Firehouse Subs vs. Jimmy John's showdown

Quest for the Best Podcast

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Firehouse Subs vs. Jimmy John's showdown

The question is... do you like it freaky fast or slow and toasty?

Amy Hummel

Apr 30, 2022

Today on Quest for the Best, we are venturing into the world of submarine sandwiches. Now, we decided to go with a couple sandwich shops that we considered to be middle of the road options. Jimmy John’s, the college student’s go-to sub shop, and Firehouse Subs, the community sub shop.

Which menu items will we be trying?

Jimmy John’s Italian Night Club: This sub is filled with salami, capocollo, ham, and provolone. Topped with onion, lettuce, tomato, mayo, oil & vinegar, and oregano-basil.
Firehouse Subs Italian: This Italian sub is loaded with Genoa salami, pepperoni, Virginia honey ham, melted provolone, Italian dressing, and seasonings. It is topped with mayo, deli mustard, lettuce, tomato, and onion.

Who are our fearless Questers today?

Nate, enjoyer of sweaty meats.
Kris, this guy is over the moon.
Matt, the reader of minds.
Amy, just here for the soda.

And our paid subscribers! Scratch that. Our paid subscriber. Singular. Her name is Loraine. She is one of the most wonderful, supportive, and fun people I have had the pleasure to call my friend. Love ya, Loraine!

The History of Jimmy John’s

Jimmy Johns was founded in 1983. The founder, Jimmy, had two options after graduating from High School. Go to the military or open a business. He chose the latter. Jimmy’s father gave him $25,000 to start a business in exchange for a 48% ownership. Originally, he was going to open a hot dog stand but he realized he didn’t have the cash for hotdogs and settled on a low-overhead cold sandwich shop. So in January of 1983, in the town of Charleston, Illinois, the first Jimmy John’s was opened. The menu consisted of four sandwiches, smoked ham and provolone, hand sliced turkey, homemade tuna salad, and capicola and salami.

The original location was in a college town, but didn’t have a spectacular location. So to make it easier to make some money, Jimmy John’s began delivering to the campus. They delivered in a VW bus that said “Your mom wants you to eat at Jimmy John’s”

It was a success and he made a profit during the first year, and a year later he bought his father out of the business.

In 1986, a second store opened in Macomb, Illinois and in 1994, the first franchise location opened in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. In 1997, the first drive thru location opened in St. George, Utah. Their 100th store opened in 2001 in Pleasant, Michigan. And in 2010 the 1000th store opened in Beaverton, Oregon. In 2019, Jimmy John’s was acquired by Inspire Brands.

Today, the franchises add up to nearly 3,000 locations.

In 2016, the company was valued at $3 billion.

The History of Firehouse Subs

The first Firehouse Subs was opened in 1994 by brothers Chris and Robin Sorensen. The brothers loved to cook and had a bunch of ideas when they were younger. These ideas were dreams since they didn’t have any money. So instead, they both became second-generation firefighters. But ultimately, and despite being broke, they opened their first Firehouse Subs in Jacksonville, Florida. During the first few years, Chris stayed on with the fire department to maintain income. Additionally, they kept the business lean. They only had one employee in the beginning, and got lots of help from family. Robin only took home around $15,000 a year.

In 2001, the company became debt free and started growing. The brothers refused profits until 2004.

Part of Firehouse Subs popularity stems from the fact that they focus on piling their sandwiches with meats, cheese, and sauces, unlike other common sub chains which always seem to be mostly veggies with a sliver of meat and cheese.

Speaking of being unlike other chains, Firehouse subs is deep into community involvement. They were actually inspired after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The Sorensen brothers donated equipment to help first responders. This event turned out the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, which as of 2018 has raised $33 million to help benefit first responders in 43 states and Puerto Rico. Additionally, each Firehouse Subs location has murals painted on the walls that represent the local community’s fire department. The artist is Joe Puskas.

The Results

**SPOILER ALERT!**

Listen to the episode first if you do not want the results revealed to you yet!

Jimmy John’s Italian Night Club: One thing that Jimmy John’s does not lie about… they are freaky fast. But as the saying goes…. Pick two: Do you want it fast, cheap, or good? If you want it fast and cheap, it's not going to be good. If you want it cheap and good, it’s not going to be fast. And if you want it fast and good, it’s not going to be cheap. I would say Jimmy John’s leans towards the fast and good. And even so, $8.00 for a sandwich is really not breaking the bank. So Jimmy John’s… you win points. Especially for those of us who are too lazy to go pick up some food ourselves. You have it to our door practically before the transaction is approved.

Nate: “I am spending more time rearranging my meat than eating it.”
Amy: “I like Jimmy John’s. I will still eat at Jimmy John’s.”
Kris: “You can taste the layers. The meats, the cheese, onion, tomato. That was pretty good.”
Matt: “The bites are uneven.”

Firehouse Subs Italian: This sandwich was just a joy. The meats were all perfectly combined with the sauces and all the garden toppings. Seasoned to perfection. The only problem was that there was not more of it to eat. While Firehouse is not a quick place to get a sub, it is worth the wait. Now if there were only more close to home…

Nate: “Sweet and zesty. That’s what Italians are all about!”
Amy: “The pepperoni really adds to the flavor.”
Kris: “I really like this Firehouse Sub.”
Matt: “I have joined the Firehouse cult.”

WINNER: Firehouse Subs Italian

There you have it. After trying the Italian style subs at Jimmy John’s and Firehouse Subs, we give Firehouse Subs the Quest for the Best seal of approval. Check out their website to find a Firehouse Subs location near you.

https://www.firehousesubs.com/

Thank you for joining us on this exclusive episode of Quest for the Best. Let us know what you thought. Have you tried these subs? Which one is your favorite?

Also, do you have any foods you would love to get the coveted seal of approval? Let us know in the comments what you want to hear next.