Jimmy John Liautaud

Freaky fast! Jimmy John’s is a chain restaurant most known for their cold sandwiches and speedy deliveries. Jimmy John’s has survived generations of sandwich hardship and controversy (which I cannot legally disclose right now). The restaurant was first founded in 1983 by a man named Jimmy John Liautaud. Liautaud graduated second-to-last in his college class due to undiagnosed dyslexia; however, he defied the odds and did not allow his poor performance in school to stop him. Even though he graduated at the bottom of the class, he managed to create an immensely huge business that eventually led to him becoming a billionaire. The Jimmy John’s franchise is a staple in many people’s lives. Whether it is grabbing a Turkey Tom after soccer practice, going out to lunch with your friends, or getting a bag of ice for your face after falling off of your skateboard, it is an easy and tasty way to get a nice sandwich fast. 

As a sandwich lover, I know what Jimmy John’s is on the outside but I wanted to try and understand its secrets and inner workings. Jimmy John Liautaud was busy, so I decided to ask Eden Hostetter (‘25). Hostetter has worked at Jimmy Johns’s for 9 months (it was recently her 9-month anniversary with Jimmy Johns so don’t forget to congratulate her). Hostetter was able to give me the inside scoop on all the best, worst, and secret sandwiches. 

According to Hostetter, the best sandwich on the menu is the #6 – the veggie sandwich (she is a vegetarian so her options are quite limited). Not only did I learn her go-to order, but also her favorite sandwich to make — the spicy East Coast Italian (#7).  She said it was her favorite sandwich to make because “it is the only sandwich we add hot peppers to.” I thought that was a little bit of an odd reason to love making the sandwich, but how special for it to be the only sandwich with hot peppers! As far as the inside scoop at the local Jimmy John’s, Hostetter claimed that there is an item that you can order that is not on the menu. You can order a sandwich with just bread and 6 pieces of bacon. That’s it! It is like a slim sandwich (just bread and meat) but rather than it being a turkey meat, it is a bunch of bacon. 

Since Hostetter is a professional sandwich connoisseur, I asked her if she had any other sandwich stores she would recommend. To that, she replied, “No, I only love Jimmy John’s.”  If you love sandwiches, then Jimmy John’s is the place to go. If you happen to stop into the Jimmy John’s on Celebration Drive, don’t forget to say hi to Eden Hostetter. She’ll be the one slicing up the bacon.