A Sandwich Beyond

Russ Denson brings years of restaurant franchisee and management experience to the Covington Jimmy John’s location. He invites anyone and everyone to experience the store’s revamped offerings.

Covington residents continue to enjoy freaky fast subs from Jimmy John’s, as the restaurant specializes in favorites like the Big John with Jimmy Peppers and a side of Jimmy Chips or a Club Lulu with Kickin’ Ranch and a whole pickle.

“I go there once or twice a week at least,” said Becky Gregg, who works at Peachtree Lighting near the U.S. 278 location. “I’ve been going there since they opened. It’s a convenient location for me, but I love their bread and just their sandwiches—period.” Sometimes, Gregg has her sub sandwich delivered at work, while at others, she orders it for pickup through the drive-thru line. She considers the No. 1—The Pepe Little John with Jimmy Peppers and barbecue Jimmy Chips—her favorite combo. “I like going there,” Gregg said. “The people there are always very friendly.”

Russ Denson took over the Covington location in March 2022 after having owned the Milledgeville franchise since July 2019. The Gray resident started out in the restaurant business working at Chick-fil-A but did not want to move out west to become a restaurant owner. After a stint in the insurance business, he helped open the Milledgeville store with some friends and eventually became owner.

“If I knew Covid was coming, I probably wouldn’t have done it,” said Denson, who grew up in Macon and later lived in Atlanta for 10 years, “but we made it work.”

“I’ve been going there since they opened. It’s a convenient location for me, but I love their bread and just their sandwiches—period.”
Customer, Becky Gregg

After his Milledgeville store became profitable, he began looking for another location and heard about the possibility of Covington being for sale. Even though he had only visited the city a handful of times, he felt it would be the best next spot for him.

“It’s a great location, and we love Covington; it’s a lot of fun,” said Denson, who splits his time between the two stores, visiting each of them two or three times a week, depending on what’s happening at a given location. “For me, it’s hard to run a successful business if you’re not there to put your personal stamp on it and show customers and staff that you care.”

Denson boasts that most of his staff are local to Covington and Conyers. Some of the newest menu items are chicken wraps (one of Denson’s favorites) and chicken subs. Aside from go-to items like the Beach Club and Jimmy Cubano, meat-and-bread-only Plain Slims and a variety of sides and desserts are available. Denson calls his current general manager, Phaidatu Adam, or P.A., “phenomenal.” The Africa native has been in the United States for 18 years, having spent 15 of them working at Jimmy John’s.

“She runs the store better than I’ve ever seen any Jimmy John’s run,” Denson said. “She is a blessing. I can’t tell you how lucky I am to have her.”