Jersey Mike’s IPO, restaurant closures, and concerning jobs numbers

On this week’s Extra Serving, NRN editor in chief Sam Oches and executive editor Alicia Kelso discuss the latest restaurant industry news, including Jersey Mike’s imminent IPO, the latest jobs report, and a trend in mass restaurant closures. Fresh off an exciting weekend of World Cup action, Sam and Alicia start with the summer of marketing initiatives, which have leaned heavily into the World Cup as well as America’s 250th anniversary and blockbuster movie promotions. Restaurant marketers are just doing their jobs, but are these campaigns breaking through the noise? Sam and Alicia break down some examples and the best ways that brands are connecting with consumers. Next they discuss the latest jobs data, which showed restaurants shedding about 33,000 jobs in June — a concerning statistic considering it’s the first full month of summer. Sam and Alicia walk through the many reasons for this retrenchment in jobs and discuss why it could be bad news for an industry desperate to turn sales and traffic around in 2026. They then shift their attention to restaurant closures, and Alicia shares her recent reporting on how there’s been an uptick in restaurant chains closing a sizable chunk of their systems. What could be to blame? And how should the industry respond to this kind of trend? Sam and Alicia break it down. Then, some positive news: Jersey Mike’s filed its S-1 document in the latest step toward what is anticipated to be a massive IPO. Sam and Alicia talk about why Jersey Mike’s is perfectly positioned for the public markets — and why the best could still yet to be come for the chain. Finally, they close out with a Quick Fire round in which they cover Just Salad’s addition of New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson as equity partner, Red Lobster’s Endless Shrimp-related lawsuit, and El Pollo Loco’s efforts to go national.

For more on these stories:

The restaurant industry helped birth America and is now celebrating its 250th anniversary

Restaurants and bars shed a lot of jobs in June

Jersey Mike’s makes its IPO official