Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches
1139 Northeast Broadway Street, Portland, OR
(503) 719-7774
Mon-Sun 11:00am-9pm
May 3rd, 2011
It’s another spectacular sunny day in Portland. The whole of Portland is a deep green of spring, people are out and about enjoying themselves, and my roommate Dave and I have the same day off. What better way to enjoy the day then by adding a sandwich stop to it? ….Well I can think of plenty of other things but it’s a good start. Today’s stop: Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches.
Now, I’d like to lead into this by saying I was bit misled by the title of the venue. These were not particularly “Gourmet” in any sense, very tasty but not Gourmet. As Dave and I walked in with hunger in our eyes I took notice of the Giant menu boards above the cash register with descriptions of all their sandos. The menu is simple. No soups, salads or anything like that. There was a fast pace as all eight (That’s right. Eight) staff members worked around the kitchen cleaning, prepping, making sandwiches, ringing in orders, calling out orders, etc etc etc…
Dave and I both selected our sandwiches and stepped up to order. The set up is very much like a Subway or Quiznos. You order and sandwich, they ask if you want anything added or taken off, ask if you want chips or a drink, ring you up, and send you on your way. The difference is that as soon as I paid I barely had a moment to put my wallet in my pocket before they were calling out my order at the pick up window. This blew my mind. But noticing the three people they had just to make the sandwiches I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised.
The sando was good. I got the Ultimate Porker, which was just ham, lettuce, tomato, onion, Dijon, and Mayonnaise. Dave had the Hunter’s Club, which is Roast Beef, Provolone, Mayonnaise, Mustard, Lettuce, and tomato. It was all very simple. Dave liked his so much that he ordered one more for later. After a quick chat with the manager I found that Jimmy John’s had bought out Quiznos. So you can expect to start seeing more of these shops popping up around town. Take that as you may.
Rating:
Bread:
The bread was a standard white bread Hoagie roll. Although they do bake it off in the shop I’m pretty sure its shipped to the store frozen and they just thaw and bake. From speaking with the manager, I did come to learn they bake off quite a bit a day and after it sits for four hours they put it in a bin where the customers can purchase it for fifty cents. I like that idea though it’s not something I’d really be interested in purchasing.3/5
Filling:
The ingredients on the sandos were items you’d find at a subway style shop. Shredded lettuce, Hothouse tomatoes, peppers, sliced onions, and so on. They give you a fair amount of vegetables and I appreciate that. There’s nothing spectacular about the meat. It felt like Sysco brand deli meat.
3/5
Price:
For $5.85, I’d say it’s a fair deal on what you’re getting yourself into. You can make it a meal deal for about $2 extra.
4/5
Customer Service, Sides, Drink Selection:
The staff at JJ’s was very pleasant and helpful. They answered all the questions I had about the establishment. You can call in orders or place them online to pick up or if you are near the area of the establishment they deliver to you. I think it’s a great idea that they pull off well. During the lunch hour they have four delivery people who will travel on bikes. A very “Portland friendly” service I would say. They have a good selection on chips, which the company makes themselves. The fountain drink selection is fine and they have some bottled drinks as well.
5/5
Over all Rating: 15/20 points
Repeat Visit?
Eh. I’m not particularly drawn to it but I wouldn’t go out of my way to avoid it.
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