Jimmy John's First CT Location Opens In Norwalk

NORWALK, CT — Jimmy John's, a popular restaurant chain that serves up fresh-made sandwiches fast, opened its first Connecticut location on Westport Avenue in Norwalk this week.

Speaking from the restaurant Wednesday afternoon, franchise owner Will Roth said he was really happy with how smoothly the new restaurant's first two days of operation went.

"It's been really exciting," Roth said to Patch. "It feels great to be a part of the Norwalk community."

Roth, who is one of three franchise owners at the Norwalk location, said customers already appeared to be embracing the sandwich shop's focus on taste and convenience.

"People don't really know the Jimmy John's brand in Connecticut," Roth said, "so we think it's a huge opportunity. I think it will take a little bit of education for our customers to learn what Jimmy John's is."

Roth said the restaurant emphasizes a model of serving up "freaky fresh" sandwiches at a "freaky fast" speed. The new Norwalk restaurant also offers both delivery and a drive-thru.

"When you look at us versus some other local sandwich options and some of our sandwich competitors," Roth said, "we offer a speed and a freshness that not a lot of other people can match. That includes putting a five-minute radius on our delivery zone so that we can make sure that our deliveries are freaky fast too."

Roth noted most sandwich chains do not offer a drive-thru option, however their menu's focus on speed and execution makes having that option for customers possible without limiting their ability to order what they want.

"We don't have hot sandwiches," Roth said. "We have a simple menu. You can modify as much as you like...but you order off of a menu versus other sandwich chains where you go down a line. It's not that style of ordering."

The Jimmy John's system for making sandwiches involves three employees in a line working together to complete their portion of the process in a matter of seconds. The target time for making any sandwich is 30-90 seconds, Roth said.

"It's almost like an assembly line for sandwiches," Roth said. "Getting [employees] up to speed will be a key part of our success in the community, and we're pretty confident in our ability to do it."

Norwalk Chamber of Commerce President Brian Griffin said he grabbed a Jimmy John's sandwich during the restaurant's opening week.

"Norwalk is pleased to welcome the very first Jimmy John's in Connecticut," Griffin said in an email to Patch. "They have a very focused niche and should do very well here."

See also: Norwalk Jimmy John's Plans Approved By Zoning Commission

While the prospect of opening the first Jimmy John's location in Connecticut excited Roth and his team, they felt Norwalk was a community that would embrace the chain's menu of fast-made sandwiches.

The city's mix of corporate businesses and residential areas also seemed to encompass the restaurant's target audience, Roth said.

"Over the last couple of days, and even throughout this whole process, I think that community aspect of Norwalk has been really evident to us," Roth said. "Our customers have been really nice and really enthusiastic about our opening."

The franchise owner also noted he was excited to have hired a really great team that has already helped the opening process run smoothly.

"We're looking forward to refining our execution," Roth said, "so that we can deliver upon that freaky fast brand promise at all times."