After founder Jimmy John Liautaud graduated second-to-last from Cary-Grove High School in 1982 high school class, his options were joining the Army, college, or starting a business. He chose to start a business.

Inspired by Portillo's, Liautaud's father loaned him $25,000 to start his own hot dog business. If the business was successful, he would own 52% of it and his father would own 48%. If it failed, he would join the Army.

After Liautaud realized it would cost nearly twice as much as the loan to start a hot dog business, he ventured down the sandwich shop route. A nearby neighbor told Liautaud that the secret of a successful sandwich was in the bread. He started baking bread in his mother's kitchen, bought the most expensive meats from Dominick's and had several family members vote on the top four sandwiches he created.

The first Jimmy John's opened in a garage in Charleston, Illinois on January 13, 1983, with used equipment, without a menu or outdoor advertisement, selling the four sandwiches and 25-cent Cokes. After giving samples out around town, his business began to thrive. He especially catered to college students at Eastern Illinois University. After two friends backed out as managers, he ran the store himself for the first few years, working seven days a week from open to close.

In April 1985, he bought out his father's side of the business and became sole owner. He opened his second store in Macomb, Illinois, and, after manager William "Billy" Burns was killed in a car accident, he ran the second store himself for a few months. Liautaud went on to honor Burns by naming the "Billy Club" sandwich after him, which remains a popular menu item.

He would later open several more stores, and he developed a prototype before franchising began in 1993.

All proprietary and contracted food products‚ with the exception of produce‚ are delivered by a national distributor to all stores on a weekly basis. Our vegetables are purchased from local sources and are delivered to your store fresh daily. In this manner, the high quality Jimmy John’s sandwich you enjoy in Champaign, Illinois is the same as the tasty sandwich we make for you in St. George, Utah or any other Jimmy John’s location. Learn more about why Jimmy John’s has been named one of the best franchise opportunities today. Jimmy John’s offers investor growth opportunities. The average Jimmy John’s franchise opens a second store within two years of the first. Multiple unit owners are our fastest growing franchise segment.

Minimum Investment:
$80,000.

Jimmy John’s franchisees pay an initial franchise fee of $35,000. Fees for subsequent stores are $30,000 respectively.

Individuals typically need a minimum of $80,000 in non-borrowed personal resources to qualify for financing thru third-party lending sources, Jimmy John’s does not provide financing. The total cost of each unit varies by size and location.

Royalty and continuing services fees are 6% of gross sales.
Advertising fees are 4.5%.
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How can I open a Jimmy John’s franchise?
Jimmy John’s actively seeks highly qualified individuals to become franchisees. Prior business experience, coupled with personal financial qualifications, individual motivation and a track record of success are important factors in our evaluation process. If you are interested in pursuing single or area development opportunities as a Jimmy John’s franchisee, please read the information below and be sure to complete the contact form at the end.

What is the typical size of a Jimmy John’s location?
The average size of a location is approximately 1,200 square feet.

What are the average annual sales of a Jimmy John’s store?
Average 2006 annual sales at 13 of the corporate-owned units were $1,044,244*. You are welcome to contact existing franchisees to find out what their sales are. Most franchisees are willing to discuss such information with you once it is determined that you are serious about investing in a Jimmy John’s franchise.