected his award-winning bread; after he tried out a couple of sandwiches and family and friends, with their praise of course, he started the very first Jimmy Johns Gourmet Sandwich shop. Jimmy started off with a 200 dollar rent so that only left enough money left for the essentials for equipment: a refrigerator, chest freezer, an oven, and a meat slicer. The first Jimmy Johns couldn’t even provide ice for its customers’ drinks because and ice machine didn’t fit the budget. Just like all businesses know starting up was very rough so Jimmy took his sandwiches on the road and lowering his prices. People, especially college students, couldn’t get over how great the sandwiches were and how dirt cheap it all was, the delivery service was a key factor as well in all the praise Jimmy was receiving. Since then Jimmy Johns now has 995 stores around the United States and still holds true to the standards of the original Jimmy Johns: great food, fast delivery, cheap prices, service with a smile and now ice for your drinks.

Jimmy Johns is knows pretty much in every major college town in the United States. It has kept up its hype by making sure that everything is fresh, and not talking about the frozen “fresh” that fast food restaurants try to pull over their customers’ heads. Everyday the bread is made fresh in the store and the vegetables and meats are always sliced daily never pre-sliced just sitting around collecting flies. They never have pre-made sandwiches just sitting around, but with this said this doesn’t mean it takes a year to receive a sandwich they have their system down. With about four employees working at a time one takes the order while the others get to work so you barely have time to get your drink and sit down before they are calling out your name to pick it up. The University of Oklahoma has its own Jim Johns, as many students call it, right on Campus Corner. This being perfect one during the day it is so close it is walking distance and it stays open till three a.m. and being so close to the bars its walking distance for all the people that want a early morning snack.

Jenna Huchton, Petroleum Engineer student of the University, had much praise for the sandwich shop when I talked to her about her favorite thing about it, “I love their Jimmy John’s chips, the BBQ is really to kill for. I really love that you can order online and there are just as fast as it would be if you ordered by phone.” Jimmy Johns has their own line of chips that can only be ordered in the store, and from personal experience Huchton was not lying when she said the BBQ flavored chips are to kill for.

Their online service has provided many other services to their customers, here they have ways to keep up with the company news, they have JJ’s stuff you can order, ways to find your local Jimmy John’s, Jimmy John’s jobs, online menu, and what seems to be the most important information on the site a complete nutritional information menu where you pick and choose your sandwich so you know exactly what you are getting. Many love the online ordering because say you are starving in the library but don’t have anywhere to go to make the call well you can just continue web surfing on your computer and order dinner. Another great thing about Jimmy John’s is they really don’t care where you are they will find a way to bring you your sandwich. Thomas Mayo, Letters student of the University, believes this is the greatest thing about Jim John’s, “ I was in the top floor of Dale studying for finals last year and Jimmy Johns brought it straight to my room so I never had to stop studying.” After talking to one of Jimmy John’s employees Kevin Neal you can really tell that the employees really are happy, “I love working here it’s busy but it’s really relaxed and everyone is really nice, they know how to treat their employees just as much as they do their customers.” Jimmy John’s make you feel like part of the family when you walk in, one of the many reasons people keep on going back, so go in today and try one of their great sandwiches you won’t regret it.