Jimmy John's

Jimmy John’s is a fast food style chain restaurant, and its aesthetic reflects that: tiled floors and painted walls with a minimal black, white, and red design. The seating is booth style with a mix of 4 and 2 person tables, with all chairs and tables arranged with easy access in mind and bolted to the floor to keep it that way, with green & faux wood grain designs. The front of the space (near the entrance) has some round tables with movable chairs, and the storefront is all glass.

Normally the walls have a variety of signs with humorous images and text on them, but today they seem to be gone, possibly due to new paint. Without the signs the space feels a little less friendly unique, and more like a formal and mass-produced chain restaurant, designed to a particular set of standards that stay the same no matter the location of the chain. Still, the popular music that plays over the speakers and the friendly attitude of the workers (who always greet you when you enter and wish you a nice day when you leave) keeps things lively. More often than not, however, the music plays a little too loudly, to the point that it can be difficult to speak over depending on where you sit.

There is a wide range of customers, both lone and with company, and they generally only stay long enough to eat and chat with friends before leaving, which is what the space seems to be designed to accommodate. There is one thing that breaks the usual fast food restaurant expectation, which is a bulletin board labeled “Community Events” near the drink machine where public flyers can be posted.

It’s not a huge change in scenery, but it gives some social and cultural connection to the area in which the establishment is located, something one might not generally expect of most fast food chains.

Oh, and the subs are delicious.