Podcast: Will Jimmy John’s take a cue from Panera and flip attitude on third party delivery?Podcast: Will Jimmy John’s take a cue from Panera and flip attitude on third party delivery?

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Living on the edge of a Jimmy John’s delivery zone can be a lonely place.

But for one lucky delivery deprived superfan, Jimmy John’s is prepared to give him or her $250,000 towards the purchase of a home located within the restaurant’s tight delivery radius.

That’s the length the Champaign, Ill.-based sandwich chain is willing to go to prove one point: the brand, which employs 30,000 in-house delivery drivers, will never use third-party delivery operators.

Chief Marketing Officer John Shea said the brand is committed to delivering its sandwiches to customers living within five minutes of each of its 2,800 stores. The chain has no plans to expand that reach.

“Even expanding slightly slows down the overall delivery process. We don't want to do that,” Shea said on this week’s Extra Serving podcast.

Shea talks about this narrow delivery zone and the overwhelming response, so far, to the chain’s “Home in the Zone” contest which runs through early October. 

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Contact Nancy Luna at [email protected] 

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