Jimmy John’s Sandwiches is about to make a big debut in San Diego. What Now San Diego recently covered news about the first outpost of the sandwich chain in Vista. Since then, we’ve had an opportunity to speak to local owner Tali Burton, who owns the exclusive rights to grow the brand across San Diego County.
Recently retired from the United States Marine Corps Reserves, Tali Burton started Burton Restaurants and joined forces with Inspire Brands’ concept Dunkin’ Donuts. After opening 15 Dunkin’ locations in San Diego, Burton has signed a 27-unit development agreement to bring Jimmy John’s Sandwiches to America’s Finest City.
Burton started the journey with Dunkin’ Donuts in 2014, bringing a taste of home on the East Coast to his new home on the West Coast. “Being a transplant, like most of us are in San Diego, we’re excited to own the rights to all of San Diego County,” shares Burton.
Headquartered in Illinois, Jimmy John’s is a national brand well known to many but unavailable here in San Diego up until this point. “Looking at Jimmy John’s as a very close parallel to Dunkin’, people know the brand but they just haven’t been exposed to it yet,” Burton says. Burton will now marry what he was able to accomplish alongside Inspire Brands with his Dunkin’ Donuts locations and introduce Jimmy John’s to new communities in San Diego.
Jimmy John’s serves sandwiches, wraps, and lettuce-wrapped sandwiches called Unwiches, using fresh vegetables, hand-sliced meats and cheeses (never pre-packaged), bread baked in house daily, plus best-in-class condiments like their Jimmy Mustard®.
Known for their “Freaky Fast” service, Jimmy John’s has their own rewards program and online ordering platform for delivery services. By owning delivery services in-house, they’re able to manage quality control to assure everything is in line with Jimmy John’s standards and Freaky Fast mantra.
Burton has locations earmarked across the county, including in Chula Vista, Eastlake, along with Encinitas and North County. Burton’s restaurant group is outlining partnerships with military installations to place locations on base, and pairing Jimmy John’s with current Dunkin’ locations or planned build outs in order to grow exposure for both brands.
Besides the Vista location at Paseo Artist Village, we can expect another Jimmy John’s in Hillcrest. Burton explains joining a close-knit community like Hillcrest is important because while they’re a nationally recognized brand, they are still locally owned. Burton intends to pair the Hillcrest location with his current Dunkin’ Donuts spot on Washington Street in order to better serve first responders at Scripps Mercy Hospital next door with fast and healthy food options.
San Diegans from near and far can expect upwards of 27 Jimmy John’s locations to grow in the area in the next six years under Tali Burton and his team. Get to know Jimmy John’s by visiting their Website.
