For those who have been saying that the new Stevensville Starbucks building alongside the I-94 ramp at Red Arrow Highway will also house a new Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich Shop the man who owns the franchise rights for the market says that’s not happening. While the building will have a second tenant, it will not be Jimmy John’s.
The definitive answer comes directly from Jon Lindenbaum, the franchise holder for this region who already owns and operates 16 Jimmy John’s locations in West Michigan including the properties on Napier in Benton Harbor and on State Street in downtown St. Joseph.
Lindenbaum does have good news for Stevensville fans however, in that he has been looking for a location in the community and has been talking with several developers along Red Arrow Highway, but hasn’t pinned down a site as yet. In fact, he’s open to feedback from the Stevensville community and surrounding fans of Jimmy John’s regarding where you would like to see a Stevensville shop that could accommodate a drive-thru operation.
Lindenbaum says, “We love the entire market in Southwest Michigan, and want to establish a new operation as much as our fans are asking for one, we just have to find the right spot that will make it work for everyone.”
Lindenbaum has 500 people working for him across his 16 properties in West Michigan, and while the pandemic was extremely tough at the outset, once they were able to settle into a groove with deliveries and curbside pick up, the business rebounded nicely.
Out of deep and abiding concern for his staff members, Lindenbaum says that he elected to completely shut down for five weeks during the pandemic. He says, “Many people were hunkered down anyway, but I wanted desperately to protect my team members, and keep our front line personnel from the dangers of the virus, so we elected to just cease operations completely for a full five weeks.”
Because of the shifting marketplace, Lindenbaum is also looking to re-position his Benton Harbor operations to somewhere along the Napier Avenue corridor that he can establish a drive-thru option. At the same time he is also working on three other new Jimmy John’s properties across West Michigan as he ramps up his growing enterprise.
Lindenbaum reiterates, “We love the entire area, we love our loyal fans who seek us out regularly, and we plan to be there for a long time, and to find a new space for a Stevensville shop.”
In the meantime, with dine-in options still closed by state mandate, Jimmy John’s continues to deliver and offer curbside service, and they are now accepting orders through Door Dash. Even through Door Dash, however, the delivery agent is always a local Jimmy John’s employee, because Jon wants to maintain quality control at all times.
