Having a taste for Jimmy John’s

Elmont resident Taj Toogood wants to explore his next step in life: entrepreneur

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It all started when Taj Toogood, 23, of Elmont, was a NYIT student playing basketball for his college.

After a long road trip and balling hard in a basketball tournament in Va., Toogood and his teammates were starving. They happened upon a nearby restaurant called Jimmy John's, and, as Toogood said, he was sold.

"The sandwiches were delicious," he said, remembering how much he enjoyed his food that day. "Everything was fresh. I liked the special items I could add on to my sandwich and it all tasted so good."

He enjoyed his experience so much that he decided, why not bring the sandwich shop chain to Long Island?

"Long Island, New York is a place that has it all, from the great shopping centers and beautiful beaches, to famous restaurants," he said. "We have top notch schools and bouncy houses and everything else you could possibly want in a community. Long Islanders are exciting, fun loving people paying high taxes and settling for the most boring sandwiches."

Toogood has always been a go-getter, looking for new opportunities, whether it is a novel he's written or bringing a franchise to his community. In 2013, he wrote a book, "His and Hers." Those closest to Toogood aren't surprised by his latest endeavor.

His close friend, Erison Estevez, also from Elmont, has known him since elementary school and became closer to him while playing basketball in high school."He drives me to succeed," he said, recalling the time they were riding together in the car and Toogood asked him what he wanted to do with his life. "I was considering going to welding school and he encouraged me to do it, and now I'm unionized."

Another close friend, Shamoy McIntosh, believes in Toogood. They have known each other since seventh grade. They met playing basketball at Floral Park Memorial High School. 

"He was always a great athlete and great in school," he said. "He's a family oriented person who is very selfless and always would put others first before himself. Taj is the hardest lover and the biggest hearted person that you'll ever meet. I've never had Jimmy John's but I'm sure it's delicious. Taj would never settle for any less and he has great taste in food. His bright idea of Jimmy Johns will bring great business to Long Island and I'm looking forward towards his great success."

The Chicago-based franchise has several locations throughout the country. The closest restaurant is in Hoboken, N.J. The original location was founded by Jimmy John Liautaud, who graduated second to last in his high school class and knew the college experience wouldn't suit him well. 

As a result, he struck a deal with his father, who gave him one year and a $25,000 loan to open up a business. He chose to open his sandwich shop instead of enlist in the Army. Jimmy John's Sandwiches first shop near Chicago in Charleston, Ill. opened on Jan. 13, 1983.

A second store in Macomb, Ill. opened, then a third in Champaign, Ill. In 1994, Liautaud began franchising. This was where Toogood got the idea for bringing the chain to Long Island.

According to the website for the business, Liautaud's beginnings in the shop shaped the company culture and his own recipe for future success. He had to overcome large odds and frequent obstacles in the beginning: this time he developed many of the processes in the shop that employees still use today. 

Both Liautaud and Toogood possess the same qualities: hard working and creative, said Estevez.

"He has this gift to make people really like him," he said. "He gets people's attention. People in our neighborhood don't strive to do the things he sets out to do. That's why I think his sandwich shop franchise is going to be successful."

Toogood now has a GoFundMe page set up to raise money to start his sandwich shop. So far, he has raised $275 and needs $100,000. There are different contribution levels available for contributing. The website is:  http://www.gofundme.com/tajtoogood. It has been active since November 2016, but has only recently seen more traffic.