Jimmy John Liautaud is an American restauranteur who has a net worth of $2 billion dollars. Jimmy John Liautaud was born in Arlington Heights, Illinois. After barely graduating from high school, his father gave him an ultimatum, start a business or go into the military. His father was a successful businessman and owner of the Capsonic Group, a molded plastics manufacturing business that supplied Ford and GM, among other large companies. The father gave Jimmy $25,000 to launch his own company. In exchange, his father owned 48% of the business. Jimmy John Liautaud started out with a hot dog business, but shifted his focus to sandwiches, eventually opening his first shop in 1983. His first regular customers were students from nearby Eastern Illinois University. Within two years, he was able to buy out his father’s 48% of the company. From there, the business grew by leaps and bounds. Today the restaurant sandwich chain is known as Jimmy John’s. As of this writing there are 2,800 Jimmy John’s locations around the world, 98% of which are franchise-owned.
In September 2016, private equity firm Roark Capital acquired 65% of Jimmy Johns in a deal that valued the company at $2.3 billion. Within two years after further growth, Jimmy John Liautaud’s pre-tax paper net worth was $1.7 billion.
In September 2019, Inspire brands – the parent company of Arby’s, Sonic and Buffalo Wild Wings, acquired 100% of Jimmy John’s in an all-stock deal. The valuation terms were not disclosed. At the time of the transaction, Jimmy Johns produced $2 billion in annual revenue.
Philanthropy: Over the years, Jimmy and his wife Leslie Liautaud have donated millions of dollars to charity primarily through the Liautaud Family Foundation which launched in 2016. Some notable donations include $1 million to his high school, $1 million to his hometown YMCA and $3.2 million to a non-profit summer camp called Camp Southern Ground which was started by musician Zac Brown.
| Net Worth: | $2 Billion |
| Gender: | Male |
| Profession: | Businessperson |