Jimmy John's joins local sandwich scene

A steady stream of customers made for a busy lunch hour Tuesday at Maryville's newest eatery, Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches, which opened its doors for the first time this week at 1005 S. Main Street.

Housed in the former Long John Silver's quick-serve seafood building — which has essentially been rebuilt from the ground up — the franchise is owned and operated by Jack Restivo and Vince Mussorici of Kansas City.

The two men, who have been friends since childhood, also operate a Jimmy John's in Liberty.

Restivo said he and his partner chose Maryville for a second store partly because the deli-style sandwich chain was founded in Charleston, Ill., home of Eastern Illinois University. He said the franchise's locations have always had a history of doing well in college towns.

"We knew about Maryville," Restivo said. "I've had family up here, and we just realized it would be a great spot for a Jimmy John's."

Judging by Tuesday's opening-day lunch rush, the partners would appear to be off to a flying start.

"It's gone well," said Restivo, "not a bad first day at all."

Founded by Jimmy John Liautaud in 1983 and headquartered in Champaign, Ill., the chain has grown to embrace more than 1,200 locations in 40 states, about 95 percent of which are franchise-owned.

Though he expects to serve sandwiches to a lot of college students, Restivo said he thinks the restaurant will attract customers of all ages, especially given its central between campus and the heart of the South Main retail corridor.

Maryville already has several deli-style sandwich businesses, and Restivo acknowledged that he and Mussorici are moving into a competitive market.

However, he said they plan to succeed by creating a niche and offering customers a unique eating experience.

"We're different," he said. "Jimmy John's definitely has a following."

The franchise's trademarks, he said, are quality and "freaky fast" service, which extends to home delivery. Though there is no official standard, Restivo said Jimmy John's service staff is trained to produce sandwiches in "twenty to thirty seconds, if not faster."

In addition to Restivo and Mussorici, who plan to spend a lot of time in Maryville getting their new business established, the restaurant employs about 40 part-time workers plus two full-time managers.

Besides counter service and delivery, Jimmy John's also caters box lunches and platters for meetings and parties. Hours are 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. seven days a week.