The Hunger Diaries

We’ve all been there: It’s 2 a.m., you’re back from Kilroy’s and all you want is a Beach Club from Jimmy John’s. But have you ever wondered what it’s like to deliver late-night cravings as a job?

We caught up with full-time driver Lan Cartwright, 31. Drunk passengers and accidental $17 tips — Cartwright shares it all. 

Four years at the Kirkwood Avenue Jimmy John’s and a part-time gig at Pizza X have made Cartwright a bit of an expert on late-night deliveries. He began working at Jimmy John’s in early 2008 when he was still studying at IU. After graduating with a degree in informatics, he continued working.

Over the years, people have tried to call his cell phone to personally order food from him. Or after ordering, they’ve changed locations several times, which Cartwright says is the most annoying. Some have come to the door wearing nothing but a towel, while others have invited him inside for drinks. “They say, ‘Come on in, Jimmy!’ There’s nothing worse than being called Jimmy,” he says.

Drunk customers are often the ones calling Cartwright for late-night deliveries. On a recent delivery, Cartwright made it to the door in less than 10 minutes only to find the customer drunkenly passed out on the couch. He knocked loudly and peered through the front window to see that the customer wasn’t hearing him.

“I called the number on the sandwich bag and could hear his phone ringing, but that didn’t work. My last attempt was to call him and knock at the same time, which finally worked. He came to the door and said he thought I was someone else. As we’re making the cash-grub exchange, a girl shows up behind me and he thanked me a second time — I kind of saved his night. I showed up before this girl and woke him up so he’d be conscious to greet her.”

We’re just assuming this kind of behavior is expected during Little 500. “You just try to survive Little Five...” Cartwright says. “One night, I probably hadn’t slept in close to two days, and I was delivering to the Villas when some girl came behind my car and told me to stop.”

A guy then came to his window and complained he couldn’t break his hundred dollar bills anywhere.

“And my wallet was fat to the point where it was difficult to put in my pockets, so I’m thinking I’m doing myself a favor by giving him twenties...and it turned out his money was counterfeit. That was the worst thing that’s ever happened on delivery.”

Sometimes the opposite happens — people will give Cartwright too much (real) money.

For example, while delivering a $23 order to some “wasted” customers on Grant Street, Cartwright walked away with a $17 tip. Initially, the caller wasn’t going to tip him at all, but his friend advised Cartwright to keep the change and leave. “The other kid was so drunk he didn’t even know what was going on, so that was a nice little turn in my favor.”

Although he occasionally gets home as late as 6:30 a.m., Cartwright says driving for Jimmy John’s has been a positive social experience. “I’d say it’s socialized me more than high school or college all together. And being sober around drunk people really puts things in perspective.”