$1 subs mean big crowds for Jimmy John's

Neil Helwig's whirlwind day began at 1 a.m. Thursday at the Jimmy John's sandwich shop in Wheaton.

And it wasn't until late in the afternoon that the store's general manager finally could catch his breath.

That's because fans of the "freaky-fast" sandwich chain turned out in droves in Wheaton and throughout the suburbs for $1 subs that were on the menu for four hours to celebrate the company's first national Customer Appreciation Day.

Helwig hadn't tallied the official number of sales at his Jimmy John's on Butterfield Road, but he estimated it sold more sandwiches in just four hours than during a "very slow week" in winter.

"It was really, really busy," he said.

What did customers have to say about the sandwich bargain?

"I heard a couple of 'you guys are awesome,'" Helwig said.

The Jimmy John's was so busy around noon that Michelle Whitty tried to find a place to park in the packed lot while her co-worker reserved a spot in a long line out the door.

Whitty last had a Jimmy John's sandwich seven years ago, but couldn't pass up Thursday's deal.

"They seem like they've got it under control, and it's moving quickly," Whitty said of the crowd.

Helwig chalked that up to extra hands - with five to six more employees working behind the counter than a usual shift. His crew arrived early Thursday morning to prep ingredients and bake bread.

The $1 prices were reserved for the Jimmy John's No. 1-6 sandwiches, BLT's and Slims.

Each customer could order only a single $1 sub at a time. Otherwise, they had to head back to the end of the line for another sandwich.

Mahesh Jalan only had one word come to mind when he saw the crowds outside the Wheaton store before he ordered his veggie sub for a buck.

"Crazy," he said.