Jimmy John's Opening Q-c Locations

MOLINE (Saturday, November 25, 2006) - Two more locations for Jimmy John's Gourmet Subs will open in the Quad-Cities in the next several months, under different ownership than the two existing stores in Bettendorf and Moline.

Another franchise of the sub shop is expected to open in February in leased space inside a strip mall at the corner of 53rd Street and Eastern Avenue in Davenport, next to Family Video and a soon-to-open Checker's restaurant.

Meanwhile, construction is under way on a new strip mall designed to house a Jimmy John's and other retail space at 1323 W. Locust St., Davenport, with the sub shop expected to open in April, franchise and building co-owner Mike Bush said.

"I guess I never thought about getting into the franchise business, and I'd never heard of Jimmy John's until my kids started coming home from college, talking about it," said Mike Bush, a Davenport lawyer. "The more I talked to some of the franchise holders, it seemed to be doing very well."

Bush and his wife, Kathleen; his brother, Bill Bush, also a Davenport lawyer, and his wife, Erin; Kelly Bush, Mike Bush's daughter; and Pete Stopulos will own the franchises together, Mike Bush said.

They named the limited liability corporation formed to own the franchises No Soup For You, LLC, as a play off a well-known "Seinfeld" television show episode. Mike Bush joked that the name is perfect because Jimmy John's doesn't serve soup.

"I'm a ‘Seinfeld' junkie, as you probably can guess," he said.

The West Locust Street strip mall will hold three businesses, including Jimmy John's, so the owners are looking for two retailers to fill the vacancies. Although some businesses have shown interest, nothing has been finalized, Bush said.

Construction started about three weeks ago, after the project succeeded in getting the property zoning changed from residential to commercial use, he added.

The city building permit issued for the West Locust Street strip mall construction shows its estimated value at $361,450.

"There are few commercial properties left on Locust, so that really makes it a prime location for Jimmy John's and other potential leasing parties," said Mark Snyder, construction manager at NAI Ruhl & Ruhl Commercial, which is overseeing the project.

Another franchisee, Mark Roemer, owns the Jimmy John's stores near the Bettendorf Public Library in Bettendorf, and on 41st Street, just off Avenue of the Cities, in Moline.

Jimmy John's at a glance

The Jimmy John's Gourmet Subs concept was born in 1983, when 19-year-old Jimmy John Liautaud launched his first location in Charleston, Ill.

The company, with headquarters in Champaign, Ill., since has grown to include locations all over the country. For more information, visit the corporation's Web site at www.jimmyjohns.com.

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