Jimmy John?s Gets Nearly Four Stars (Business Lunch Review)

The red neon sign lured us in. It said, “Free smells.”

Jimmy John’s has been open for about a month in the Dickson Street building that previously housed a crafts gallery called Whimsicals.

The chain eatery claims to have the “world’s greatest gourmet sandwiches,” but that’s kind of like us saying we’re the “world’s greatest business journal.”

We just don’t say it out loud. We’re from the South, you know. The Jimmy John’s folks are based in Chicago, where big shoulders and sweeping proclamations of greatness are pretty much routine.

So we decided to give Jimmy John’s a try. Sure enough, they’re pretty darned good sandwiches.

Two of us walked over there from our office, which is two blocks away.

The inside is very clean, giving the impression that things are well run at Jimmy John’s. We were immediately entertained by the signs posted throughout the restaurant. One said, “If you think you have a reservation, you’re in the wrong place.”

This is a fast-food submarine-sandwich place. There are five booths for dining in, which would comfortably accommodate 20 people. Otherwise, patrons get the sandwiches to go or have them delivered in the downtown Fayetteville area.

One of us ordered the “Bootlegger Club” ($4.25), which normally consists of roast beef, turkey, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. With the choice of French bread or wheat, he chose French.

The diner said the sandwich was very good but perhaps needed a little something extra, like some peppers or some cheese with a kick to it.

“The meat and bread were both very fresh,” he said.

The other diner had “The J.J. Gargantuan” ($7), which included Genoa salami, capicola, smoked ham, roast beef, turkey breast, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayonnaise and Italian dressing on French bread.

“Best sandwich on Dickson Street,” said the Gargantuan eater. “I’m a pretty big boy, but I was very full with a few bites still to go. And with all the stuff on it, it was edible with two hands. It wasn’t a big ol’ sloppy sub where you’re better off eating it with a fork. It was incredibly tasty.”

The only knock diner No. 2 had was the absence of hot peppers to pile on his sub.

But with or without jalapenos, diner No. 2 said he will make the short walk for the Gargantuan sandwich often.