Franchise owner Ken Butler is fighting back against the COVID downturn by opening a brand-new Jimmy John in a new location in Florence.
The opening is tomorrow at 8747 U.S. Highway 42 in Florence. A brand-new Jimmy John’s with a brand-new look.
When Florence’s former Jimmy John’s store outgrew its location, Butler made the tough decision to close the Mall Road restaurant and move to a bigger space to help handle his growing customer base.
After closing the original Florence store in February, the pandemic that flowed shortly after slowed down many aspects of the move and added unforeseen hurdles that needed to be cleared to get the store built and open.
However, taking a big risk, Butler moved forward with his plan, thanks in no small part to the support of the county and city councils, his staff in Florence and the surrounding area, and the community at large who made it known that they missed their JJ’s subs and simply couldn’t wait to have them back.
Of course, Butler knows that nothing is set in stone and the way the world is changing, the restaurant industry is a particularly complicated business to be in right now, especially for an independent franchise owner.
“I know there are probably some people out there who think I’m crazy. I mean opening up a restaurant in the middle of a pandemic in a state where there is limited indoor dining right now. I’ve got this big lobby that I can’t even use, but I know someday things will get back to normal, or at least close to what we used to think of as a normal.
“And yeah, I might end up having to sell my house to make this location work, not to sound too dramatic, but I owe it to my staff and to the people in Florence who have supported my stores over the years. I’m trying to build something that I can pass onto my kids. I said I was going to do something and that means I have to do it. That’s one of the Jimmy John’s pillars, ‘You make a deal, you keep a deal,’” Butler said.
This new location on U.S. Highway 42 will be the first store in the area with the all-new Jimmy John’s rebranding, which just began to roll-out earlier this month; as well as being only the second in the surrounding markets with a drive-thru, a much-requested feature from customers.
The Florence store will be offering delivery (a Jimmy John’s staple), drive-thru service, curbside pickup, and of course limited in-store dining now that restaurants are allowed 50% occupancy.
Another big asset to this new store, and something many of Florence’s JJ’s fans will be happy to hear, is that the Mall Road location’s general manager Renee Vinson will be returning to the helm, along with store veterans Antionette Horn and Bethany Durham by her side. With an all-star team, a hungry town, and a brand-new look Jimmy John’s is ecstatic to return to Florence and hopes to see you there soon.