ALAMOSA — With all the good things going on in Alamosa, there is a new one to add to the list. Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich Shop is coming to town. Franchise owners and Coloradans Matt and Anne Dixon recently finalized the purchase of a property in Alamosa. The sandwich shop will be located at 1605 Main Street in the building that, until recently, was the home of El Charro Café.

The deal was a business transaction that could not have been timed better. Owners of El Charro Café were retiring and the location fit exactly what the Dixons envisioned – close to ASU while providing easy in-easy out access for drive-by traffic. Given the somewhat different nature of the restaurant, extensive renovations will be required to both the interior and exterior of the building with a projected completion date of somewhere from six months to a year.

According to Matt Dixon, the menu will boast the same quality ingredients for which Jimmy John’s is famous. “It’s real food made from real ingredients. Nothing is processed. Everything is fresh, every day,” says Dixon. “The meats are sliced daily, so they’re fresh. The same with the produce – we prepare it daily. And the bread is baked fresh every four hours.”

The Dixons, who have other Jimmy John’s in Colorado, are especially excited to have a location in Alamosa. “It’s a great town,” Matt Dixon says. “It’s really beautiful and the people are friendly. We’d traveled through there before we bought the franchise and thought that’s a place we’d like to be. A lot of good things going on in Alamosa, and we think the market is exactly right for us. I could see my wife and me moving there one day.”

It’s anticipated that the sandwich shop, which will be open seven days a week, will create roughly 15 part-time and 5 full-time jobs with the goal – if at all possible – of hiring locally, not just for part-time employment but management, as well. 

“Each of our [general managers] view the shop as their shop and we encourage that ownership. Actually, we encourage that ownership in all our employees. I think people who come to work for us will enjoy working there and feel they’re appreciated and part of the company.”

If the Dixons are able to find the right person with the right experience, that individual can expect to be trained at one of the other Jimmy John’s locations in the region to get a feel for the company and practices they follow. However, if they have to bring in a general manager from another location, Dixon is certain they will treat the sandwich shop as if it’s in their hometown.

"Alamosa and Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich Shop is a great fit," he says. “We’re excited to share something with people that we’ve invested our lives in.”