Joshua Casey
Staff Writer
Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches opened in La Verne, and so far the business has been a success.
“Business is great,” Lee Dilworth, Jimmy John’s restaurant manager, said. “Lines have been out the door ever since we opened.”
Jimmy John’s, a franchised sandwich restaurant chain that prides itself on delivery, was first founded by Jimmy John Liautaud in 1983 and is currently headquartered in Champaign, Ill. The opening of the La Verne location marks the sixteenth Jimmy John’s in California, and with its recent success, more locations may be coming soon.
With the large number of sandwich options available in La Verne, most notably Subway and Jersey Mike’s, Jimmy John’s must do something unique to set itself apart from the others.
“What sets us apart is a number of things: First of all we deliver. Second of all our ambience and atmosphere is unmatched,” Dilworth said. “We’re loud and our music is loud. Every hour we have dance parties in the store. Third is the quality of my product. Every morning we slice our meats and make our bread fresh. If my bread is three hours old, I will sell it to you for 70 cents to use at home. Ultimately it is the quality of our product.”
The restaurant’s initial success seems to validate Dilworth’s three key points. JJ’s, as it is referred to by many of the employees, greets their customers with a loud welcome upon arrival.
Employees pride themselves on being happy at all times and delivering a quality product quickly.
Two customers within Jimmy John’s who looked especially pleased were Rick Gomez and Stanley Kosht.
“I really enjoy the sandwiches, which are great and always fresh. To top it off the service is always friendly and my food is out in a hurry,” Jimmy John’s frequenter Rick Gomez said. “I live close by and have never really been able to find a good option for sandwiches, but I think I’ve found my answer now.”
Stanley Kosht had a similar opinion on Jimmy John’s.
“This is my second time at Jimmy John’s in less than a week,” Kosht said. “I live in Montebello but after my first experience here went so well, I had to come back. To make the 45 minute drive when there are other options closer by, you know it must be good. The sandwich I ordered was exactly the way I wanted it. It was fresh and amazing.”
The Jimmy John’s experiment in La Verne has been a great success. Customers continue to flock to the gourmet sandwich shop, and continue to leave with nothing but rave reviews.
The restaurant is located at 2320 Foothill Blvd.
Joshua Casey can be reached at joshua.casey@laverne.edu.
