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The rise and fall of Subway: How the world’s biggest food chain lost its ‘fresh’ appeal
Financial Post ^ | June 3, 2015 | Drew Harwell

Posted on 06/03/2015 10:50:37 AM PDT by rickmichaels

With 43,945 sandwich shops in 110 countries, Subway has become the world’s most ubiquitous restaurant chain, posting armies of “sandwich artists” in more American outposts than McDonald’s and Starbucks combined.

Yet at the dawn of its 50th birthday, all is not well in the land of Jared and jingles about $5 footlongs. Subway’s U.S. sales last year declined 3 per cent, or US$400 million, falling faster than any other of America’s top 25 food chains. The mega-deli was also knocked back to America’s third best-selling food chain for the first time in seven years.

Subway ascended over the last several decades on the back of broad American tastes, offering a healthy alternative for eaters leery of fast food, and at prices that made it unstoppable during the Great Recession. Even First Lady Michelle Obama praised Subway during a visit last year for “working to get kids excited about eating their vegetables.”

(Excerpt) Read more at business.financialpost.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
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1 posted on 06/03/2015 10:50:37 AM PDT by rickmichaels
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To: rickmichaels

All of Subway meats are turkey-based. Including the meatballs.


2 posted on 06/03/2015 10:53:15 AM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
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To: rickmichaels

I’ve got no knocks about Subway. It remains the easiest franchise to buy into. Their products are always fresh. They have not gotten stupid with idiot menu options like McDonalds did. Their prices are fair. You know what you will get. You want better sandwich options? Sure. Plenty of choices.

But I believe they will stay the course.


3 posted on 06/03/2015 10:55:06 AM PDT by Responsibility2nd (With Great Freedom comes Great Responsibility.)
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To: rickmichaels

The answer is easy: the $5 foot-long is gone.


4 posted on 06/03/2015 10:55:54 AM PDT by alancarp
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To: rickmichaels

Just come to the Subway near my office and you’ll see first hand how it lost its fresh appeal. Everything looks pre-packaged and measured precisely. It looks like a robot or assembly line put your sandwich together.


5 posted on 06/03/2015 10:55:58 AM PDT by Opinionated Blowhard ("When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.")
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To: rickmichaels

Subway food triggers an episode of passionate apathy.


6 posted on 06/03/2015 10:56:07 AM PDT by jobim
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To: Responsibility2nd

My experience with Subway is it depends on the franchisers. The ones around here cut corners on the veggies, and it stops being a bargain.

Besides that, their bread has become a problem. Too many additives. No pure whole-grain option.


7 posted on 06/03/2015 10:57:38 AM PDT by grania
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To: rickmichaels

They can’t even make a decent cheese sub. The tiny bit of white stuff they put on there isn’t even halfway decent cheese.


8 posted on 06/03/2015 10:58:41 AM PDT by USMCPOP (Father of LCpl. Karl Linn, KIA 1/26/2005 Al Haqlaniyah, Iraq)
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To: rickmichaels

tastes change, stop acting like its some huge deal

that 3% probably went to Chik-fil-a


9 posted on 06/03/2015 11:00:19 AM PDT by GeronL (free short story: http://flscifi.blogspot.com/2015/05/free-short-story-proper-care-feeding-of.html)
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To: Extremely Extreme Extremist

I remember going into a Subway here in New York City a few years ago and ordering a meatball hero. The middle easterner preparing the sandwich asked if I wanted lettuce and tomatoes on it!


10 posted on 06/03/2015 11:00:46 AM PDT by ETL (ALL (most?) of the Obama-commie connections at my FR Home page: http://www.freerepublic.com/~etl/)
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To: jobim

Haven’t been to one in years.

Jimmy John’s is much better.


11 posted on 06/03/2015 11:02:09 AM PDT by wally_bert (There are no winners in a game of losers. I'm Tommy Joyce, welcome to the Oriental Lounge.)
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To: rickmichaels

I’ve never liked Subway. Went a few times because I was in a group that elected to eat there. What I usually got was bread with a few grams of vegetables and “allegedly” some meat. Felt like all I was eating was bread. No thanks!


12 posted on 06/03/2015 11:02:52 AM PDT by Cowboy Bob (Isn't it funny that Socialists never want to share their own money?)
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To: GeronL

I say competition from other ‘sub shops’ and convenience stores (Quick Trip and Casey’s)that make subs are cutting into the bottom line.


13 posted on 06/03/2015 11:04:05 AM PDT by taterjay
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To: rickmichaels

1. they raised their prices so we don’t go there anymore
2. when we went there, there were some sandwiches which were reasonably fresh... which we ordered.... and some which were not....and some which use what appear to be very low quality meats, ingredients

you have to choose very carefully and look at the ingredients (most of them are on display there) before you order anything

could use some quality improvement


14 posted on 06/03/2015 11:06:22 AM PDT by faithhopecharity ("Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.")
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To: rickmichaels

If they only paid their employees a living wage......


15 posted on 06/03/2015 11:06:26 AM PDT by Veggie Todd (The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. TJ)
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To: rickmichaels

The busier the location, the fresher the food.

The Italian BMT with double meat is my favorite; but a Jimmy John’s Gargantuan is my choice if one is close by.


16 posted on 06/03/2015 11:07:04 AM PDT by SeaHawkFan
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To: rickmichaels

They’ve been understuffing their subs with mediocre food for a number of years now. And the breads are too sweet and mushy.

Just like Panera—they started out good and then went for the lowest common denominator of their idea of the American palette crossed with shortcuts to cut costs.

Blech.


17 posted on 06/03/2015 11:07:16 AM PDT by 9YearLurker
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To: rickmichaels
The one time I ate at a Subway I found their sandwich serving size to be anemic, at best.

It sure as hell didn't look anything like this.

I often wonder how much more Subway sandwich we'd get were it not for all these high-priced celebrity endorsers.

18 posted on 06/03/2015 11:09:30 AM PDT by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
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To: rickmichaels


19 posted on 06/03/2015 11:09:31 AM PDT by JoeProBono (SOME IMAGES MAY BE DISTURBING VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED;-{)
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To: rickmichaels

Perceptions regarding azodiacarbonamide in bread and sulfites on pre-cut vegetables probably affected a decline in sales.


20 posted on 06/03/2015 11:10:14 AM PDT by Ray76 (Obama says, "Unlike my mum, Ruth has all the documents needed to prove who Mark's father was.")
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