Bigger is Always Better - And Faster

“Ramble On” blares from the stereo as four sandwich artists, high on life (and possibly something else), belt out the lyrics to the Zeppelin tune and play air guitar in the kitchen. The employees at Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches – the latest restaurant chain to open on Marshall Street – claim to make the “World’s Greatest Gourmet Sandwiches” fast. And they do.

The staff goofs off and clearly enjoys jamming out while making subs. Irreverent quotes and clever sayings such as “We don’t care where your mouth has been. All we want to know is where your mouth is now,” are plastered on the walls around them. The good times don’t slow the place down as the sandwiches zip down the assembly line with generous helpings of meat, cheese, and veggies. Orders are wrapped up and ready to go almost before you have finished paying.

Smells of freshly baked bread fill the air as French baguettes and hearty 7-grain loaves are pulled from the oven. Jimmy John’s employees slice all of the ingredients in-house daily for the twenty-four signature deli sandwiches that comprise the straightforward menu. You have the option to make it an eight-inch sub, a giant club sandwich, or an “unwich” (lettuce wrap with no bread) and choose which meat (turkey, roast beef, tuna, ham, capicola, or salami) you want.

Clubs are often the most popular item on the menu. According to the staff, the average sandwich measures 2.5 inches tall and rings in at $5.45, a modest price since the meal is so filling that it serves as your lunch and dinner for the day. It’s difficult to get your mouth around one of these beasts, and only those with an appetite for destruction can finish it in a single sitting.

The Beach Club (#12) is one of the healthiest offerings in the giant-club department. It’s served on huge, fluffy slabs of 7-grain bread slathered with homemade avocado spread with giant helpings of turkey and provolone and fresh lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, and sprouts piled on high.

If you want a humongous, delicious sandwich made quick-to-order while you listen to classic rock and some off-color jokes, Jimmy John’s should be your next stop for lunch on The Hill.