Hello readers and once again welcome to another exhilarating installment of POTATOCHIP REVIEWS! We're kicking off 2023 with an unexpected competitor. It's not a potato chip exclusive company but an entire American Sandwich Chain. JIMMY JOHN'S.
If you have ever wanted to learn about the history of Jimmy John's for absolutely no reason look no further.
Brief History
Jimmy John's was founded 1983 by [you guessed it] Jimmy John Liautaud. Upon high school graduation Jimmy's father game him the choice to serve AMURICA and join the military or start a business. So he followed his heart, set out to build a hot dog empire, realized that was way too expensive and then opened a sandwich business with DIY bread instead. Whether or not a hot dog is considered a sandwich is neither here nor there.
In 2016 Roark Capital Group, a private equity firm founded in 2001 purchased a majority stake in the company. However in 2019 Inspire Brands, an American holding company who has Arby's Meats and owns the Donuts that are Dunkin' bought out the whole Jimmy John's company from Roark Capital for an amount they have decided for some reason not to specify.
How They're made
According to Jimmy John's website their kettle-cooked potato chips have three ingredients. Potatoes, salt, and peanut oil. The chips are manufactured by the company itself. There is no easily accessible readily available in depth insight on the process that I was able to find but given that they're kettle style chips I would imagine it's the same process as my prior post.
FLAVORS
The current flavors of Jimmy John's chips are
Jalapeno
Salt & Vinegar
BBQ
Regular [Whatever That Means]
Thinny [wE'rE nOt LiKe OtHer PoTaTo ChIpS]
Now let's get this party started with my unsolicited roast for these kind of memorable chips. Since it's been a while here is a recap of the review categories.
Flavor Memorability - Can I remember the taste long after I've had it? Or do I forget about it after a day?
Texture - My fellow Neurodivergents know when it comes to food texture is everything. Texture determines if this snack is worth repeatedly eating.
Taste - Does it actually have flavor, or does it have the idea of a flavor? Is it so good I would bring it to parties or is it so bad I wouldn't even want to share it with anyone other than my very few enemies?
Dip Dependent? - Is it a strong independent chip that don't need a dip to be good? Or does it need to be paired with a dip in order for me to even consider buying it?
Mess Scale - Straightforward. How messy of a chip is it?
MEMORABILITY: Significantly Less Than Mild
It's been a few weeks and the only reason I remember that these chips even exist is because my bestie gave them to me for a snack. If I rated it out of 5 it would be a at most a .75 out of 5. I remember liking the taste and how it did in fact taste jalapeño flavored but not in a way that burns and makes me wish I wasn't such a wimp for spicy food. I had a theory it was purposely non-memorable so every time you visit a Jimmy John's you think to yourself "Huh, I don't remember if I tried that flavor." And then you put it with your order and the cycle continuously repeats.
TEXTURE: It's there
This chip felt very light which is fitting given that the purpose was to be served alongside a jam-packed sandwich. However it wasn't Lay's level light which was nice because it didn't leave me hungry for 2-3 more tiny bags. The crunch was satisfying but also quiet enough that the sound wasn't constantly on my mind during the experience. I have no memory of the texture whatsoever but I know for sure it wasn't the same as a Pringle.
TASTE: Pleasant but not a candidate for Iconic status
If you ever felt like you've forgotten what a Jalapeño chip tastes like you can eat these and you'll be like "Oh yeah. That's what Jalapeño is. Pretty good." It's got that grainy flavorful feel but I definitely wouldn't categorize it as a flaming hot burn your mouth and chug half a gallon of water experience. I would happily re-visit this flavor though it has a very welcoming pleasantness.
BEST WITH A SANDWICH, WOULD NOT RECOMMEND WITH DIP
I would 100000000% put these chips in any sandwich it doesn't even have to be Jimmy John's but personally it probably would be since I would feel too awkward not buying a sandwich from there and just swiping some chips. If I came across these chips in the wild I would happily put them in my other sandwiches and they would enhance the taste tenfold. The thought of putting them in dip however, makes me physically nauseous just thinking about it. Some chips just aren't meant to touch dips.
1 ON THE MESS SCALE
For a Jalapeño chip this surprisingly left little to no crumbs and or grease. I think these may be the lightest chips I've had other than Pringles. If you are like me and you like to have chips at your side while you spend another hundreds of hours on your Animal Crossing Island I would recommend this chip. I mean, your hands will have some level of grease but not enough that it would interrupt the creative flow.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If there was a work party and I was specifically requested to bring chips or a singular kind of chip I would pick this one and introduce the experience to my lovely coworkers. This flavor was incredibly pleasant but not so much so that they would ignite a potential addiction. Are they as good as Tim's? Not quite. But are they better than Lay's? I would pick them over Lay's just to shake things up and add some variety to the party.
-JustJanejira
Sources:
“Jimmy John's.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Jan. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_John%27s#:~:text=Jimmy%20John's%20is%20an%20American,Jimmy%20John%20Liautaud%20in%201983.
“Jimmy John's: Order Sandwiches for Delivery or Pick Up.” Jimmy John's | Order Sandwiches for Delivery or Pick Up, https://www.jimmyjohns.com/.