Jimmy John's is a franchised sandwich restaurant owned by Jimmy John Liautaud. The restaurant was founded in 1983 and has since grown to over 1000 stores, with many locations in college towns. The company headquarters is located in Champaign, Illinois.
After founder Jimmy John Liautaud graduated second to last in his class from Elgin Academy in 1982, his father presented him with three options: joining the Army, going to college or starting a business. He chose to start a business. Inspired by the Chicago area restaurant chain Portillo's, Liautaud's father lent him $25,000 to start his own hot dog business. If the business was successful, Liautaud would own 52% of it and his father would own 48%. If it failed, he would join the Army.[3]
After Liautaud realized starting a hot dog business would cost nearly twice the amount of the loan, he decided to open a sandwich shop instead. A nearby neighbor told Liautaud that the secret of a successful sandwich was in the bread. He started baking bread in his mother's kitchen, bought the most expensive meats from Dominick's, and had family members vote on the best four sandwiches (out of six) he created.
The first Jimmy John's opened in a garage in Charleston, Illinois on January 13, 1983 with used equipment and no menu or outdoor advertisement, simply selling the four sandwiches and 25-cent Cokes. After giving samples out around town, his business began to thrive. He especially catered to college students at Eastern Illinois University.[citation needed]
In April 1985, he bought out his father's side of the business and became sole owner. He opened his second store in Macomb, Illinois, and, after manager William "Billy" Burns was killed in a car accident, he ran the second store himself for a few months. Liautaud went on to honor Burns by naming the "Billy Club" sandwich after him, which remains on the menu to this day. He would later open several more stores, and he developed a prototype before franchising began in 1993 with the help of Francorp.
Enough of this warm and fuzzy shit. It’s time for The Turkey Sandwich to start serving up some hard-hitting journalism. It’s time to start talking about the REAL issues that matter. Like the shit that going down at Jimmy John’s in Pioneer Square (Seattle). These are real issues with real people and The Turkey Sandwich isn’t going to just turn away and act like it’s not going on.
When I left the office to find my lunch I hadn’t a care in the world. But when I got back to the office, I was burdened with the knowledge of real atrocities going on in the world of Sandwich Making. We would all like to act like this shit isn’t happening.
Jason was done wrong by some asshole manager at Jimmy John’s. You see, Jason is a bike messenger and he doesn’t make dick for money. So he took a second job at Jimmy John’s to make a little extra cash.
Apparently the management at Jimmy John’s had a problem with the stench Jason would drag in to the shop when he showed up to work. “Valid point” you might say, but here’s the deal: It wasn’t Jason that stunk, it was his work shirt. And Jimmy John’s only gave him one fucking shirt. Jason doesn’t live in some swanky house with a washer and dryer. Jason can’t afford to be going out to do laundry before every shift. So the shirt stunk.
Jason tells me that he very politely explained his dilemma and requested another shirt from the jerkoffs at Jimmy John’s. And like the sons of bitches that they are, they rejected his request.
So Jason and his knucklehead friends picket Jimmy John’s and explain his plight to anyone who will lend an ear. Jason is willing to negotiate. He’s willing to get his job (with the addition of a couple more work shirts) back or will accept just two months of severance pay.
The Turkey Sandwich Report stands in solidarity with Jason. We will not be patronizing ANY Jimmy John’s until this situation is rectified.
If any of the douchebags from Jimmy John’s would like to contact me, The Turkey Sandwich Report is ready and willing to mediate this stuation. I hope we can reach a solution. It’s in the best interest for all of us.
Roughly 25 Jimmy John's employees and union supporters picketed outside of the Cedar-Riverside Jimmy John's Thursday. Picketers crowded the door and told customers not to go in the shop, angering the location's management.
The picket was part of the union's campaign for paid sick days and also in response to the firings of seven core union members last week.
Union members filed an unfair labor practice with the National Labor Relations Board after the firings and submitted their affidavits Thursday.
Mike Wilklow, one of the employees fired, said he felt the group had a strong case but that it could take either a month or up to a year to hear if the employee's jobs will be reinstated.
Wilklow and six others were fired for passing out posters claiming Jimmy John's customers were at risk of food-borne illness because employees have trouble getting time off when sick. "Besides medical services, the food industry is one of the most obvious places where you don't want people working sick," Wilklow said.
Franchise owners MikLin Enterprises said the fired employees had disparaged the brand and showed a lack of loyalty to the company.
"They've gone way out of bounds on what should be allowed," franchise owner Rob Mulligan said. "They've made us out to be greedy, corporate bastards, when that's not true at all."
If the franchise were to give in to all of the union's demands, including paid sick days, Mulligan said it would cost the franchise more than four times as much as it made in profits last year.
Mulligan also emphasized that the company has a strong commitment to food safety and a professional philosophy of treating its employees well.
Ahh, A Taste of Gourmet History. 1983 was a big year for America. Change was in the air. Reagan and old Bush were leading the country through the Cold War, GI Joe was dating Barbie, teenagers "tight rolled" their pants and slow danced to Total Eclipse of the Heart. For many, 1983 was a confusing, hungry place. People cried out for more, and not just more fondue.
It would be a 19-year-old with two first names that would answer America's cry for lunch – Jimmy John Liautaud.
Jimmy knew that if he kept it simple he could create the world's greatest gourmet sandwich. With a handful of cookbooks checked out from his local library, Jimmy perfected his award-winning bread. After creating four sandwiches, Jimmy tested them on friends and family, receiving praise he needed to press on. With no hesitation he opened the very first Jimmy John's. Paying a whopping $200 a month in rent, he could afford only used equipment consisting of a refrigerator, a chest freezer, and oven, and a meat slicer. The first Jimmy John's served soda with no ice (there was no room in the budget for an ice machine). As any good business story goes, things were not easy in the beginning. So Jimmy John Liautaud did what any young entrepreneur would do – he took to the streets with armfuls of free sandwiches. College kids loved his irreverent attitude and dirt-cheap prices. The fact that he delivered was icing on the cake. Jimmy John's has grown up over the last few decades. The irreverent attitude, low price, great food and delivery with a smile remain the same, but what was once the bratty little brother of the sandwich industry is now the super cool older brother that everyone else wants to be. We currently have over 1000 stores open.
What makes Jimmy John's different from the rest is that it's honest, it's damn good, it's damn fast, at a decent price! Jimmy John's definition of fresh is worlds apart from everyone else's. Bread is baked in-house everyday and served fresh. Meat and veggies are sliced fresh in-house everyday. The turkey is real turkey, the roast beef is real roast beef – no additives, no vegetable-based fillers, no fake stuff. Nothing is delivered pre-sliced. Real Hellmann's mayo, real Grey Poupon, real olive oil and red wine vinegar – it's the best of the best.
With perfect bread, systems in place, spectacular employees and leaders who lead and don't pass the buck, Jimmy John's box rocks. The culture that was created in the restaurants is the same culture that drives the corporate office. "Make a deal, keep a deal" is the Golden Rule. Do it now – make it happen – be a go-getter, no excuses. Jimmy John's employees are the ordinary people doing extraordinary things. They want to be the best. They don't mind doing whatever it takes to get the job done. Their hustle is part of how they live their daily lives, and they enjoy the fruits of a hard-earned entrepreneurial lifestyle. Once again, Jimmy John's wants only the best for the best.
After founder Jimmy John Liautaud graduated second to last in his class from Elgin Academy in 1982, his father presented him with three options: joining the Army, going to college or starting a business. He chose to start a business. Inspired by the Chicago area restaurant chain Portillo's, Liautaud's father lent him $25,000 to start his own hot dog business. If the business was successful, Liautaud would own 52% of it and his father would own 48%. If it failed, he would join the Army.[3]
After Liautaud realized starting a hot dog business would cost nearly twice the amount of the loan, he decided to open a sandwich shop instead. A nearby neighbor told Liautaud that the secret of a successful sandwich was in the bread. He started baking bread in his mother's kitchen, bought the most expensive meats from Dominick's, and had family members vote on the best four sandwiches (out of six) he created.
The first Jimmy John's opened in a garage in Charleston, Illinois on January 13, 1983 with used equipment and no menu or outdoor advertisement, simply selling the four sandwiches and 25-cent Cokes. After giving samples out around town, his business began to thrive. He especially catered to college students at Eastern Illinois University.[citation needed]
In April 1985, he bought out his father's side of the business and became sole owner. He opened his second store in Macomb, Illinois, and, after manager William "Billy" Burns was killed in a car accident, he ran the second store himself for a few months. Liautaud went on to honor Burns by naming the "Billy Club" sandwich after him, which remains on the menu to this day. He would later open several more stores, and he developed a prototype before franchising began in 1993 with the help of Francorp.
Enough of this warm and fuzzy shit. It’s time for The Turkey Sandwich to start serving up some hard-hitting journalism. It’s time to start talking about the REAL issues that matter. Like the shit that going down at Jimmy John’s in Pioneer Square (Seattle). These are real issues with real people and The Turkey Sandwich isn’t going to just turn away and act like it’s not going on.
When I left the office to find my lunch I hadn’t a care in the world. But when I got back to the office, I was burdened with the knowledge of real atrocities going on in the world of Sandwich Making. We would all like to act like this shit isn’t happening.
Jason was done wrong by some asshole manager at Jimmy John’s. You see, Jason is a bike messenger and he doesn’t make dick for money. So he took a second job at Jimmy John’s to make a little extra cash.
Apparently the management at Jimmy John’s had a problem with the stench Jason would drag in to the shop when he showed up to work. “Valid point” you might say, but here’s the deal: It wasn’t Jason that stunk, it was his work shirt. And Jimmy John’s only gave him one fucking shirt. Jason doesn’t live in some swanky house with a washer and dryer. Jason can’t afford to be going out to do laundry before every shift. So the shirt stunk.
Jason tells me that he very politely explained his dilemma and requested another shirt from the jerkoffs at Jimmy John’s. And like the sons of bitches that they are, they rejected his request.
So Jason and his knucklehead friends picket Jimmy John’s and explain his plight to anyone who will lend an ear. Jason is willing to negotiate. He’s willing to get his job (with the addition of a couple more work shirts) back or will accept just two months of severance pay.
The Turkey Sandwich Report stands in solidarity with Jason. We will not be patronizing ANY Jimmy John’s until this situation is rectified.
If any of the douchebags from Jimmy John’s would like to contact me, The Turkey Sandwich Report is ready and willing to mediate this stuation. I hope we can reach a solution. It’s in the best interest for all of us.
Roughly 25 Jimmy John's employees and union supporters picketed outside of the Cedar-Riverside Jimmy John's Thursday. Picketers crowded the door and told customers not to go in the shop, angering the location's management.
The picket was part of the union's campaign for paid sick days and also in response to the firings of seven core union members last week.
Union members filed an unfair labor practice with the National Labor Relations Board after the firings and submitted their affidavits Thursday.
Mike Wilklow, one of the employees fired, said he felt the group had a strong case but that it could take either a month or up to a year to hear if the employee's jobs will be reinstated.
Wilklow and six others were fired for passing out posters claiming Jimmy John's customers were at risk of food-borne illness because employees have trouble getting time off when sick. "Besides medical services, the food industry is one of the most obvious places where you don't want people working sick," Wilklow said.
Franchise owners MikLin Enterprises said the fired employees had disparaged the brand and showed a lack of loyalty to the company.
"They've gone way out of bounds on what should be allowed," franchise owner Rob Mulligan said. "They've made us out to be greedy, corporate bastards, when that's not true at all."
If the franchise were to give in to all of the union's demands, including paid sick days, Mulligan said it would cost the franchise more than four times as much as it made in profits last year.
Mulligan also emphasized that the company has a strong commitment to food safety and a professional philosophy of treating its employees well.
Ahh, A Taste of Gourmet History. 1983 was a big year for America. Change was in the air. Reagan and old Bush were leading the country through the Cold War, GI Joe was dating Barbie, teenagers "tight rolled" their pants and slow danced to Total Eclipse of the Heart. For many, 1983 was a confusing, hungry place. People cried out for more, and not just more fondue.
It would be a 19-year-old with two first names that would answer America's cry for lunch – Jimmy John Liautaud.
Jimmy knew that if he kept it simple he could create the world's greatest gourmet sandwich. With a handful of cookbooks checked out from his local library, Jimmy perfected his award-winning bread. After creating four sandwiches, Jimmy tested them on friends and family, receiving praise he needed to press on. With no hesitation he opened the very first Jimmy John's. Paying a whopping $200 a month in rent, he could afford only used equipment consisting of a refrigerator, a chest freezer, and oven, and a meat slicer. The first Jimmy John's served soda with no ice (there was no room in the budget for an ice machine). As any good business story goes, things were not easy in the beginning. So Jimmy John Liautaud did what any young entrepreneur would do – he took to the streets with armfuls of free sandwiches. College kids loved his irreverent attitude and dirt-cheap prices. The fact that he delivered was icing on the cake. Jimmy John's has grown up over the last few decades. The irreverent attitude, low price, great food and delivery with a smile remain the same, but what was once the bratty little brother of the sandwich industry is now the super cool older brother that everyone else wants to be. We currently have over 1000 stores open.
What makes Jimmy John's different from the rest is that it's honest, it's damn good, it's damn fast, at a decent price! Jimmy John's definition of fresh is worlds apart from everyone else's. Bread is baked in-house everyday and served fresh. Meat and veggies are sliced fresh in-house everyday. The turkey is real turkey, the roast beef is real roast beef – no additives, no vegetable-based fillers, no fake stuff. Nothing is delivered pre-sliced. Real Hellmann's mayo, real Grey Poupon, real olive oil and red wine vinegar – it's the best of the best.
With perfect bread, systems in place, spectacular employees and leaders who lead and don't pass the buck, Jimmy John's box rocks. The culture that was created in the restaurants is the same culture that drives the corporate office. "Make a deal, keep a deal" is the Golden Rule. Do it now – make it happen – be a go-getter, no excuses. Jimmy John's employees are the ordinary people doing extraordinary things. They want to be the best. They don't mind doing whatever it takes to get the job done. Their hustle is part of how they live their daily lives, and they enjoy the fruits of a hard-earned entrepreneurial lifestyle. Once again, Jimmy John's wants only the best for the best.