Cheapism / Wolterk/istockphoto
Of all the fast-food hacks we've heard about, there is one that flies under the radar that continuously gets slept on. Jimmy John's sells their bread from the day before for a dirt cheap 50 cents a loaf. It's not at some random location either. This is a widespread thing that Jimmy John's does and we are here to tell you: It's amazing. Here's everything you need to know.
The trick to snagging day-old bread at Jimmy John's is to get to the restaurant right when (or close to the time when) they open. If you wait until midday, all of the day-old bread might already be gone. When you do get there, just ask the worker assisting you how many loaves of day-old bread they have and decide how many you want from there. Keep in mind that some locations might limit how many loaves they sell per person, and the amount of day-old bread varies from day to day. This hack works in-store or in the drive-thru!
Related: How To Get Free Fast Food
Despite the fact that a 16-inch sub sandwich will cost you upwards of $16 at Jimmy John's, you can grab the bread itself (albeit 24 hours out of the oven) for just 50 cents per loaf. Grab some sandwich fixings at the store and you've got yourself the best hack in all of fast-food.
Related: The 10 Best Sandwich Chains, Ranked
When you unwrap your day-old bread, you won't even notice it was baked the day before. If you enjoy the bread right away, you'll be getting the same quality as the day-of stuff. You can put the bread in the freezer in the wrapper it comes in and thaw it on the counter for a couple of hours before you want to use it and the quality is still pretty decent, although the bite is just a bit tougher the longer it's in the freezer.
Related: Stocking the Freezer? Here’s How Long Your Favorite Foods Will Last
The most obvious ways to use Jimmy John's day-old bread is for subs at home, but there are plenty of variations to explore in that realm, along with some ideas outside of the sandwich sector.
If you've browsed TikTok and you've never stumbled upon the viral grinders, props to you, because the app is inundated with them. For this trend, we recommend leaving the meat alone rather than chopping it to oblivion with the rest of the ingredients. Go ahead and chop the lettuce, pickles, onions, and peppers, but leave the meat in sandwich slices and we promise it'll be delish. To get the most delicious bread on this one, we suggest toasting it in the oven for a bit with the meat and cheese in tow.
Try slicing your sub-buns in three pieces and then cutting them in half lengthwise for smaller portions of bread. Top them with garlic butter or pesto, sprinkle 'em with cheese, add a couple of cherry tomatoes if you fancy, and pop them under the broiler for a few minutes. When they're finished, drizzle a bit of balsamic glaze on top and no one will ever know the base of this delicious side is day-old bread from Jimmy John's that cost ya two quarters.
Jimmy John's day-old bread is the ideal vessel for dinner on the go. Heading to a sporting event? Just build some sandwiches to take along for the ride and wrap them in foil. You won't find a cheaper bread option than JJ's.
For more fast-food hacks, sign up for our free newsletters.
In a pinch, you can grab some Jimmy John's bread from the drive-thru and head home to throw whatever sandwich fixings you have between the buns. It will cost exponentially less than ordering a fully loaded sandwich at JJ's. If you have loaves in the freezer, you can quickly thaw them in the microwave to make a quick lunch, or pull the bread out at breakfast if you're thinking ahead.
Related: Sick of Ham and Cheese? Here are 8 Reddit-Approved Cheap Work Lunch Ideas
