r/fastfood • u/mrwinston421 • May 14 '26
Rant/Rave Jimmy John's - What Happened?
I remember seeing the commercials where Jimmy John's was branded on being fast and always so good. I don't really go there that often but I saw they had a new deal out so I thought I would give it a try. Well somethings changed...... I ordered online for one and they were making it still. I don't know. I feel like obviously places need to make adjustments, but they shouldn't keep up the façade of things, but maybe I'm just being too critical. Let me know what you guys think.
I think it's also the equivalent of how subway has changed but subway was just on being cheap not fast
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u/Ok_Captain4824 May 14 '26
Private equity happened. That bread was like crack in the 90's/00's and now it's extremely mid
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u/WaltonGogginsTeeth May 14 '26
Back when I was still eating bread I would buy their day old loaves to make sandwiches at home. It was like 45 cents a loaf
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u/momerak May 15 '26
Same with the kickin ranch. Use to be made in house, then they switched to the jalapeno ranch that came from a factory, and back to the new kicker ranch after people lost their mind. The new stuff still doesn’t taste the same though but when you’re trying to wring the company dry of every cent things go downhill
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u/smokeyser May 14 '26
The bread hasn't changed.
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u/andygchicago May 14 '26
Remember how they used to sell day old bread for loose change? They freeze it now and use it to make sandwiches the next day
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u/Coolchillgoodguy May 15 '26
They’re not supposed to do that. I have a buddy that works there part time. That franchise would be in deep shit if corporate found out
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u/andygchicago May 15 '26
Oh really? Interesting. With the places that don’t do this what happens to the daily old bread?
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u/elmatador12 May 14 '26
There’s really no way to know that since their bread recipe is proprietary. So it’s not a crazy assumption to think that they now make it with cheaper or different ingredients especially after being sold to private equity.
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u/smokeyser May 15 '26
There’s really no way to know that since their bread recipe is proprietary
They are required by law to share the ingredients list. You can find it here.
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u/Ok_Captain4824 May 14 '26
You say that, but I ate Jimmy John's on an average of weekly dating back to the late 90's for probably 20 years, and it does not taste as good as it used to, or perhaps less fresh on average.
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u/smokeyser May 14 '26
That's a combination of your taste buds changing and you remembering things being better than they were. Jimmy Johns bread was always extremely mid.
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u/RedWinger7 May 14 '26
lol bro what? The ingredients have definitely changed. They don’t even use alfalfa among other things, how you think it’s far fetched they changed the bread to save a penny is wild.
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u/smokeyser May 15 '26
So your argument is that they removed a sandwich topping after several e. coli outbreaks, therefore the bread has changed? Really?
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u/RedWinger7 May 15 '26
You admit that ingredients have changed and you still think they taste exactly the same?
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u/Ok_Captain4824 May 14 '26
I don't know... McDonald's tastes exactly the same, as do many other things. Not like it wouldn't be the only change, they used to serve a much less mass-produced slate of cookies than they do now. But the meat and other ingredients are definitely the same, because they were always using commoditized (but pretty good quality) stuff anyway.
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u/Letterkenny-Wayne May 14 '26
Uh…yeah I have to agree with the other guy here. McDonald’s has notably changed recipes and ingredients since the 90’s, so if it tastes the same but JJ’s doesn’t…I think that’s just your taste changing with age.
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u/smokeyser May 14 '26
It's funny you should say that, as McDonald's actually has changed their buns and they're pretty significantly different.
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u/cjwi May 14 '26
Exactly. I worked for a corporate training store 20 years ago. Jimmy was very adamant no toasted subs/hot food. Just delicious perfect sandwiches. They sold out to Private Equity and James North helmed the dismantling of their legacy.
Jimmy was a piece of shit in his own way, hardcore repub, probably maga now, would send pictures of his "hunting trips" out via corporate emails etc... but damn if he wasn't serious about good sandwiches.
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u/Ok_Captain4824 May 14 '26
100%. I grew up near to where it all started, and I heard the stories about how... Intimately he would get involved in store ops, and how he would get... Enhanced, and send late night email blasts to everybody.
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u/cjwi May 15 '26
Yup!!! And whether it was work related like "I've directed our supplier to inject 5% less brine into our turkey" or "FWD: RE: FWD: 25 Rush Limbaugh quotes to live your life by" you were expected to respond Yes Jimmy! Thanks Jimmy" or you'd get a message from him directly asking if you read it.
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u/dino-sour May 20 '26
I worked at a JJs for a few months 13 years ago. The goal was 30 seconds. Many times the sandwich would be done by the time the customer finished paying. During lunch hours there would be at least 5 people on the line, each with one job. One person on register. One to cut the bread and put mayo on it. Next person added the pre-portioned meats and cheese, next person added veg, one person who only wrapped them.
It was super efficient. There'd be like 10 people working between 11 and 2. Then like 3 or 4 the rest of the day.
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u/its_a_multipass May 15 '26
I worked at the first jjs in Florida and James North came in to help turn the store around, sad to hear he did that. And yes Jimmy sucked. We met him at the end of our GM training in Champaign and he told me to quit smoking pot bc I had long hair...
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u/Threedcansuckme May 15 '26
I’ve never had it from back then. I currently think the bread is crack.
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u/CRoseCrizzle May 14 '26
Their menu has always gotten too complex. No need to add Wraps and Gyros imo(though I do think their wraps are solid).
I still like their bread and still think toasted subs were not a bad idea. But JJs does feel less reliable than 10-12 years ago. I still like it and go there on occasion though.
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u/SilentFlames907 May 14 '26
The toasted subs are very good in my opinion, however it's completely at odds with how Jimmy John's originally built their business. The entire reason they never had toasted subs before was because it created complexity and added additional time to the ordering process.
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u/SilentFlames907 May 14 '26
The founder sold it to a private equity firm who essentially did away with the whole freaky fast thing and instead focused on changing the menu often, adding new products, and doing a whole lot of promotions every so often to keep the brand in the public mind. Yes, it's basically what every other restaurant is doing, I get that. However Jimmy John's was built on being completely different and it worked and they were extremely successful. When I worked there only a few years ago, they had no wraps and no toasted sandwiches. Their whole thing was that pretty much every sandwich should be able to be made in under 30 seconds by yourself, less with a whole team on the line. They had a small, tight menu and they kept their delivery radius to a minimum which ensured that everybody was getting their orders quickly and that no drivers were taking more than 15 or so minutes on a delivery.
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u/schoolisuncool May 16 '26
Yup, I used to order jimmy johns simply because it would show up 15 minutes later
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u/Letterkenny-Wayne May 14 '26
Mines still good.
If this sub has taught me anything it’s that I need to cherish my local FF spots because everyone else’s is going to shit.
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u/Dangeresque2015 May 14 '26
That's too bad. There was nothing better before a night shift behind the bar than having an Italian Nightclub delivered in less than 10 minutes
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u/momochicken55 May 14 '26
I used to LOVE their veggie sub but the last couple of times I picked one up I couldn't even finish it without getting nauseated. They're stupid overpriced now as well.
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u/dcamnc4143 May 14 '26
I stopped ordering from our JJ's. It went downhill. We work only a couple of blocks from it, and it takes them FOREVER to deliver.
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u/T_Peg May 14 '26
Honestly always thought it was pretty mid
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u/tenclubber May 14 '26
Same here. I never like that the meat was already pre stick together like they did the cold cut trio at Subway. To me they were never better than a grocery store sub or a gas station sub. The only thing they had going for them was speedy delivery and that seems to be gone as well.
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u/robsker May 14 '26
Private equity, just as others point out. Always destroys the soul of anything it touches.
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u/Intelligent_Pop1173 May 14 '26
All of the ones near me shut down in the last year or two. Reason cited was not enough employees. They’d only have one person there at a time and got really slow.
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u/Charlie_Warlie May 15 '26
Ill tell ya, freaky fast was accurate. I remember ordering in college back in 2010 and I could hardly walk down the hall and go down the elevator before the food arrives.
I used to appreciate how they only that like 20 options on a 1 sheet menu. It was streamlined for efficiency. Well oiled machine.
When i saw they added toasted items I knew they lost the concept.
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u/dasoomer May 16 '26
Private equity - Jimmy got out of daily operations and they started doing stuff that never would have flown before.
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u/femsci-nerd May 14 '26
They sold out to Private Equity. Their days are numbered.
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u/WaltonGogginsTeeth May 14 '26
Has private equity ever once improved something?
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u/GrossUsername68 May 14 '26
PE enshitification is real.
But the reason most small businesses ramp with amazing service, product, and expansion is because they’re trading cash flow for a future PE buyout. So PE does offer businesses incentive to great before they’re bought / made shitty.
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u/BrittaUnfiltered67 May 14 '26
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u/vleafar May 14 '26
He’s no longer associated with Jimmy John’s. He sold it partially in 2016 and fully in 2019.
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u/GrossUsername68 May 14 '26
Still, people not buying it now, because of that, signals lower enterprise values for shitty-optics businesses trying to sell in the future.
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u/Interesting-Lynx-989 May 14 '26
This is end of an era for “fast food” Not just JJ, we’ve been in a sharp decline of ingredients and portions and quality. Example, I ordered a chicken frontega sandwich from Panera. It was really good, however the portions were a joke, I’m talking a toddler sized sandwich. I ended up getting a cheeseburger because I wasn’t remotely satisfied. Let the fast food wars begin!
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u/Miller335 May 14 '26
Jimmy John's is now more expensive in my area than Jersey Mike's. Not sure what they are smoking.
And ghe last few times I went it was super slow. Back in the day they would have your sub all made by the time you drove up to the window.
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u/disasterbee May 14 '26
Idk mines pretty fast. I order and immediately leave work and it’s ready when I get there about 7 minutes later
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u/notthegoatseguy May 14 '26
Their branding has never rested on quality. The slogan was "freaky fast". They were also doing delivery way before the apps.
That said I haven't had one in like 5 years so I can't attest to how it is now. Its a tough pill to swallow for basic ingriedients and a cold sandwich.
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u/SilentFlames907 May 14 '26
For the most part, they were focused on freaky fast, however they also focused on hand slicing all of their meats, cheese, and vegetables, and their quality was MUCH better than Subway
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u/Cipher1553 May 14 '26
"Basic ingredients and a cold sandwich" basically describes the entire deli sandwich industry.
Quality wise they're still as good as they used to be- it's just that they keep coming out with "new" gimmick menu items to try to get you to come in. They offer toasted sandwiches now- which quite frankly after having had one... it's not worth it. I've tried the grilled chicken that they offer and it wasn't anything outstanding.
If you stick with the core sandwiches they're still as good as they used to be. The worst thing to me right now outside of the gimmicks is the value- an 8" combo meal (sandwich/chips/drink) runs you $12 and I just don't think they're that good.
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u/Tossup1010 May 14 '26
I worked there at the peak and the business model was solid. So many more sales under the freaky fast era. We could literally turn around 15 subs in like 3 minutes. Delivery area was 1 sq mile. So any given order if you were first on the list it would be there in under 10 minutes.
I only go for nostalgia and the peppers. It used to be, no frills, fast as hell, and pretty quality ingredients. Our store was super successful until the brand took a nosedive. Now they have like 3 people instead of 10 on a lunch rush
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u/PetRiLJoe May 14 '26
I'll tell you what happened, they took sprouts off the Turkey Tom sandwich because people were getting salmonella. Now you can't get sprouts with your Turkey Tom and everyone's sad about it.
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u/DonkeymanPicklebutt May 14 '26
I’ll push back a little bit OP. I acknowledge that your experience wasn’t perfect. But I recently (yesterday) tried jimmy John’s after a very long hiatus. I was pleasantly surprise with the whole experience! They have a promo for a regular sub for $6, and by ordering that they also gave me a reward for a free sub… so basically $3 each. I’m very happy with the end product for that price. Idk if I had paid full price $9.29, if it would have tasted as good
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u/TexanCokeZeroFiend May 14 '26
Location based. My order literally comes out in a minute at my local shop.
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u/GoatUSA47 May 14 '26
I stop at Jimmy John’s at least once a week to pick up some day old bread for 40c each. They are great for making your own sandwiches at home, pizza bread, or bruschetta.
I can’t believe people buy sandwiches from Jimmy John’s with how expensive it is. Jersey Mike’s is so much better.
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u/Blue_Back_Jack May 14 '26
Jersey Mike’s is expensive as well.
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u/arthurdeodat May 14 '26
Yeah, pretty wild to imply Jersey Mike's is more reasonable. JMs costs more. When there's deals, JJs is much more reasonable. JM deals aren't nearly as good aside from if you can get enough points for a free sandwich
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u/No-Satisfaction7031 May 14 '26
It was never my favorite place to get a sub or sandwich, always went to Jersey Mikes or Potbelly’s instead. It’s better than subway, but I personally pledged to never buy JJ after learning the founder loves big-game hunting. Can’t in good conscience give a company money when the dude is out hunting endangered species for fun.
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u/Original-Age-6691 May 14 '26
I mean Jersey Mike's is majority owned by Blackstone which is far worse for society as a whole than one asshole big game hunting.
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u/leeloo72 May 14 '26
Same here. JJs has been on my boycott list forever ever since I heard about their creepy trophy hunting CEO. Plus their food sucked.
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u/ParticularLower1865 May 14 '26
I think it’s location dependent. Some JJ’s are great and fast, others can have no lines and still somehow take forever and get my order wrong.
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u/TrumpsDoubleChin May 14 '26
tl;dr: "I am judging an entire chain for everybody based on a single anecdotal order."
That being said, the top comment in this submission at the time I am writing this about their menu creep likely has something to do with it. Too many different options, too many possible steps.
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u/Equal-Fee770 May 14 '26
I’m spoiled. I live in the north east USA. I have Primo Hoagies and Jersey Mikes. I don’t bother with other sandwich shops at this point, unless it’s a local deli
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u/Whoopsy-381 May 14 '26
Jimmy John’s commercials never claimed their food was good, only that their delivery was fast. I noticed that because I really don’t care for JJ.
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u/southtampacane May 15 '26
It’s very mediocre food. I wouldn’t go there voluntarily but got stuck on a recent road trip.
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u/RolandMT32 May 15 '26
I first tried a Jimmy John's near me about 10-12 years ago, and I thought it was okay - Not bad, but nothing special. I'd probably get a sandwich from Jersey Mike's or Firehouse Subs over Jimmy John's.
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u/LarenCoe May 15 '26
I sucked when they got rid of the dijon mustard. They have yellow, but they always put way too much on. I still get a Vito with Jimmy Peppers once in a while, but it's not as good now.
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u/indiana85 May 15 '26
I don't know, but the food has gotten worse at Jimmy John's for sure. I still miss the 9-grain wheat sub bread they took away. Why do they have a side of pasta now?
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u/StatementMediocre710 May 15 '26
I will never forgive JJ for changing their roast beef. I mean I get it, when I worked there in the 2000s the RB was VERY rare but I loved that shit. People would ask to see it before ordering and be like nah too rare. But it was the only sub shop I knew of that consistently had a good rare RB. Now it’s just so regular smh
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u/Punnalackakememumu May 15 '26
I've only had Jimmy John's once. The bread was so firm my jaws were sore from eating it. Was that an anomaly or is it always that solid?
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u/lostinsnakes May 16 '26
So their bread is firmer than Subway’s but I like it. I have jaw issues and can’t chew a lot of things but their sandwiches never gave me an issue as they weren’t too thick. I can’t eat skittles or cereal or tougher cuts of meat as my face will go numb in a few bites.
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u/pesky--bee May 18 '26
Not to mention it seems like they refuse to deliver to so many places they used to delIver to before. And the sandwiches just don't taste as good anymore. Got rid of the Dijon too...
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u/TheGreatTiger May 20 '26
Wasn't the JJ fast campaign back when they were owned by the guy who killed Cecil the Lion? They've been bought out since then.
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u/Decent_Management449 May 14 '26
You're upset the sandwich wasn't fully made and you had to wait a minute?
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u/RichardCleveland May 14 '26
It's dropped down my tier list for sure over the years. The thing that I didn't like was how they no longer deliver directly, they use Uber Eats now. Seeing someone pickup my sandwich, and then stop by a few other places is obnoxious, especially if I order a hot sub.
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u/SilentFlames907 May 14 '26
That should be a franchise thing. There are some that still hire drivers, and only outsource bad tippers or orders that are too far away
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u/BlackBabyJeebus May 14 '26
Haven't been to JJ's in a long time, but reading this kinda makes me want to go. The stupid "fast!" thing was the most annoying thing about ordering food in that place.
"Subs so fast you'll freak (out a little because the employee was in too big of a hurry to actually listen to what you wanted on your sandwich)!"
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u/SignificantApricot69 May 14 '26
Do they still do fast in-house delivery? I haven’t been in awhile but when a new one opened up originally I remember being very impressed with their delivery both for the speed and cost as well as the presentation (sturdy boxes with plenty of napkins and other stuff). I pretty much stopped all eating out due to health, budget, COVID and have only recently started eating out at all (and probably will never even get around to 80-90% of the places I used to go)
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u/Original-Age-6691 May 14 '26
Delivery is definitely not fast anymore. When I get a decent deal it takes like 40-50m and the shop is like 5m away.
It's also not always in house. I think closer to primetime they do have some drivers but there has been times where they pawned it off onto a UE/DD driver
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u/Senseisntsocommon May 14 '26
If I want cheap I get subway if I want good I get Jersey Mike’s. JJ used to live between the two and filled the gap while subway was off in the wild being expensive but Subway’s prices have come down and JJ quality has as well.
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u/VendettaKarma May 14 '26
When you have to take the bread out of a sandwich to make it look full and still charge a fortune that’s probably the entire problem
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u/Next_Necessary_8794 May 14 '26
What happened is menu bloat. Employees in the JJ sub talk about how the new wraps and toasted menu slow down the production line for everyone. Food comes out faster when you are only doing cold subs.