This is the ninth episode of the very popular and always awkward, “Can I Eat My Lunch In Here,” series on MBIP. If you’re new here and haven’t seen this yet, the premise is pretty simple: I pick up lunch at a local restaurant and then go to a business and ask if I can eat my lunch in their lunchroom. What follows next is usually a sickening mix of confusion and awkwardness between myself and the receptionist and other people who work there. Out of the eight previous episodes, five businesses have let me eat lunch in their lunch room and two turned me down at first but then got in touch with me and invited me back for lunch, that was at WMBD/WYZZ/CI Proud and the PJ Star, here’s the links to those posts: WMBD/WYZZ/CIProud, turned down then invited back and PJ Star, turned down and invited back.
So far the only place I’ve gone to and got completely shut down is the Quinn-Johnston Law Offices and that was the most awkward of all “Can I Eat My Lunch In Here” posts. The receptionist was really uncomfortable and I kept pushing it and it was really weird and tense, you can read that post by clicking here.
Since a law office is the only place to have said no and not invited me back, I thought I’d go to the lawyer in town that has the most name recognition in this city, The Jay Janssen Law Center. I remember back when Jay Janssen’s slogan was, “Jay Janssen—Because You Want To Win!” Well today we’re changing that slogan to: “Jay Janssen—Because I Want To Eat Lunch...Goddammit!” Okay, it’s off to the MBIP Mobile we go!
Here we are traveling up Main Street to B Easy. The Jay Janssen Law Center is just a couple blocks down from B Easy and I love the sandwiches here. Plus B Easy was part of the very first, “Can I Eat My Lunch In Here,” so there’s sentimental attachments here!
You order here at this take-out window...
There’s the menu inside, all the sandwiches here are great but I think I’m going with today’s daily special, the Dijon Beef with sweet and spicy pickles. That sounds like a fantastic sandwich!
And there’s the man himself, the owner of B Easy, Brandon Altorfer! I placed my order with Brandon and he told me business has been great. I’m glad to hear that because this is a great place and the only spot in town to get a delicious hot homemade sandwich after midnight.
That was quick, here’s Brandon with the sandwich and it feels like it weighs about two pounds! I can’t wait to unwrap this monster of a sandwich! There it is on the passenger side of the MBIP Mobile and here go down Main Street to...
The Jay Janssen Law Center! I have a good feeling about this episode of “Can I Eat My Lunch In Here,” because back in the ‘90’s Jay Janssen bought ads for POP magazine which I edited and published. A lot of businesses didn’t support that magazine, even though we were the best selling publication in Peoria, but Jay did and I always appreciated that! Let’s go in and let the awkwardness begin. I always feel half sick with nervousness before doing this, so let’s go and get this over with!
There’s a speaker that you have to buzz and talk into and I told them my name and said I was with Meanwhile Back In Peoria and I got buzzed in, and here we are within the inner sanctum of The Jay Janssen Law Center!
This is Kathleen at the front desk and I found out a pleasant surprise after meeting her, she’s the mother of Courtney, who’s married to my Godson, Brian Hennessey! We met at their wedding, which you can read about by clicking right here. Great to see Kathleen and I feel pretty positive that this lunch could happen in here. She told me that Jay Janssen was out of town, but she’d go ask and see if I can eat my lunch in here.
That’s an elegant waiting room and there’s interesting reading material: The Bible and People magazine! Check out the chandelier hanging over head and I like the green spotlights in the ceiling. Nice!
Waiting for an answer is always uncomfortable because if I get turned down I have to think of another place to try to eat my lunch or do something totally different and I have to be at work in about 90 minutes, so the clock is ticking. Tick, tock, tick, tock...
After about seven long minutes, Kathleen returned and gave us the okay! Lunch is on! Hooray! But sadly the MBIP camera fuzzed out this photo of Kathleen leading us back to the lunchroom. Hate the MBIP camera. HATE HATE HATE it!
And here we are, wow this is one fancy, schmancy lunchroom! Check out the marble dining table and the big screen TV!
Okay, I’m all situated in and time to eat lunch in The Jay Janssen Law Center. The sandwich looks so savory and tasty!
The bun is toasted and it's dense and it is so good! The beef is tender and chock-full of smoky flavor and the pickles really make the sandwich! They add crunch and are spicy and sweet and the flavors from the beef, the Dijon sauce and the pickles really mix nicely together and feel like a smorgasbord of goodness exploding in my mouth. And the sandwich is huge!
I can only eat half of it and I’m stuffed! I’ll have the other half for dinner later tonight.
Okay, let’s take a look around in here and walk off lunch a little!
I like these black and white ‘50’s movie star portraits on the walls. That’s Humphrey Bogart on top, Errol Flynn in the middle and the last one is Clark Gable. Clark’s a little hard to see from this photo, but he’s in the car, trust me!
The refrigerator has a vintage look and it’s well stocked and very neat inside. And no evidence of spoiled food. I love to see that!
Oaky, let’s look inside the microwave, sometimes microwaves at work places can be a little nasty! But check out this one, I’d say that’s one of the cleanest I’ve ever encountered, very impressive!
On my way out I snapped a photo of Brian and Courtney Hennessey at Kathleen’s desk. They’re America’s cutest couple and I love them!
On the way out I climbed the stairs to take a picture of a portrait of Jay Janssen! Thanks again to Jay for buying ads and supporting my magazine all those years ago and thanks to Kathleen and everyone at Jay Janssen Law Center for letting me eat my lunch in there! We’ll see you all tomorrow!
Janssen Law Center
333 Main Street
Peoria
309-676-2341
B Easy
617 Main Street
Peoria
Related Posts: Can I Eat My Lunch In Here @ Notre Dame High School, The YMCA and Suzi Davis Travel.