Jimmy John’s will bring its gourmet sandwiches to The Belt sometime in the next week. Maybe. I just don’t know for sure.

I know what you’re thinking. “Wow, the reporter is so lazy that he didn’t even track down the date for the restaurant’s opening.”

But here’s the deal. One of the “joys” of being a business reporter is that, in some cases, I can’t talk to local people who own franchised businesses until the corporate office gives the seal of approval. Some companies let us talk to the owners before the grand opening so we can write a story. Others make us wait until the customers line up on the first day. Jimmy John’s happens to be in the second group. It’s a little frustrating when you know something is going to happen, but you don’t have the one final piece of information you need to write the whole story. But I digress...

(Quick Note: I have nothing against Jimmy John’s. Everyone I have talked to from their offices has been nice and polite. It’s also worth noting that I might’ve starved in college if not for the No. 9-on-French-no-mayo-chips-and-a-drink. Just thought I would throw that out there.)

Now back to the story. One of my co-workers told me that work on the new sub shop appeared to be finished, so I did a little recon on my lunch break to check things out at this little project at 1040 S. Belt Hwy. Well, I’m no expert on construction, but it looks done to me. As I drove by, I noticed a few workers with leaf blowers cleaning debris from the parking lot. If you ask me, that seems like one of the last steps in clean-up before the doors open to the public.

Restaurant owners generally give their staff a day or so for dry runs so their employees can get the hang of things; they prepare food for friends, family, employees, etc. After that, I expect our local Jimmy Johns to open late this week or early next week, possibly Monday.

Why Monday? Because I received an e-mail from the St. Joseph Area Chamber of Commerce that says the Chamber will hold a ribbon cutting at 5 p.m. next Monday at Jimmy John’s. Sometimes cuttings are just formalities that occur a few days after the business opens. Or they can happen before workers finish construction.

I only know one thing for certain: this post has given me a vicious craving for an Italian Night Club.

Business reporter Clinton Thomas can be reached at clintonthomas@npgco.com.