6 Jimmy John's Ordering Hacks Everyone Should Know

Craving an Italian sub sandwich that's packed with meat, crisp veggies, and all the cheese your heart desires? Several chain restaurants are known for their subs, including some that are vastly underrated. But perhaps one of the best-known and most celebrated of them is Jimmy John's. It boasts a variety of cold and toasted sandwiches, plus wraps and a few different desserts. With so many fresh-tasting items on the menu, it's a solid place to stop for lunches and light dinners when you don't feel like cooking.

Although Jimmy John's standard orders are great options, there are ways you can hack the menu to make for a better ordering — and eating — experience at the sandwich chain. Trying to get the most bang for your buck? We've got you covered on that front. Looking for a way to cut down on the carbs? There are hacks for that too. By knowing some of these helpful tips and tricks, you can better ensure you're getting exactly what you want from the restaurant. With chain restaurant prices increasing, it only makes sense to find a way to make your order count. These are the Jimmy John's ordering hacks you need to know the next time you visit.

For some of us, bread is arguably the best part of the entire sandwich. But there are plenty of others who don't want a sub sandwich that has too much bread. Perhaps you're trying to watch your carb or calorie intake, or maybe your stomach feels uncomfortable when you eat too much bread. You might just want to taste more meat and vegetables and have your palate focus less on the bread. Whatever the case may be, it's actually really easy to get a better bread-to-filling ratio in your Jimmy John's sandwich: Just ask them to scoop the bread out.

This is actually the default for the chain's original sandwiches, which automatically have the insides of the bread removed to make more room for meat, cheese, and veggies. But you can also ask for the same treatment on any sandwich on the menu. The staff at your local Jimmy John's should be used to doing this, so chances are, it's not a strange request for them. We love the option of having more control over our sandwich at this popular sub chain.

Okay, so what if you want to get rid of the bread altogether? In that case, it may seem like it would just make more sense to go to a different restaurant and order a salad instead. But if you're craving that same sub sandwich format, you can still get your fill at Jimmy John's — without the bread — with a simple ordering hack. Instead of asking for the classic version of whatever sandwich you're ordering, request an "Unwich" instead.

What exactly is an Unwich, you ask? This is Jimmy John's term for a sandwich made with a lettuce wrap in place of the bread. When you order your sandwich this way, you'll be getting less than 12 grams of carbs in the whole thing, while still being able to enjoy all of your favorite fillings. Even though it may seem like you're simply eating salad ingredients, enjoying them in wrap form somehow makes the dish a lot more exciting.

Not only is this a smart Jimmy John's ordering hack if you're watching your carb intake, but it's also a gluten-free option. However, some say that you should only order an Unwich if you can handle potential cross-contamination — this is a sandwich shop, after all, and the kitchen is full of bread.

In this economy, we're all trying to find ways to make our dollars stretch more, particularly when it comes to going out to eat. And if you're craving a really simple sandwich, you can get the basics — bread and meat — without all the extras to save some cash. Instead of ordering one of the chain's original sandwiches, opt for a slim sandwich instead. Slim sandwiches come plain, without all the veggie and condiment additions, which can sometimes do the trick when you just need to get something in your stomach.

At my local Jimmy John's, an eight-inch Turkey Tom sandwich on French bread, which comes with lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise, sells for $8.99. On the other hand, the same-sized slim turkey sandwich goes for $7.69, meaning that you save $1.30 by ordering this way. Admittedly, this hack isn't for everyone — some sub lovers might not particularly enjoy a plain sandwich — but it's one that can come in handy for those who like a simpler sandwich or are especially budget-minded.

Placing an order for a secret menu item can often be pretty annoying to chain restaurant workers, which is why we think you're better off avoiding some of them altogether. But sometimes restaurant chains come out with approved "secret" menu items, and we're all for ordering them. Jimmy John's iconic BLAHS sandwich hack falls into this category. This amps up the same old boring topping combo you always order with some extra flavorful ingredients.

Order your sandwich BLAHS style, and it'll come with bacon, lettuce, avocado spread, hot peppers, and salami. Does this seem like a random combination of flavors? Sure. But it results in a much more flavorful sandwich. You still get the same freshness you'd expect from the lettuce, but the avocado spread adds a nice layer of creaminess to the dish, while the hot peppers are there for both spice and acidity. Bacon provides the right amount of subtle crispness and works together with the salami for the right amount of fattiness in your sandwich.

If the workers at your local Jimmy John's don't know about the hack when you tell them you want a BLAHS sandwich, you can simply order the chain's J.J.B.L.T. and ask them to remove the tomatoes and add in the salami, avocado spread, and peppers in their place. You'll be in for an ultra-flavorful sandwich.

You're probably not ordering from Jimmy John's if you're not hungry, but there's normal hungry, and then there's hungry hungry. If you fall into the second category — or, more likely, you just want to share your sandwich with someone, then you might want to order a Noah's Ark. No, you won't see this item on the standard menu. Rather, it's a hack that transforms The J.J. Gargantuan into an even bigger sandwich, since it doubles the meat. The J.J. Gargantuan already comes with a lot of it: turkey, salami, capocollo, ham, and roast beef. Getting two servings of all of that meat makes for a seriously massive sandwich, which is why it's so excellent for sharing. This could easily feed two people, but if you're looking for smaller portion sizes, I think you could get away with four whole servings here, considering just how much meat is in the mix.

But just because you're doubling up on the meat doesn't mean you can't get all the standard toppings as well. Lettuce, onion, tomato, and provolone also appear on this sandwich, and they're enhanced by mayonnaise, oil and vinegar, and a basil and oregano herb blend.

As much as we love Jimmy John's sandwiches, it's pretty pricey to buy sandwiches from this chain restaurant on a regular basis. That's why you may want to start making your own sandwiches at home when you have the time to do so. But it turns out that you can still get an incredible deal from Jimmy John's — and get that signature Jimmy John's taste — without ordering an entire sandwich. That's because you can get day-old bread at a steep discount, making this one of our favorite ordering hacks at the sandwich shop.

How much you'll actually pay for this day-old bread depends on your specific store location. Some posters and sources online claim that you can snag yourself a loaf for just 50 cents, while others have gotten day-old bread for 70 cents, and others have paid as much as $2. Still, though, these prices are super accessible, making this an excellent hack for when you want that Jimmy John's touch but don't want to spend your hard-earned cash on an entire sandwich. Your homemade sandwiches are about to get a lot more delicious.