I would not really call Jimmy Johns a Chicago sandwich shop. They are a typical sub shop. The bread is way better than Subway and the sandwiches kick Quizno's butt. But there is nothing all that special about it. Good sandwiches but not great. For great I go to A.S.S. which is somewhat local. Algonquin Sub Shop (A.S.S.) has really good stuff but they are not a chain.
A little tid bit about JJs. Jimmy is a local hero in my town of CAry, IL. This is where he is from and his story is interesting. As it has been reported in the papers here Jimmy was told by his dad, when he graduated HS that he needed to get a job, go to college, or joint the military, but sitting around was not a choice. So off to school he went. But he got bored and dropped out. He did not come home and instead looked for work. Eventually he got into doing a little catering and his folks bought him a meat slicer. He started doing subs and his business took off into what it is today. He has a nice jet that he keep down in Champaign. I parked next to it in his hangar a few Christmases ago when I was flying home from Florida.
