At Jimmy John's, bike delivery driver turns pedal power into cash

He may be covered in sweat or soaked with rain, but whatever the conditions, Jimmy John's bike delivery driver Kevin Gilbert will be pedaling through the streets and the elements with sandwiches in hand.

Gilbert, the most successful bike driver at the Main Street Jimmy John's, is confident that his two-wheel delivery system is faster and makes him more money than cars ever could.

A car has its perks: air conditioning, protection from rain, less risk of being injured. But if money is the goal, the bike is the way, Gilbert said.

Store general manager Micah Fetick said bike employees make three to five times more deliveries than car drivers.

"I was the one who started it all," Gilbert said of his legacy at Jimmy John's.

The store had tried to use bike drivers before Gilbert arrived two years ago, but none were fast enough to keep up with car deliveries.

"I hammered them down and showed them how it's done," he said.

The downtown restaurant now employs six bike drivers and has seen a recent spike in sales thanks to speedy deliveries, Fetick said.

"(Bikes) are just more efficient, and we have some hustlers too," Fetick said. "It's all about getting our delivery times down."

A bicycle's advantages shine particularly bright in rush hour. Back alleys become short cuts, lines of traffic become less inhibiting and Lexington's many one-way streets become two-way streets with the help of sidewalks. Gilbert said a ride from his shop to the Fifth Third Bank Tower could take five minutes in a car, but he makes it in 90 seconds on his bike.

"People in cars definitely make less (money)," Gilbert said. "I can get there and back before they can get out."

If a car can get there, Gilbert can too, even if the destination is at the edge of the restaurant's two square mile delivery area.

Jimmy John's offers bike delivery from its stores on Main Street and South Limestone, where the Noodles & Company also offers the service.

Gilbert said he doesn't think the trend will catch on, since he believes only a few other restaurants, such as Goodfellas Pizzeria, would find bike deliveries useful.

And the job isn't for everybody. Jimmy John's has been through a number of bike drivers who were fired after riding unsafely or after refusing to take orders to the outskirts of their delivery area.

Gilbert has been through hardships himself. He said people have yelled at him, have nearly hit him with their vehicles and have even thrown an egg at him. "I've had some close calls," he said.

But safety is improving. With more cyclists on the road, Gilbert said, drivers' awareness and respect of bike riders has improved.

Having lost 100 pounds with the help of his bike, Gilbert said he hopes to see more people in the city enjoying the monetary and physical perks of pedaling.

"I like that Lexington wants to be more bicycle friendly," he said. "A lot of people are going to appreciate more and more bike lanes."

This story was originally published June 3, 2015 at 5:34 PM with the headline "At Jimmy John's, bike delivery driver turns pedal power into cash."