Jimmy John's
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Genre | Fast Casual Restaurant |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Founder | Jimmy John Liautaud |
| Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | 2000 |
| Website | jimmyjohns.com |
Jimmy John's is a franchised sandwich restaurant founded by Jimmy John Liautaud in 1983 and headquartered in Champaign, Illinois.[1][2] The franchise has over 1200 locations in 40 states[3] and has opened approximately 200 units per year for the last three years.[4] As of 2013, 95% of the locations are franchise-owned.
Founder
Liautaud founded Jimmy John's in 1983 after graduating second to last in his class at Elgin Academy (1982) and receiving the choice from his father to join the military or start a business.[5]
Liautaud chose the latter and accepted his father's $25,000 loan to start a hot dog business – with Liautaud owning 52% of the business and his father owning 48%.[6] After realizing a hot dog business would cost more than anticipated, Liautaud opened his first sandwich shop.
History
The first Jimmy John's opened in a garage in Champaign, Illinois on January 13, 1983 with used equipment and no menu or outdoor advertisement – selling four kinds of sandwiches and 25-cent Cokes. After giving samples around town, the business began to thrive.
In April 1985, Liautaud bought out his father's interest in the business, becoming sole owner. He opened his second store in Macomb, Illinois. After manager William "Billy" Burns was killed in a car accident, Liautaud ran the second store himself for a few months. He went on to honor Burns by naming the "Billy Club" sandwich after him, which remains on the menu to this day. Liautaud later opened several more stores and developed a prototype before franchising began in 1993.
In January 2007 Liautaud sold a 33% stake to Weston Presidio, a San Francisco-based private-equity firm.[7] He retained 67% ownership of the company.
In 2010, when the Industrial Workers of the World attempted to unionize ten Minneapolis Jimmy John's locations,[8][9][10][11][12] the New York Times called the effort "one of the few efforts to organize fast-food workers in American history."[8]
Sponsorships
The company sponsors Kevin Harvick in the NASCAR Nationwide Series[13] and sponsors Brock Lesnar, the former champion of the UFC's Heavyweight Division.[citation needed] Since returning to WWE on April 2, 2012, Brock Lesnar has continued his sponsorship with Jimmy John's, wearing their logo on the back of his t-shirts.[citation needed] Jimmy John's also offers a sponsorship to Professional Dirt racer Kevin Weaver. Kevin Weaver drives his B12 machine in the Super Latemodel class.
References
- ^ "Fast-food joint keeps its style from the 1940s, Jimmy John's is thriving on Route 202 because of its hot dogs and its quirky personality". Philadelphia Inquirer. NewsBank. 2003-02-16. pp. LO2. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ^ "Why Franchise?" Jimmy John's. Retrieved on May 15, 2010.
- ^ "Jimmy John's History". Jimmyjohns.com. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
- ^ [1], QSR Magazine, March 30, 2010
- ^ "Reece: The ABCs of success in business". Northwest Herald. 2013-02-19.
- ^ "McHenry County Business Journal - Jimmy John's born from tough love". Archive.biz-journal.com. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
- ^ [2], Chicago Tribune, January 4, 2007
- ^ a b "Rare Vote Set on a Union in Fast Food". The New York Times, Steven Greenhouse, October 20, 2010. 2010-10-20.
- ^ Baertlein, Lisa (January 12, 2011). "NLRB nullifies Jimmy John's union vote results". Reuters.
- ^ "Union loses tight Jimmy John's vote 87-85". StarTribune.com. 2010-10-22. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
- ^ Bissell, Jennifer (2011-03-23). "Seven Jimmy John's union workers fired | mndaily.com - Serving the University of Minnesota Community Since 1900". mndaily.com. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
- ^ "West metro Jimmy John's labor dispute escalates". TwinCities.com. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
- ^ "Jimmy John's Jumps On Board With KHI". Hardcoreracefans.com. 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
- "Jimmy John's born from tough love" McHenry County Business Journal article
