Jimmy John's Taps ‘Heartthrob' ‘White Lotus' Star for ‘Steamy' Menu Collab
The popular sandwich chain first teased that something big was coming in a June 20 social media post. Now, it's laying out its plan to add some heat to its offers–but not that kind.
In a totally unexpected collaboration, Jimmy John's and Walton Goggins have a "steamy" offer for customers: buy a sandwich off its Summer Menu of Ultimate Temptation (S.M.U.T.) and unlock a access to a custom two-part romantasy audiobook, The Blade and the Brine, narrated by The White Lotusand Righteous Gemstones actor.
Related: Jimmy John's New Cookie Brings 'Burst of Sunshine' to Menus for Limited Time
The qualifying menu items include four sandwiches with just the right amount of spice, sauce, and kick.
Spicy East Coast Italian: As spicy as your favorite plot twist. A tasty Italian sandwich with a kick, made with a double serving of hand-sliced Genoa salami and capocollo, provolone cheese, oil and vinegar, onion, lettuce, tomato, mayo and topped with hot Jimmy Peppers®. To really turn up the heat, try it toasted!Beach Club: What goes better with a beach read than a Beach Club? Madewith hand-sliced turkey breast, provolone cheese, avocado spread, cucumber,lettuce, tomato, and mayo. Make it spicy by adding Kickin' Ranch!Ultimate Porker: The name says it all. Made with savory hand-sliced smokedham and applewood smoked bacon, topped with lettuce, tomato, and mayo. Try ittoasted to heat things up even more!Kickin' Ranch Chicken Wrap: A saucy pick for your saucy read. This wrap features fresh, all-natural chicken**, provolone, onions, lettuce, tomato, Jimmy Peppers and Kickin' Ranch - all wrapped in a soft flour tortilla.
As for the audiobook series, Goggins, 53, said it "has everything you want in a beach read-drama, desire, a little danger."
"Recording it got pretty steamy," he joked. "Pair it with a Jimmy John's sandwich and, well… things get hot, fast."
Related: Fans 'Nearly Choked' Over 'White Lotus' Star Walton Goggins' Barely-There Speedo Photos
Jimmy John's S.M.U.T. menu isn't sticking around for long, and neither is access to the exclusive audiobooks narrated by the heartthrob.
To unlock the series, customers must be a rewards member or join Jimmy John's Freaky Fast Rewards before purchasing. Then, while logged into their account, fans can use promo code BEACHREAD before checking out to receive part one of the audiobook series via email on July 1–but only on orders made between June 23 and June 29.
To receive part two, rewards members must order another qualifying sub from Jimmy John's S.M.U.T. online between July 1 and July 6. A bit complicated, but the company promises the sandwiches and the story will be so good, "you'll want to come back for seconds."
Next: Taco Bell's Newest Test Menu Item Has Everyone Saying the Same Thing
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Eater
4 hours ago
- Eater
Consider the Crunchwrap
The Crunchwrap Supreme is a feat of both texture and engineering. To create the Taco Bell classic, which — like Eater — turned 20 years old this year, a large flour tortilla is layered with seasoned beef and thick nacho cheese sauce, a crispy tostada shell, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and tangy sour cream before being meticulously folded into its signature hexagonal shape and griddled to hold all the elements together. The tostada shell serves both as a crunchy textural delight and a way to separate the warm and cold elements. And since its debut in 2005, it's quickly become not only one of Taco Bell's most popular items, but also one of the most successful — the chain sold more than 100 million Crunchwrap Supremes in 2024 alone, according to a representative for the company. But it's also, perhaps more excitingly, kind of everywhere. It's become a form factor that independent chefs around the country are obsessed with, stuffing their versions with chili or shawarma or sushi ingredients. A quick scan of Instagram and TikTok will surface thousands of videos of people attempting to make Crunchwraps at home, or experimenting with different fillings and a range of wraps beyond the tortilla. The Crunchwrap Supreme has transcended its fast-food origins, and has become fully subsumed into the greater American dining canon alongside dishes like the Big Mac, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and apple pie. Trends tend to trickle down from fine dining to fast food — just look at the history of the molten chocolate cake. The Crunchwrap Supreme is one of the few, rare examples where a trend traveled the other way, working its way, over the past 20 years, to the menus of beloved independent restaurants. 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At Wave Asian Bistro in Mount Dora, Florida, the kitchen team has made headlines for their sushi-inspired version that includes sushi rice, cream cheese, spicy tuna, spicy crab, and avocado and is stuffed into a giant sheet of nori before being deep-fried. Chef Antony Nassif says people drive from all over to experience his $30, 1.5-pound, Lebanese take on a Crunchwrap at his New York City restaurant, Hen House. Nassif wanted to do something 'big and flavorful,' so he stuffed his version with a slow-roasted lamb shawarma, cilantro-garlic potatoes, a full cheese curd blanket, garlic sauce, and lots of tomato salad and cabbage. The fillings are griddled inside of a long and thin village-style bread instead of a tortilla. 'It's very cheffy and easily feeds two to four people, but I've had crazy people come in and crush a whole one.' Olson says Centro first started serving its Crunches during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns in 2020, when diners were looking for 'easy, nostalgic, craveable things.' Many agree that the pandemic helped kick off the nationwide Crunchwrap fervor. In April 2020, recipe developer Farideh Sadeghin posted a video to the Munchies YouTube channel featuring her making a version of the Crunchwrap Supreme in her apartment kitchen. (The video, shot in mid-March before lockdowns, concluded with Sadeghin noting that 'While we're getting through this, you might as well cook some fun stuff at home.') 'That video haunts me in the best way,' she says now. 'I feel like it is the recipe I am most known for.' Nassif, who is Canadian and didn't grow up eating at Taco Bell, admits that he added a Crunchwrap-style dish to his menu after seeing videos on the internet. He's imagined several versions over the years, like a steakhouse-inspired riff stuffed with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach, or a 'Little Italy' one filled with a veal cutlet and marinated peppers. 'It's endlessly customizable,' he says. 'You just take the formula — the way to fold it, put the meat with whatever vegetables you want, with something crispy — and it's a Crunchwrap.' 'That video haunts me in the best way. I feel like it is the recipe I am most known for.' Content creator Pratik Bhakta, who goes by @hungryempire on Instagram, says that whenever he posts a video of him making a Crunchwrap, it does incredibly well. He posted a version featuring Thanksgiving leftovers for the first time back in 2021 and it quickly racked up hundreds of thousands of views even though he only had a small following at the time. Every time he reposts the video, it does numbers. 'So I'm thinking it's time for a 2.0 version soon,' Bhakta says, laughing. Taco Bell is quite aware of the popularity of the Crunchwrap with chefs and home cooks alike. In 2024, the chain released make-at-home Crunchwrap kits that are available at many major grocery stores, and in 2024, even teamed up with three chefs to reimagine the Crunchwrap with international flavors drawing from Indian, Thai, and American Southwestern culinary traditions. As for all the knockoffs? The chain seems flattered. 'The name is trademarked and while we do take steps to protect it, especially when its misuse could lead to consumer confusion or dilution,' a Taco Bell spokesperson said, 'we're also committed to supporting food culture and creativity.' Sign up for Eater's newsletter The freshest news from the food world every day Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Eater
4 hours ago
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The Whole Internet Is Mukbang Now
Usually within about 30 seconds of opening the TikTok app on my phone, I can almost guarantee that I will see a video of someone eating. Maybe they're sitting in their car with a sack full of fast food, or perhaps they've just prepared an elaborate meal that they're sloppily plating into bowls, but within seconds, the eating begins. In 2025, it feels like the entire internet is mukbang, and I'm not the only one who can't stop watching. For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, mukbang, which roughly translates to 'eating show,' was first popularized in South Korea in the 2010s. In these eating shows — which usually involve an individual or group sitting down to eat a meal that's already been prepared, camera pointed directly at them — both celebrities and regular folks began attracting massive audiences, who would just hang out and watch their favorite mukbangers eat a giant bowl of noodles or kimchi jjigae on a Twitch livestream. 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By February 2019, the app hit 1 billion downloads. Today, TikTok has more than 1 billion active users per month, and now, you don't have to commit to watching an entire 20-minute (or hour-long!) eating show on YouTube. Instead, you're more likely to half-watch a three-minute mukbang video on TikTok (or its competitor, Instagram Reels, which launched in 2020) while you're waiting for the subway or doomscrolling on the couch. The shorter format has made it easier to buy into this type of content, whether you're the creator making it or the viewer watching it. As current TikTok feeds show, early mukbang videos proved that there's a strong human desire to watch (mostly) normal people do (mostly) normal stuff. We now go to Instagram to watch people put on their makeup in wildly popular 'Get Ready With Me' videos, and gawk while creators do chores and go to the grocery store in 'Day in the Life' TikToks. 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Many people eat their meals alone at home, and watching someone else eat and chat while warming up your boring frozen TV dinner creates the illusion of dining with someone else. We're arguably even more isolated now than in 2017. The enshittification of social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook means that we're not even seeing content from our friends and family anymore, just a constant onslaught of AI slop and advertising. That makes mukbang videos, with human faces and voices front and center, even more compelling. Many of these videos lean into creating a friendly, intimate connection between creator and viewer, styled to feel a bit like FaceTime calls. 'Hey besties, let's eat,' one creator cheerily yells as she prepares to dig into a plate of steak and scallops. And while there's nothing inherently wrong with wanting to watch someone eat, I do think that there's a more sinister element to the proliferation of mukbang, one that's intimately connected to our ongoing cultural obsession with the pursuit of thinness. In an era when millions of Americans are taking weight-loss drugs that severely limit their ability to eat at all, there seems to be something uniquely appealing about watching someone else eat all the carbs and fried food that you're denying yourself, whether that's a massive spread of fast food or just an order of fries. 'Either I feel satisfied by watching them eat, or I end up disgusted by the amount of food,' wrote one user on a forum for people with eating disorders. 'Either way I don't feel hungry afterwards.' If it is true that we're all watching mukbangs because we're lonely and terrified to eat 'fattening foods,' that's just the clearest reflection of the society that we're living in that I've ever seen. Everyone is craving comfort and connection and a nonstop dopamine drip, and platforms like TikTok are all too happy to provide them. It's just that, like watching someone eat, a simulacrum of emotional connection doesn't actually fill you up.
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