delivery driver

assistant manager

crew member

shift leader

general manager

Jimmy Johns Sandwiches

I was pretty excited to come back, returning as a prior assistant manager for the company (I worked for the Moscow, Idaho JJ's), and even though it had been a couple of years, the combination of time since using these skills as well as some rules and procedures being slightly different since 2023.

First of all, the interview I had for this job had me go to a different location than the one I worked at in Kirkland. This interview was kind of everything but. I was asked some questions about prior knowledge, and then handed employment documents and told to show up the next day. The interviewer was pretty brash, wasn't very polite, and might have come off rude to most normal people. It was shocking even to myself that I didn't turn it down then and there.

Second, I continued anyway, hoping that my own store was going to have a positive, enriching work environment with communicative teamwork from everyone putting in the time to work there. Unfortunately this wasn't the case. I observed this during my interview too. I noticed that the in-shops stock silent except when coordinating to build out a menu item for a customer. I saw almost no positivity, teamwork synergy, just workers doin their jobs. They might as well have been robots. I gave it the benefit of the doubt, but arrived to an almost hostile feeling environment brought on by the fellow workers there. Leadership too. And while I can think of one singular name who was genuinely nice and cooperative with me, everyone else seemed different. I'm not sure I saw anyone smile there unless it was when providing customer service. And while the work of the store itself is great, organized and clean, there's a huge gap in social synergy. There is absolutely no reason for any of this. They might be a good team among eachother, but they are not very inviting of new team members and it shows. 

And while its not all that great to not even finish my first week back with the company, the location I went to was that bad enough to just opt to keep looking for work. Of course they're going to be unhappy about that, I know that its a pain to just not have the schedule filled in the spots it needs to be. That is entirely on me, I shouldn't have tried after the interview, shouldn't have given it a chance. I read the room at the store the "interview" happened at, and had a very good idea what I might be dealing with, and was right. Against my better judgement I thought maybe it would be fine.

The main problem stands. You guys need to do something about how you invite new workers aboard the team, because it felt pretty horrible to be treated like some kid. I did nothing to deserve the attitude I was being given by the leadership of all people, the GM is supposed to be the shining example of teamwork and proactive positivity for everyone working there. Even some of the coworkers were doing the same thing, and in one situation a customer was forced to wait, because the lack of communication and team synergy on the line so profound.

When I first started out as an In-Shop in Moscow, it was a very energetic, social, and synergetic team that invited me to be part of them. Everyone, and I mean it, everyone was excited, talkative and energetic as a TEAM. I would not have been an assistant manager had I not worked hard for it, work I was willing to do because of such a positively reinforced environment. If this team here in Kirkland had something similar going on, then they hid it from me pretty well. 

If you were a prior employee for Jimmy John's, might want to read the room during your interview and go with your heart on what you feel, because it wasn't a very good feeling for me, and it just wasn't going to be a good fit. Do you have to go to work or do you get to go to work? They need to figure out how to answer that correctly for everyone involved, not just the seniors. 

Please read. I'm an MBA student specializing in Human Resource Management and have two undergraduate social science degrees. I got a part time job working for a Jimmy Johns franchise delivering sandwiches in Phoenix for some extra cash.  I witnessed first-hand how naive young people are about their rights and how badly companies like this take advantage of young, desperate people. First off, you must sign a non-compete meaning if you decide JJ's isn't right for you, they make you sign a contract that prohibits you from seeking similar employment elsewhere.... or the will sue you. This is something companies make high level managers and executives sign to protect their businesses. JJ's uses it to scare kids into not leaving to go work for Subway. They skim wages, paying drivers $5.25 per hour but making them do shop work. They limit to 28 hours so they don't have to offer benefits. They pay their store managers a salary equivalent to less than $15 per hour after bonuses and they work a minimum of 50 hours; additionally, the bonuses cannot be disbursed if they don't pass "audits" which they ALWAYS fail for things like water spots in the bottom of a clean, dry sink. This is only so they don't have to pay managers what they rightfully earned. You can move up quickly yes, but only because turnover is so high. My first day I noticed someone had programmed the Screensaver to say: 1) go to work at jimmy johns 2) try not to cry 3) go home 4) cry a lot
That caught my attention because the next image said to go "tell your friends how great it is to work for jimmy John's." This was just the beginning. They didn't input my W-4 information as I entered it online, they also collected my bank account information for direct deposit, yet they don't even offer direct deposit. They would not verify my income for food stamps and medical which caused my denial, and they would not remedy it. They clocked me out of my shifts before I even got back from a delivery they ASKED me to take before my shift ended and they make you do shop work which you're supposed to be paid minimum wage for but if you get one delivery they bump you down over $2 an hour so your tips don't really matter. They don't allow any of their employees anything to drink and here in Phoenix during summer hours the drivers are climbing stairs to 3rd floor apartments in 120° heat with no time to stop to get something. They also bake bread and cut veggies every morning and throw away ALL leftovers each night, sometimes entire boxes of bread and several meals worth of veggies that could be donated to food banks. They do this all while claiming to be all about contributing to community and caring for employees. Seriously, consider all other options, but take solice knowing that you don't even have to be able to form a coherent thought to be a manager there so if all else fails go ahead and apply. Just don't say I didn't warn you. I knew what I was getting into, I just didn't realize how bad it's gotten since my fast food days in high school, which by the way, paid me a dollar more an hour and this was almost 20 years ago! McD's managers made the same in 1997 as JJ managers do now. After gas and accounting for wear on my car and increase in insurance premiums, it cost me more to work there than I made.  All fast food jobs are terrible, JJ'S just happens to be the most reprehensible.

I was a delivery driver for Jimmy John's for about two months. There weren't many pros for me in this job. 

Pros:
-The hours were very flexible. 
-It's a job.

I have a long list of cons about this job, or at least the store where I worked. 

The cons in no particular order:
-Low pay/no mileage reimbursement - I have seen where other Jimmy John's locations offer mileage reimbursement, but the store I worked in did not.
- Cut hours/No security - The hours are so flexible that you may not have any at all. If the lunch rush slows down at all, then management starts to send drivers home. There were many days I would be scheduled for a three-hour shift but only worked for an hour or less due to labor being high. That defeated the entire purpose of having a job, even a part-time job. It cost me more money to work there than what I made.
- Easily replaceable - Apparently I offended one of the managers one night and about a week later I was fired. Earlier on the same day I was fired, I had already told the manager that I was looking for another job and I was quitting within the next two weeks. I found another job that night, however, the way the entire situation ended was pretty bad. I understand they hire new people all the time, so everyone is replaceable, however, the turnover rate is ridiculously high. In the two months that I was there, I saw several people get hired and either not show up at all, or show up to work one day and then never come back. 
- Low tips - Prior to Jimmy John's, I delivered for other delivery services and knew that tips could be hit or miss. However, I found that customers tip better when they order through those apps than they do when they order from Jimmy John's. Since most customers tipped ahead of time, there was little I could do to influence the amount or whether the customer tipped at all in most cases. 
- Unrealistic delivery times - Jimmy John's generally delivers within a five-minute radius of the store. The expectation is that drivers will complete a deliver in 15 minutes or less. Sometimes, that's just not possible. Getting to a customer may only take five minutes, but finding the customer and driving through traffic on the way back to the store were totally different. I'm not sure what other drivers do to decrease their delivery times, but I am not running any lights, speeding or doing anything else to risk getting pulled over or having an accident over a sandwich.

I was in need of a job and was hoping that working at Jimmy John's would help give me some stability. My check after accumulating just shy of 30 hours over the course of two weeks was less than $300 including tips. Even for a part-time job, it just was not worth the trouble. There are plenty of jobs out there that require less work and will pay more without needing experience or a degree. I just hate that I let myself be that desperate to accept this minimum wage job in the first place instead of waiting for a better opportunity. Maybe it was just that particular store and other stores are better. However, I don't see how anyone works there for longer than a few weeks. Even for students, there are much better opportunities out there than this.

Having worked here for a couple years, I know a few things. If you're serious about getting promoted, its easy. Not because there's so much job growth, but because turnover is horrible & everyone around you sucks so much that it's not hard to stand out. A huge issue was upper management's tendency to delegate their work to you. They paint it as training you for manager, when really its just them being too lazy to do their jobs. After 5 months of "training" to slice meat, how much more training do you need? Once you become lead you'll find yourself constantly doing the work the GM should've done. If you don't get their work done on top of your own, they will call/text you the next day to yell at you about it. The owners play favorites with lower management. They'll make excuses for leads that don't do their work and expect those that take their jobs seriously to clean up behind them. If you speak up for yourself, you're looked at and talked to like you're the problem.  

The work culture is horrible. If the phrase "If you have time to lean, you have time to clean" had a face, it would be Jimmy John's Sandwiches of Norfolk/Chesapeake. The owners are incredibly invasive. You'll be on your shift and suddenly get a phone call asking you why one of your employees is standing around not doing anything. Even if someone is sitting after working 6 hours with no break and no customers, you're still expected to stand. They watch the cameras, even as late as 9 PM, and expect you and your often school-aged employees to stand/clean the entire shift. Down to things that have already been cleaned 5 times before that day and don't even have the chance to get dirty. Even when you've had no customers for hours (JJ's is only busy during regular business hour lunch times but most don't close until 10:10 pm) and you've cleaned everything you can clean until closing time, they'll ask why you and those you manage don't have magic erasers scrubbing the floor. The FLOOR. They want you on the floor on your hands and knees scrubbing in between making people's sandwiches!

Closing time is 10pm most days at most locations but they give customers an extra 10 minute grace period. You know, just to try to squeeze whatever pennies they can out of the night. If you or your employees start any closing procedures before then you can be fired. Its the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. 

 On top of all that, despite the fact that they're all owned by the same people, each location is looked at as a separate business. They often have you working at multiple locations. You can rack up 60 hours a week but if you do those spread out across locations you will not be receiving overtime. No sick, personal, or vacation time. Even insurance that is offered you pay fully out of pocket yourself. Pay has recently gotten a little better than when I first started but its been hard-fought and still doesn't equate to the work they demand. Especially with such a temperamental boss. 

This job is great if you're looking for some cash, but their promises of advancement in the company should not persuade you to stay long-term (if this is what you desire). I worked for this company for almost 4 years, with the potential to move up to managing beginning after 6 months into the job. While I was able to advance to several non-management positions over the years, it wasn't until the beginning of year 3 I was actually given that opportunity. After going through management training and doing everything upper management asked me to do (from covering for sick employees/managers to closing the store then opening the store in the same day, which is a 3 hour window between shifts and nearly 22 hours of work), the week that I was officially supposed to start the position I was told that it went to someone who had JUST finished training. 

I can't speak for all locations but relative to the fast-paced hard work you must put in with the company, the pay you receive is the absolute minimal. Because managers are considered "executives" and not actual managers, they are not required to pay you for overtime. I worked at a store that closes as late as 3am, which equates to 60 hours a week. But by doing some math, this equates to roughly $7.69/hr (which is under my state's minimum wage). 

HOWEVER, if you are not considering management, the job is decent. The overall atmosphere of the store makes it a fun place to work that attracts like-minded, wacky individuals such as yourself. The music selection rotates, however repetitive the genre selection may be. You absolutely HAVE to be a fast worker in order to benefit properly, whether as a delivery driver (for tips), inshopper (for raises), or catering/prep (to advance to management). If you cannot work fast, this is not the job for you. 

While I believe inshoppers and caterers/prep gets paid okay, at best, the delivery drivers could make a lot more money. I know all stores are not the same, but at my store drivers make $5/hr + tips. I've worked at stores that pay drivers minimum wage plus tips, or at the very least allow their drivers to make inshoppers wage while they are in the store. That is the only downside. But because the job is so fast-paced, if you work at a busy store, you can make between $10-$15 an hour, excluding gas and repairs.

Lastly, I will give them credit for having flexible scheduling. Students, parents, etc. will be able to easily work the hours they need at the hours they request. And the schedules change every college semester, so you're never stuck and managers are lenient if you need to switch something around beforehand. Normally, I wouldn't even be scheduled to work and would just pick up shifts every week so I wouldn't be obligated to work in case something came up (I'm a musician so sometimes gigs and studio sessions get booked last minute).

The general manager there is a horrible person over for he’s lazy doesn’t hold his word l.and he changes your hours in the system when he’s leaves and he’ll over claims your tips if you’re a driver. he also pushes his paperwork and his job stuff onto his other managers he doesn’t work his full shift but he stays clocked in and then will either have you clock him out or he’ll come back and clock himself out that way he looks like he’s working when he’s not he doesn’t set you up like he supposed to when you’re taking over for his shift in the drawers are always short general managers are supposed to pay the difference if any of the doors are short but he makes you do it even if you tell him that it was short when you got there and it was out for him he’ll stomach a bit in so he doesn’t have to. I was promised $15 an hour to be a manager and I’m only getting paid $12 an hour I didn’t know for the longest time because I don’t have access to my paystub‘s because of our location uses into it I TurboTax and for some reason, I am unable to login it doesn’t like my credentials and the general manager refuses to fix it the owners are absolutely amazing they’re nice people they care about you they tell you when to do the job they tell you to thank you, to make you feel valued but they are oblivious to what is going on that storm and if you try to tell them the only thing they do is go talk to the general manager and then believe what he says and he always lies or tries to make up things about other managers or blames it on the. The store does not follow corporate policies whatsoever when it comes to me slicing weights or when it comes to throwing out outdated meats or vegetables they just rewrite the day and re-rabbit they also do not wash their vegetables they do not make the employees wash the dishes they just let them power wash it with the little sprayer thing which is gross the cleaning less in that store is disgusting the only time I’ve actually seen anybody superduper clean is on my shift or when they know corp is coming because one of the corporate guys is friends with the general manager so he always gives them a heads up. they treat their employees horribly they don’t care if you have kids and you could say cause only happens. I don’t care if you’re sick you need to go to the doctor they will still make you come in and work your shift or find a replacement. I told corporate everything I was going on and they don’t care because it is a franchise location even though if I drive location is still supposed to follow corporate standards that’s why corporate comes in and does checks. I think corporate did or said they were going to do was email the owner and let them know a complaint was made. I will never work for Jimmy Johns ever again.

Working at Jimmy John's, I started my career with complete open availability. This, I have come to learn, was the worst possible agreement I could have made with this franchise. I now work six days per week with only one off day(not to mention it's a week day!) and a crazy, unorganized schedule. 
a typical day at work requires a lot of useless stress, they don't call us Freak Fast for nothing! 
I start my day by slicing all the meats and cheese we need, and then as the lunch rush gradually becomes more busy, I take on the role of Bread Master or Meat Puller on either cold table. Once lunch ends, we are, as in-shop employees, required to complete an "after lunch" punch list of small chores to complete around the kitchen, such as, filling the ice machine and doing dishes. Once that list in complete, we are then expected to complete a "Daily Beautification List" of detailed chores to do around the whole restaurant. 
Working for this Franchise has taught me many things, but the biggest lesson would have to be patience. Patience and waiting. Patience with angry and hungry customers, patience with management in recruiting greater paying positions, and patience with my co-workers, because the stress of this job takes a tole on all of us, greatly. My co-workers are some of the greatest people I have ever encountered. We all get along very well and work great as a team. Communication is the greatest attribute we contribute as a team. The management of this facility is very strict and very unsatisfying to the needs of their employees. I personally have been treated with disrespect and negligence in many inquiries of becoming a shift leader, and I have been used to work too hard for much too low of a pay. The hardest part of this job is working as many crazy hours as I do. I do not have a set schedule and I have to cover my own shifts that I request off even MONTHS in advance. Along with that, you never get breaks! even if you work 6 hours, you don't get even a 5 minute break, and we stand for our whole shift. this is neglect to the health of employees and to me, this if very unprofessional and very frustrating and stressful. Not my idea of the perfect job. But, with every dark cloud there is a silver lining. The most enjoyable part of working for this franchise would be the memories and experiences I have made with my co-workers. They have helped me mold myself into the bright, fun, well-rounded young woman that I am and I could not be more grateful for the opportunity I was given when I met this people as I was hired.

JJ's is the typical carry-out experience. The hours are inconvenient--You'll work lunch rush, nights, weekends, holidays etc. . .
As with most corporate restaurants, you'll recieve low pay, no benefits, and will NOT receive PTO, sick pay, or any of the like. Additionally, you'll work very hard while most other employees don't--at least, I did. I put myself into my work, no matter the raw-deal proffered by corporate/mgmt. However, most employees do not, and as a result, it becomes all too-easy to be the dependable, over-worked work horse (the guy who constantly compensates for others' lack of work ethic). 
Mgmt is frequently inept--they, too, are underpaid and overworked--and though I had several managers who gave their all in the face of overwhelming odds, there were just as many who did little to nothing, let alone try to care of their staff.
Ultimately, this is a dead-end gig, though I doubt I have to point that out. It has a few perks--if your manager has half a brain, they'll work with you on scheduling, so hours can be flexible. But, no matter how things shake out, you can expect your hard-work and talents to go unnoticed and unrewarded. Restaurants such as JJ's have a fast and frequent burn-out rate, so you can expect lots of new faces to cycle through fairly regularly. I can hardly blame 'em--there's not much to love. 
Of course, this is all in addition to the chronic frustrations and challenges of customer service--customers can range from gratious to threatening, all over the course of a few hours. And though many who solicit establisments like JJ's are wonderful, patient folks just looking for lunch, there are just as many--indeed, perhaps even more--who come in looking for a fight, a reason to complain, a way to get a free meal. As the company representative, you stand in their way, or, as I often felt, stand-in as the scapegoat for their daily frustrations. I've had customers threaten me, my property, and my fellow employees. I've been condescended to, belittled, and denigrated in nearly everyway you can think of, and all by people whom seem to have little more intelligence than your average fruit fly. At the end of the day, you are a barrier to their pleasure, rather than a valued service provider. For those of you with thin skin, beware. This seemingly innocent gig isn't for the faint-hearted. 

As one may guess, working at a fast food company is not the best. There are employees who slack off and there are employees to make sure all the works gets done and tries to keep others on track. I am a hardworking employee who had to constantly do the majority of the work because other people had horrible work ethic. It upset me that people were getting paid to stand around while I did the majority of the work. Jimmy Johns rarely gives raises so I was doing a lot of work for only a little more pay than regular employees. That is the real world. I learned that life will not be fair but I just have to continue doing the best I can and remember that I have a bigger plan for myself than just working at a fast food shop. The manager was a great person but was too nice to get mad at lazy employees and tell them to get to work. The feeling of having all the cleaning done and the end of lunch rushes were the most enjoyable part of work. You get to sit back for a second and just breath. You get to feel good that you got everything done that you needed to. The hardest part of the job was dealing with customers. They forget that Jimmy Johns is not a subway and like to make employees feel bad about not having difference sauces like ranch (that was one that always popped up). Customers seem to not understand Jimmy johns and how we work so it just gets a little frustrating. 

A typical 11-4 shift goes:
Show up to work and clock in. Get assigned to either the inshop or the delivery sandwich line (where you will stay until the end of the lunch rush). Lunch rush starts about 12 and ends around 1:30 (give or take given the day) start the post-lunch rush cleaning responsibilities (includes: wiping tables, sweeping floor, mopping, dishes, clean glass, restock chips, restock lids and straws, fill ice in soda machine, clean bathroom, etc). Then start to take out frozen bread and put them on the sheet for the night manager to bake for that night (while taking care of customers, of course). If you finish all those things before the end of your shift you are given more cleaning responsibilities. 

Downsides to working at Jimmy Johns in my area is that the person who owns the franchise decided that employees only get 50 cents off their meals and they have to work 10 hours to receive a free meal. The only way you can get a free meal without working that long is if the manager decides to give you a meal (which that can only do so often) because they see you working hard or you cleaned something that most people wouldn't (grease trap). So there are small benefits when working here.

A typical day at work with Jimmy John's was fairly routine and not bad. Working with certain people was never fun but you will find that in every job. Management was amazing when I first started! They always preached about how they wanted me to always put my family first and were super understanding if something came up with my kids or I had car troubles, etc. BUT, a few months in, my absolute favorite manager was laid off due to OTHER management slacking in their jobs and him getting upset while on the job. I understand this is unprofessional but from my understanding this wasn't the first time, and he wasn't the only one who has lashed out at a co-worker while customers were in the store. Now, this manager that got laid off was the only one there besides myself that had children. The second he got laid off, the remaining management, including the GM couldn't have cared less that I had kids who were unpredictable as ALL kids are. Towards the end of my working there, they started writing me up for missing work and not being able to find a cover, even though we were understaffed and no one liked to take shifts last minute. I was personally told by my GM there that I needed to bribe my co-workers into taking shifts by either offering them money or offering to swap shifts with them. I understand swapping shifts but I should not have to pay out of my pocket for missing work. I should not have to lose money for missing work just to find someone to cover. Anyways, my kids ended up getting more and more sick, I had troubles with my babysitter at the time, and even more troubles with my car. I never once got written up until they laid off who I would consider my manager, but as soon as I started missing work when he was gone they were writing me up left and right, which in the end forced me to quit. 

The hardest part of this job was dealing with management who talks bad on all of their employee's behind their backs, while doing nothing but misunderstanding everyone's personal situations. They pushed out 2 other employees right before me because of their carelessness. 

The best thing about working for this company was honestly just the free food, getting to interact with some fun regulars, and driving my own car to deliver food. Very few coworkers tried to make the days enjoyable, most of them complained all day every day. But the one's who were understanding knew how to lighten the mood whenever it was needed and for them I am grateful.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Delivery driver 3769 salaries reported	$17.28 per hour
Assistant manager 1060 salaries reported	$16.80 per hour
Crew member 1138 salaries reported	$14.01 per hour
Shift leader 642 salaries reported	$16.33 per hour
General manager 377 salaries reported	$50,425 per year

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