Jimmy John Gourmet Sandwiches

Jimmy John's is a franchised sandwich restaurant owned by Jimmy John Liautaud. The restaurant was founded in 1983 and has since grown to nearly 500 stores, with many locations in college towns. Their headquarters is located in Champaign, Illinois.

After founder Jimmy John Liautaud graduated second-to-last from Cary-Grove High School in 1982 high school class, his options were joining the Army, college, or starting a business. He chose the latter.

Inspired by Pizza Stop, Liautaud's father loaned him $25,000 to start his own hot dog business. If the business was successful, he would own 52% of it and his father would own 48%. If it failed, he would join the Army.

After Liautaud realized it would cost nearly twice as much as the loan to start a hot dog business, he ventured down the sandwich shop route. 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 several family members vote on the top four sandwiches he created.

The first Jimmy John's opened in a garage in Charleston, Illinois on January 13, 1983, with used equipment, without a menu or outdoor advertisement, 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. After two friends backed out as managers, he ran the store himself for the first few years, working seven days a week from open to close.

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 a popular menu item.

He would later open several more stores, and he developed a prototype before franchising began in 1993.

Jimmy John's now sells 18 different subs. The restaurant has grown to over 400 outlets in about 20 states. Liautaud projects the chain to grow to at least 1,000 shops by 2009. About 95% of the current restaurants are franchise-owned. Jimmy John Liautaud owns 67% of the company, and in January 2007 sold a 33% stake to Weston Presidio, a San Francisco-based private-equity firm.

Jimmy John Liautaud is a cousin of Milio's Sandwiches founder Mike Liautaud and Erbert & Gerbert's founder Kevin Schippers, running competing sub shops. All three chains offer delivery of their sandwiches.

Jimmy John's is a franchised sandwich restaurant owned by Jimmy John Liautaud. The restaurant was founded in 1983 and has since grown to nearly 500 stores, with many locations in college towns. Their headquarters is located in Champaign, Illinois.

Party Platters
15 or 30 piece platters. Mix and match. Pick any sub mix and we will do the rest.

Party Subs
2'-4'-6'. Pick what type and we will build you a jumbo party sub.

Box Lunches
Your choice, any sub or club, choice of chips, giant cookie & pickle spear in a perfect box, easy to carry, easy to use. Club box lunch is a buck extra.

Pickle Bucket
A quart of real Kosher style deli pickles, just like New York.
Soft Drinks
Tell us how many of what kind and we'll bring ya.

Gourmet Chips
By the bundle or by the bag, you pick. Kettle cooked in 100% peanut oil. Kettle cooked, BBQ, Jalapeno, and Salt & Vinegar.

Gourmet Cookies
Chocolate Chip or Oatmeal Raisin by the dozen.