InSUBordination

(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Hey Snackers,

For the rare gaming enthusiast who’s somehow in two minds about whether to bother with undoubtedly the most hyped videogame of all time, GTA VI, a new offer from telecoms giant Virgin Media might just tip the scales.

According to a new post on the TV and WiFi provider’s Irish website, Virgin will give one lucky winner €100 (~$111) an hour to play the game when it drops on November 19, handing over almost $900 for a full eight-hour shift as well as a free copy of the game.

The gamer can clock up theeight hours non-consecutively, if they so wish, and will be expected to post their thoughts on social media after they’ve played, tagging Virgin Media. The contest is only open to Republic of Ireland residents, presumably making this the biggest event for Irish citizenship demandsince Brexit.

Markets rose slightly on Wednesday as the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady.

Jersey Mike’s sales, and store count, keep growing. That’s not always a given in America’s crowded sandwich space.

Since going public on the NYSE at the end of July, Jersey Mike’s performance has been a little sub-standard, to say the least, with shares slumping around 30% in the intervening months, as investors’ recent tendencyto cheer multi-brand restaurant behemoths and send single-brand chain companies lower stretches into 2026.

Still, despite disappointment around the chain’s bottom line yesterday (it posted an $11 million loss in thethird quarter), the company’s systemwide sales were up more than 11% from the same period last year. According to the filing, the company also added 80 new stores in Q3, building on its impressive streak as America’s fastest growing major sandwich chain.

Per figures that Jersey Mike’s shared with QSR for its annual report on America’s 50 biggest fast-food chains, it added around 240 units last year — more than any other sandwich chain, and the fourth-highest footprint growth overall. The 70-year-old sandwich giant counted some 3,227 outlets in the US in 2025, each bringing in $1.36 million a year on average, meaning JMike’s stacks up pretty nicely on that front compared to other sub spots, too.

THE TAKEAWAY

Not content with its burgeoning position in America’s breadbox, Jersey Mike’s is now looking to make a name for itself further afield, opening its first UK branch later this year in London. Execs will hope that the eating public of England, home of the Earl who reputedly gave his name to the bread-based meal, will at least give the chain a warmer reception than the public market has over the last few months.

— Thomas Jones

That’s how many times gadget-reviewing YouTuber Kuba Klawiter was able to fold his iPhone Duo on a recent livestream before the device cracked.

Although that tally puts Klawiter’s experience with the Duo far ahead of some other horror stories, it’s still well behind the 500,000-fold estimate that Samsung has said its latest Galaxy Z Flips and Z Folds can withstand, per Gizmodo.

Following screen-cracking reports over the weekend, Apple offered a statement to 9to5Mac acknowledging “an issue impacting the inner display on a small number of iPhone Duo units,” as concerns around the new model continue to unfold.

Snacks Shots

• 🏈 NFL: Tonight the Carolina Panthers take on the Green Bay Packers, and Green Bay is a solid favorite, with markets pricing in a 66% chance that the Packers win it.
• 📊 Senate Check In: Democrats are now a 66% chance to win the Senate. Democrats must flip four seats and hold all their current ones to take the Senate. Current state-by-state chances of a Dem flip: North Carolina (98%), Alaska (72%), Texas (68%), Maine (62%), Ohio (69%) and Iowa (45%).

*Event contracts are offered through Robinhood Derivatives, LLC — probabilities referenced or sourced from KalshiEx LLC or ForecastEx LLC.

The most popular federal agencies? Parks, weather, the postal service, and it’s not even close!

While “favorite federal agency?” might not yet have made its way into the canon of questions for when conversation begins to dry up a little in the same way that “dream dinner party guests?” or “death row meal?” have, we all seem to have found some common ground on our answers anyway.

According to the latest survey tracking the topic from Pew Research Center, 73% of US adults have a favorable view of the National Park Service, compared to just 9% who feel the opposite, making it the most net-favorable federal agency in the US. The National Weather Service, which 72% of Americans think of positively, isn’t far behind, while ICE, the IRS, and the Department of Justice were the only agencies in the survey to elicit net-negative responses.

What else we're Snackin'

• Amazon is the latest company to crack down on employee “tokenmaxxing,” publishing a memo on Tuesday regarding updated AI usage guidelines that it circulated internally in September.
• 270 Park Ave. — or JPMorgan’s global HQ, as it’s more commonly recognised — cost a whopping $6 billion, staff at the bank’s real-estate division recently estimated.
• Active Etsy buyers increased year-over-year for the first time in two years in Q3, the company announced, with sellers also growing at their fastest rate since 2024.
• The Wall Street Journal yesterday reported that Nelson Peltz’s Trian Fund Management has made a $1.4 billion offer to buy struggling burger chain Wendy’s.

Thursday

• Caterpillar, Eli Lilly, Mastercard, Norwegian Cruise Line, Merck, Altria, Blue Owl Capital, FTAI Aviation.
• September PCE inflation report due out at 8:30 a.m. ET.
• Amazon, Sandisk, Intel, Strategy, Reddit, Coinbase, AXT Inc, Roblox, Starbucks, Monolithic Power Systems, Digital Realty, Rivian, Pinterest, and Dexcom slated to release earnings after the close.

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