Wichita restaurant staff mourning popular manager, who collapsed on the job
Employees of a local sandwich shop are mourning the sudden loss of its popular general manager, who died on the job over the weekend.
Anthony Jackson, 29, had worked as a manager for franchisee Chris Stong’s local Jersey Mike’s Subs restaurants since spring 2020. He arrived at the restaurant at 2564 N. Greenwich early on Sunday morning to prepare for the day, but when the next employee arrived, she found him collapsed on the floor and called 911.
Doctors suspect he had a blood clot or an aneurysm, his Jersey Mike’s supervisors said.
Jackson’s Jersey Mike’s family is remembering him as a patient and kind leader who was also loved by customers.
“He cared about the customers and knew literally hundreds of them by name and knew their orders,” Stong said. ". . . Or he would chat with the customers as they came in, and quietly lean over to whisper their order to the person working. He even did this with me and made me look good.”
Jackson, who played football at Andover High School, graduating in 2015, helped open Wichita’s first Jersey Mike’s shop, at 37th and Greenwich, six years ago. After, he also helped open Stong’s stores at 2616 N. Maize Road and at 1918 N. Rock Road in Derby. He’d been back at the Greenwich store as general manager for two years.
Brandaija Johnson, who has worked at Jersey Mike’s for six years, was the employee who found Jackson on Sunday morning. She last texted with him at around 7:20 a..m., she said. She walked in the store at 7:54 a.m. and found him collapsed.
She described him as someone who loved the Kansas City Chiefs and loved playing video games.
“I used to call him all the time and mess up his game,” she said.
Employees at the Greenwich store are struggling with his loss, she said. He was the type of leader who believed work should also be fun.
“If you don’t enjoy your job, you’re never going to like your job,” she said. “He always came in and just made it fun for everybody, honestly.”
Stong said that Jackson’s restaurant on Greenwich was one of the busiest in the nation and had some of the top sales. Much of that was thanks to Jackson’s hard work and determination, he said.
Stong also liked the way Jackson treated his employees.
“He never had a bad day,” Stong said. “He smiled and was always positive and upbeat. If someone needed help or extra time to learn, he made the time to allow them to grow. If they were stuck or sinking, he stepped in and showed them how to do things and would tell them not to worry, that with practice, they would get it. And he meant it and helped them move forward.”
The Greenwich restaurant was closed on Sunday and Monday while employees dealt with the news but reopened Tuesday, Stong said.
This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 1:43 PM.
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