Jimmy John’s Rolls Out First Drive-Thru-Only Location

Jimmy John’s has opened its first drive-thru-only restaurant that looks to leverage growing off-premise sales and “meet the needs of today’s guests.”

Located in Bartow, Fla., the location comes with a digital-forward approach that promotes mobile order pickup. The restaurant features dual-sided drive-thru lanes, with one lane dedicated to online and mobile orders. For guests who prefer a completely contactless experience, the new location also offers carryout food lockers where guests can pick up their online and mobile orders.

The location features carryout food lockers for an entirely contactless experience. Courtesy of Jimmy John’s.

“Jimmy John’s has always been at the forefront of the industry, particularly when it comes to listening to our guests,” says Andrew Bello, vice president of design and architecture at Inspire Brands, the parent company of Jimmy John’s, in a press release. “This new drive-thru-only model represents our continued commitment to evolve with our guests and serve the best, freshest sandwiches with speed and efficiency.”

The launch of the format trails the opening of Inspire Brands’ Alliance Kitchen, a delivery and pickup site in Atlanta that offers menu items from Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Jimmy John’s, Sonic Drive-In and Rusty Taco.

It also joins an increasing number of brands that are opening smaller-format, off-premise-only concepts as customer habits change. According to the National Restaurant Association’s 2022 State of the Industry report, 6 in 10 adults say they’re more likely to order takeout or delivery food from a restaurant than they were before the pandemic, including 7 and 10 millennials and Gen Z adults.

Customers also are more likely than ever to place digital orders, says the report. Seven in 10 adults say they would be likely to order and pay for food or beverages using a restaurant website or pay using contactless or mobile payment options.