Score Extra Cheap Loaves Of Bread From Jimmy John's With This Simple Ordering Hack
Most of the signs on the walls at Jimmy John's are just for laughs, except the one that advertises 50-cent bread for sale — that one's the real deal. Sure, the smells are free, but a French loaf that you can pay for with pocket change is hard to beat. Jimmy John's is one restaurant chain that bakes its bread daily — every four hours, in fact — so you'll always get a fresh loaf no matter what time of day you go.
The loaves in question are day-old, but don't let the label make you think the bread is stale. Most of the time you're getting loaves pulled from the oven earlier in the day and cycled out when a new batch is fresh. Jimmy John's bread is soft, unless you're ordering a toasted sandwich, and if you watch them make it, you'll see them gut the squishy middle to make room for the meat and veggies. If you want a beefier sandwich, you can tell them to "LBI" — leave the bread in.
That softness is also why you wouldn't notice the difference when it's sold as day-old. If you're buying it as a quick hack to make a wake and bake French toast casserole, you'll want it to be firmer anyway, and you'll still probably need to leave it out overnight so it holds the custard better.
How people use a day-old loaf
Jimmy John's doesn't always have day-old loaves of bread available, so your best bet is to go in the morning or before closing time. A bakery-fresh French loaf at the grocery store is usually around $3, so it's one of those great deals, like Costco's rotisserie chicken, which the company is willing to take as a loss in hopes that you'll buy other items while in the store.
Fans of the loaf on social media treat the day-old bread like a Jimmy John's secret menu item. On Reddit and TikTok, people swap tips on how to recreate its popular menu items at home and save a few bucks. From the comments, it sounds like not all Jimmy John's locations sell the old bread, and while some do, they also sell out fast.
Even if they're out of bread, you can still buy a fresh loaf for around $2, so you never have to leave empty handed. Jimmy John's official Facebook page even advertises it as a great hack for your Thanksgiving stuffing. Whether you're trying to be thrifty or are just there for a Turkey Tom, it's worth grabbing bread if it's available. It never hurts to have a French loaf in the freezer.