# A milder pit. Jimmy John's can go to hell. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 3, 2010, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500 "2010-02-03T06:23:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500/81 "2010-02-09T20:43:19Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > My annoyance, if I’m remembering correctly, is that you have to order the sarnie by number. I’ve never seen a JJ’s where they yell at you for using the sammich name instead of the number. A number’s just easier to remember than “what the hell does this particular chain call the sandwich I like.” > [@Auntbeast](#): > > Perhaps JJ’s only has one type of cheese because for the vast majority of their customers, that is just fine. Bingo. If it didn’t work, they wouldn’t continue to do it \*and \*be this successful. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500/82 "2010-02-09T21:19:15Z")
I don’t know if it’s the same at every Jimmy Johns but the employees at our local place are _way_ too friendly, every time I go in there I feel like I’m in Stepford. Those pod people make a good sandwich though. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500/83 "2010-02-10T05:30:45Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Jimmy John’s Gargantuan sandwich has five different kinds of meat on it. Five kinds of meat delivered to your door in eight minutes at 2:30am. Fuck yes. Yeah, but you won’t be able to taste any of it. It will all be drowned in mayo and smothered in cheap doughy bread. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500/84 "2010-02-10T05:40:57Z")
> [@GameHat](#): > > Yeah, but you won’t be able to taste any of it. It will all be drowned in mayo and smothered in cheap doughy bread. Then. Ask. For. Fucking. Easy. Or. No. Mayo. Really, is this that hard? (Sorry, don’t mean to direct this specifically at you, **GameHat** , you’re just the most recent post mentioning this.) Do people not know how to order food to their liking? It used to be (and still is in many places) you walked in a deli and had to specify every last thing and how much of it you wanted on your sandwich. (And, as shown in this thread, apparently mayo mileage varies depending on location.) Can’t help you on the bread, though. Yes, it’s cheap and doughy. They rip out the insides for anything besides the slims, so it shouldn’t be too heavy on the bread. But it’s better than Subway. Which I know isn’t saying much. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500/85 "2010-02-10T06:20:50Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Then. Ask. For. Fucking. Easy. Or. No. Mayo. > > Really, is this that hard? (Sorry, don’t mean to direct this specifically at you, **GameHat** , you’re just the most recent post mentioning this.) Do people not know how to order food to their liking? It used to be (and still is in many places) you walked in a deli and had to specify every last thing and how much of it you wanted on your sandwich. (And, as shown in this thread, apparently mayo mileage varies depending on location.) > > Can’t help you on the bread, though. Yes, it’s cheap and doughy. They rip out the insides for anything besides the slims, so it shouldn’t be too heavy on the bread. But it’s better than Subway. Which I know isn’t saying much. Jimmy John’s is not a deli. Sir, I’ve eaten at delis. I know delis. Delis are a friend of mine. Jimmy John’s, you’re no deli. 😃 I don’t mind being called out (and I appreciate that you mention that it’s not all me :p) but a JJ’s sandwich is a few paper thin slices of “meat” sandwiched between two halves of a ridiculously doughy loaf with like four pounds of lettuce. The mayo is their masking agent. Take the mayo away and it’s a lettuce sandwich. I don’t fault JJ’s for being cheap. I don’t fault them (on a purely taste level) for being populist. I do fault them for being a fucking lazy lettuce sandwich “with mayo!” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500/86 "2010-02-10T07:21:42Z")
> [@GameHat](#): > > The mayo is their masking agent. Take the mayo away and it’s a lettuce sandwich. > > I don’t fault JJ’s for being cheap. I don’t fault them (on a purely taste level) for being populist. I do fault them for being a fucking lazy lettuce sandwich “with mayo!” I guess it doesn’t bother me because the sandwich I generally order–the one or two times a year I visit a JJ’s–doesn’t have mayo (the Vito). But even back in college, where JJ’s excursions were much, much more common, I never noticed a surplus of mayo on their sandwiches. It must vary by franchise, because our location just had a brush of mayo, enough to wet the bun, and nothing else. But, yeah, at the end of the day, you can get many better sandwiches for the same price or much cheaper if you know where to go. Fresh bahn mis (Vietnamese French roll sandwichies) are about $3 for an 8", and they kick all kinds of ass. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500/87 "2010-02-10T12:48:52Z")
> [@Frostillicus](#): > > I ordered an Italian sub there once. The ingredients were approximately 97% lettuce and 3% meat and cheese. How anyone can eat there more than once is beyond me. I’ve always said that lettuce is the dark matter of foods, so somehow those percentages just seem right. If I wanted a salad I’d just put it in a bowl, not between two buns. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500/88 "2010-02-10T14:37:22Z")
> [@GameHat](#): > > Yeah, but you won’t be able to taste any of it. It will all be drowned in mayo and smothered in cheap doughy bread. No, you’ll be drowned in mayo and smothered in cheap doughy bread! Seriously now, I prefer JJ’s bread to Subway’s. It’s not the best bread I’ve had, but Subway’s bread is consistently dry and awful. Also, I’ve never had a JJ sandwich that had too much mayo on it. I suppose it depends on the store? I will agree with whoever it was up thread who said they need to go easy on the sprouts on their tuna sandwich. Last time I had one, I picked half the sprouts off. It was ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500/89 "2010-02-10T14:50:47Z")
> [@GameHat](#): > > I don’t mind being called out (and I appreciate that you mention that it’s not all me :p) but a JJ’s sandwich is a few paper thin slices of “meat” sandwiched between two halves of a ridiculously doughy loaf with like four pounds of lettuce. Iceberg lettuce, even. I know they keep costs down by having fewer ingredients to keep on hand, but that’s crap lettuce. Romaine would be better. The veggie sub is mostly lettuce and alfalfa sprouts. I don’t think their bread is that bad, though. The bun has a lot more texture to it than, say, Subway, and the loaf-style bread looks good - have yet to try it. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500/90 "2010-02-10T16:45:48Z")
Odd. I’d never heard of Jimmy John’s before seeing this thread, and last night I noticed one on my drive home from work. Wonder how long it’s been there. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500/91 "2010-02-10T17:02:35Z")
Jimmy John’s stupid slogan backfired, at least on me. I drove by them all the time, and saw the ‘Gourmet sandwiches’. I figured they had like 25 dollar Truffle and Kobe sandwiches or something, so I skipped it. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500/92 "2010-02-10T17:45:16Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Iceberg lettuce, even. You’re surprised by this? Everybody uses iceberg lettuce who thinks they have the slightest chance of getting away with it. Hell, a lot of customers are intimidated by anything but iceberg lettuce. At the salad bar in the cafeteria in the building where I work, there are three options for greens: iceberg lettuce, mixed greens, and spinach. Guess what I see 99.9% of people going for? Hint: it’s the cheapest, blandest option. ---
**Author:** ![buttonjockey308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@buttonjockey308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buttonjockey308)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500/93 "2010-02-10T18:30:39Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > I miss Schlotzky’s Deli. I think there are a handful of independent stores around, but none near me. I’ve never been to a Jimmy John’s; I probably woudn’t be inclined to, since their radio ads are so annoying. I forgot all about Schlotzy’s! I loved their round original…that place was awesome. JJ’s fills the bill when I’m hungry, I’ve never gotten a bad sandwich like other places (I’m looking at you _Subway_) and everything is in-\>out-\>done. No crazy lines, no people hemming and hawing about oil and vinegar but no cheese, add peppers but not the hot ones then yes onions, no salt but add the pepper…blah. It ain’t a 4 star meal, it’s a sandwich which by all accounts is insanely popular, so as bland as it may seem, they’re giving the people what they want, even if Jimmy John himself is reportedly a ginormous tool. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500/94 "2010-02-10T22:41:53Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > You’re surprised by this? Everybody uses iceberg lettuce who thinks they have the slightest chance of getting away with it. Well, sure. By the time you see it coming, it’s too late to avoid. What are you gonna do, turn around? You’re sunk. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500/95 "2010-02-11T01:17:55Z")
I’m a pretty big fan of Jersey Mike’s. There are better sandwiches available in town, but not near my house, and not nearly as quickly. Firehouse, the one time I ate there, was pretty meh, and the “Oooh, look at us and our five bajillion bottles of hot sauce!” failed to impress. Subway is thoroughly mediocre. I’ve never eaten at a Jimmy John’s. But, nearly a decade since I’ve had a Vietnamese sub (at a little place in Raleigh), the thought of them still makes my mouth water. What I’d give for another of those… ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500/96 "2010-02-11T05:07:06Z")
I would like Jimmy John’s bread, and Subway’s fillings. JJ has a nice crust and chewy bread with limited fillings; Subway actually puts noticeable fillings inside their crappy bread. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500/97 "2010-02-11T05:21:19Z")
> [@GameHat](#): > > I have a few co-workers that think (sadly) that JJ’s is fantastic. I think it’s the worst fucking food on earth (and I’ve eaten at Hardee’s.) I don’t think it’s _disgusting_, just aesthetically indefensible. Let’s discuss: > > 1. Every sandwich at JJ’s tastes completely the same. Look, put a gun to my head. Blindfold me. Put a JJ’s roast beef sub next to a JJ’s turkey sub. Make me taste both, and try to figure out which is which. My life is at stake. But I’ll probably fail. Because every fucking sandwich at Jimmy John’s tastes exactly alike. It’s all overly doughy bread, cardboard lettuce and too much mayo. That’s the Jimmy John’s flavor. It’s lazy, bland and worthless. What you are tasting is the flavor of Nebraska. Nobody has mentioned it, but this place is based out of Lincoln, NE. And that explains why it is the way it is. Frankly I have a personal dislike of Nebraska. Heck, you could even call it a prejudice. This predisposes me to avoid Jimmy Johns. And believe me, I avoid Jimmy Johns. On a few occasions I have had the opportunity for a free JJ sandwich and actually thought it was pretty tasty. But that doesn’t even matter. I guess this is a strange time and place to confess this, but sometimes I think about my dislike of Nebraska apropos of nothing at all. Is that compulsive of me? I dunno, but I do seem to return to it, kind of like a ‘strange attractor’ in modern mathematics. I absolutely do not like Nebraska one bit. Seriously! I would feel wose about this little prejudice of mine if, when honestly examined, the facts did not lead inexorably to the conclusion that in reality Nebraska actually does kind of suck. I probably take it a little too far, but at least I am not fundamentally, compulsively wrong. Please don’t waste your breath arguing with me about this one. You know what I like for a sandwich? My own. Make it in the morning, take it with me, scarf it down at a convenient moment. Talk about cheap!!! Cheese (usually Swiss), some nice bread, some kind of meat (usually Genoa salami or smoked turkey), and topped with whatever I happen to have that day. Maybe nothing else. Mustard of course. And/or mayo. I would rather save my money and spend it on dinner. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500/98 "2010-02-11T15:31:56Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Well, sure. By the time you see it coming, it’s too late to avoid. What are you gonna do, turn around? You’re sunk. It says “lettuce” right there on the menu. What, you were expecting arugula? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500/99 "2010-02-11T15:40:05Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > It says “lettuce” right there on the menu. What, you were expecting arugula? **Iceberg** lettuce -\> Too late to avoid -\> **sunk**. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500/100 "2010-02-11T16:18:44Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > It says “lettuce” right there on the menu. What, you were expecting arugula? Romaine lettuce would be lovely. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-milder-pit-jimmy-johns-can-go-to-hell/527500.md?page=6)