Jimmy John's at Kuykendahl and 2920

I have eaten Jimmy John's sandwiches before, but have not been to a store. I stopped in for a sandwich the other day. Ordered a Big John's (roast beef, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise), Thinny Chips (Jimmy John's has their own chip brands) and a drink. They take Apple Pay, and I spent about a minute fiddling with it before the payment was accepted. The sandwich was done long before my payment. It is as fast as they say.

Otherwise, it is competent but not particularly tasty. I find the bread rather dense and chewy. Give me Subway or Potbelly any time.

The restrooms were being cleaned when I was in the restaurant, and were spotless. The decor is spare, with lots of motivational lists and sayings on the wall. No pictures.

Overall it's worth going there if the minute difference between other sandwich shops and JJ is important, otherwise I would pick Subway or Potbelly.

The owner of Jimmy John's, John Liautaud, has drawn some negative attention for his personal life and politics.  He is famous (infamous) for pictures with big game animals, some endangered, that he has killed on hunts in Africa.  Snopes.com rates that statement as true, and he doesn't deny it.  In an interview with the Chicago Tribune he stated that all the hunts were legal (Snopes supports this) and that he no longer engages in the practice.

As for politics--OpenSecrets.org indicates that he and his wife were very active in conservative politics in 2011-2012, but not so much now.  They continue to donate to Republicans but not at a high level for a wealthy family.

My conclusion is that the hunting story is old news, and that he's a player but not a major one in current politics. You'd have to make your eating choices strictly along political lines to make it a current issue. 

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