Jimmy John's Founder Jimmy John Liautaud
Jimmy John Liautaud is the founder of Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches.
He led the company for 36 years and turned it into one of the fastest growing chains in the country, with over 2,800 locations.
Jimmy was born in Arlington Heights, IL in 1964, and was the second of four children to James and Gina Liautaud.
Jimmy's dad was an entrepreneur, which brought periods of highs and lows, causing him to declare bankruptcy twice.
By the time Jimmy was a teenager, his dad's business had started doing well.
Although his family made it through the hard times, Jimmy faced a new round of challenges at Elgin Academy High School.
Struggling to fit in with his classmates, he started skipping classes and rebelling.
In 1982, Jimmy graduated second to last in his class and his dad knew something had to change.
Jimmy's dad was a strong believer in the discipline and structure the Army provided.
He wanted Jimmy to enlist, but Jimmy wanted to start his own business.
So, they made a deal. His dad would give Jimmy a $25,000 loan to start a business and if it wasn't profitable in the first year, Jimmy would enlist.
Jimmy instantly got to work on his menu and by the end of summer, he had learned to bake bread and had four sandwiches that were family approved.
Now, he needed a location for his sandwich shop! He drove up to Eastern Illinois University in Charleston and found a garage that was previously converted into a pizza shop down an alley next to the college bars.
The location was perfect!
He could serve students throughout the day and he could serve the late-night crowds.
Jimmy became a hands-on owner, making personal connections with regular customers, memorizing their names and favorite Jimmy John's sandwich orders.
Working 24/7/365 paid off! In his first year, he made a $40,000 profit, all of which he split with his dad. Two years later, he bought his dad out, opened his second location in Macomb, and a year later, he opened his third location in Champaign.
By 1994, Jimmy John's had grown to 10 locations
and after receiving guidance from Pizza Hut franchisee, Jamie Coulter, Jimmy decided to sell his first Jimmy John's franchise.
By 2002, the sandwich chain had 160 locations but almost half of them were struggling.
Jimmy and Jimmy John's President at the time James North,
set out for 18 months to work one-on-one with franchise owners and their teams, and showed them the Jimmy John's way.
In the end, Jimmy and James turned around 63 of the 70 stores and 7 closed.
When they got home, Jimmy reset expectations for existing Jimmy John's franchisees and raised the standards under which future franchisees would be approved.
Making it through the tough times made Jimmy John's a stronger and more successful brand.
Growth began to soar.
In 2007, the 500th Jimmy John's opened, in 2010 its 1,000th, and its 2,000th in the fall of 2014.
Jimmy never tried to be the biggest, he wanted to be the best!
With that attitude and a team of dedicated people, Jimmy John's became the fastest growing restaurant chain in the country.
In October 2019, Jimmy John's was acquired by Inspire Brands, a multi-brand restaurant company whose current portfolio includes
more than 11,200 Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, SONIC Drive-In, Rusty Taco, and Jimmy John's locations worldwide.
Today, Jimmy John's has over 2,800 locations across the United States.
In 2016, Jimmy John's was #1 on Entrepreneurs Franchise 500 list.
The company has also been ranked #1 Franchise by Forbes and according to NRN Top 100, it is one of the fastest growing chains in the country.
UPDATED: October 31, 2019