Jimmy John’s opened in 1983 as a college town sandwich stand, offering four sandwich varieties made with freshly baked bread, in-house sliced deli meats and cheeses, and fresh vegetables sourced locally.
Over its nearly 40-year tenure, Jimmy John’s has expanded its menu to 18 signature sandwiches, house-made cookies, potato chips, and sauces, and has grown to more than one thousand locations nationwide.
Despite the massive expansion, Jimmy John’s stays true to its founding principles of scratch-made baked goods and fresh ingredients chopped and sliced in-house daily.
Their token motto, projected on a neon sign at most franchise storefronts, is “Free Smells.” They know that once you smell their freshly baked baguettes, you’ll want to buy a sandwich.
While their selection of 18 signature sandwiches is a diverse and delicious menu with something for every taste, they have other options on the back burner.
In case you aren’t in the know, I’ve provided the following list of Jimmy John’s secret menu items to try when you’re tired of the same old sandwich routine. Ready to feel like an insider?
Check out the inventive sandwiches on Jimmy John’s secret menu to try something new on your next visit!
Chuck Norris
This delicious and unlikely sandwich combo will sneak up on you like a ninja and deliver a powerful karate kick of flavor that you never saw coming. Perhaps that’s why they call it the Chuck Norris.
This sandwich is a veritable surf and turf combo of tuna and bacon. Adding bacon to anything makes it instantly tastier, but a bacon and tuna combo might still seem like a stretch for some.
That said, you’ll soon be a Chuck Norris convert when you try the house-made tuna with crispy bacon bits adding a flavorful crunch to each bite.
Your server should know how to make a Chuck Norris, but if not, just ask for the Totally Tuna signature sandwich with bacon bits on top.
Slim BLT
Don’t be fooled by the name, as this sandwich proves to be the opposite of “slim.” In this case, “slim” refers to removing the lettuce and tomatoes from a typical BLT and just adding more bacon instead.
They should’ve just called it the BB, for bacon and bread, which are the two main ingredients of this simple yet decadent sandwich.
You can always add avocado and mayo to make it even richer while also toning down the saltiness of the bacon.
Jimmy Johns employees also recommend adding cheese to the Slim BLT, converting it into a hefty breakfast sandwich.
Noah’s Ark
Just as Noah’s Ark managed to fit all the world’s animals into one single boat, its namesake Jimmy Johns sandwich takes the same approach
Instead of living animals, however, this fits all of Jimmy Johns’ ingredients into one enormous sub sandwich.
Noah’s Ark is the largest sandwich Jimmy Johns offers, with twice the meats and cheeses of their signature Gargantuan sandwich.
Noah’s Ark contains
- Capicola
- Salami
- Turkey
- Roast beef
- Ham
- Provolone
- Onion
- Tomato
- Lettuce
- Oil and vinegar
- Mayo
- Oregano
- Basil
Hungry yet?
If your server doesn’t know the secret term, simply ask for the Gargantuan with double meat and cheese. You’ll probably need a nap after tackling this feat of a meal.
Gargantuan
For those with a large appetite, the Gargantuan is sure to fill your belly to the brim with a delicious combo of five types of meat, cheese, and loads of veggies.
The Gargantuan is a permanent fixture on the Jimmy John’s menu, so the secret’s out on this one.
You can get it in an 8” or 16” white or wheat baguette filled with a slice of ham, capicola, roast beef, turkey, and salami, a few slices of provolone, lettuce, tomato, onions, oregano, basil, mayo, oil, and vinegar.
I add cucumbers and pickles for an extra crunch and tanginess.
LBI
If you love bread, to waste any part of it is a major offense. You might not know it, but Jimmy Johns routinely hollows out their freshly baked French bread baguets to make room for sandwich fixings.
This may horrify you, but many sandwich shops do this to create an equal proportion of meat and cheese to bread.
It also keeps the sandwich’s ingredients from spilling out the sides or back end of the sub as you take a bite.
Nevertheless, if you want that delicious doughy center, you can simply order your sandwich LBI, which means “leave bread in.” If you’re a carb-lover like me, this is a must-know secret!
Dubbuhgutbustuh
If Noah’s Ark is double the Gargantuan, then the Dubbuhgutbustuh is double Noah’s Ark.
If this long mishmash of letters seems like a bunch of gibberish, just imagine a wise guy saying, “double gut buster,” and you’ll get the gist.
Since I’ve already been over the ingredients in the Gargantuan sandwich, all you have to do is quadruple the proportions.
You better have a large stomach and an even larger wallet to order this monstrosity. I’m thinking this sandwich was born out of a daring food challenge.
You should get your picture on the wall if you can finish this one in one sitting.
The Unwich
From the most calorie-rich secret menu item, we will now travel to the opposite end of the spectrum with the Unwich.
Technically, what makes a sandwich a sandwich are two pieces of bread and a filler of some kind.
Therefore, the Unwich removes the bread and turns any signature sandwich into a lettuce wrap.
A great option for gluten-free diets or carb-conscious eating, The Unwich reduces the calories and carbs of any sandwich by around 50%!
You won’t miss the bread entirely as you can still get in a few whiffs of their “free smells.”
Plain Slim
If you’re looking for a no-frills sandwich with the most basic ingredients, look no further than the Plain Slim.
Slim sandwiches at Jimmy Johns refer to the bare bones sandwiches that feature just bread and meat or bread, meat, and cheese without any other additional ingredients.
The Plain Slim at Jimmy Johns is part of their permanent menu, offering six different variations.