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Subway (restaurant)

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Subway is a massive American multinational fast food franchise. It specializes in submarine sandwiches, often called "subs," and wraps.

Subwaysandwich
Subwaysandwich

The company is currently the largest single-brand restaurant chain in the world. It is also recognized as the largest restaurant operator globally. Subway serves a wide variety of items beyond sandwiches. These include salads, paninis, and various baked goods like cookies and muffins.

Counter and customers, new-style Subway restaurant
Counter and customers, new-style Subway restaurant

The brand has a massive global footprint that spans many different cultures.

The business operates through a specific system known as franchising. In this model, independent owners called franchisees run individual locations. To open a new Subway, a person must pay startup costs. These costs generally range from $200,000 to $500,000. Once the shop is running, franchisees must pay a portion of their profits back to the company. This payment is approximately 12.5% of their profits. This system allows the brand to expand rapidly across the globe.

Subway Restaurant Locations
Subway Restaurant Locations

The history of Subway began in 1965 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Fred DeLuca founded the business with $1,000 from his friend, Peter Buck.

The first shop was named Pete's Super Submarine Sandwiches. The name was changed to Subway in 1968. The founders formed a holding company called Doctor's Associates Inc. to manage the growing business. This name reflected DeLuca's dream to pay for medical school. It also honored Buck, who held a doctorate in physics.

Subway has seen incredible growth and significant changes over the decades. In 1976, the company began its franchise operations in Wallingford, Connecticut. The first location on the West Coast opened in Fresno, California, in 1978. International expansion began in Bahrain in 1984, followed by Canada in 1986. By the end of 2010, Subway became the largest fast food chain worldwide. At that time, it had 33,749 restaurants, which was 1,012 more than McDonald's. In 2015, it was ranked as the fastest-growing franchise globally.

Despite its success, the company has faced recent challenges and transitions. In 2016, Subway closed hundreds of U.S. restaurants and saw its first net loss in locations. This happened as profits fell and foot traffic decreased by 25% since 2012. To fix this, the company invested $25 million in a rebranding campaign in 2018. In 2019, John Chidsey became the first CEO who was not a member of the founding family. Ownership changed again recently when Roark Capital purchased the company. The deal was valued at $9.6 billion, making it a major acquisition in restaurant history.

Subway adapts its menu to meet different cultural and religious needs. In India, the restaurants do not serve beef to respect Hindu beliefs. Instead, they provide an extended range of vegetarian options. In the United States, the most popular sandwich is the B.M.T. This name stands for "Biggest, Meatiest, Tastiest." It is a reference to the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit system. The company also manages kosher locations, though only one remains in Miami, Florida.

Today, the company maintains a huge presence in many different territories. As of September 2023, Subway has over 37,000 locations in more than 102 countries. More than half of these locations, or 61.1%, are in the United States. This includes 21,796 individual shops. Outside of North America, large numbers of stores exist in the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Australia.

Subway in Burwood Plaza
Subway in Burwood Plaza

The company manages its international operations through five different regional centers. These centers are located in places like Amsterdam, Brisbane, Beirut, Singapore, and Miami.

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🖼️ Images & Media (7)
File:A_Subway_restaurant_in_a_strip_mall_in_Franklin,_North_Carolina,_United_States.jpg
A_Subway_restaurant_in_a_strip_mall_in_Fra...
File:Counter and customers, new-style Subway restaurant.jpg
Counter and customers, new-style Subway...
File:Subway in Burwood Plaza.jpg
Subway in Burwood Plaza.jpg
File:Subway, Deventer (2022) 02.jpg
Subway, Deventer (2022) 02.jpg
File:Subway Restaurant Locations.svg
Subway Restaurant Locations.svg
File:Subwaysandwich.jpg
Subwaysandwich.jpg
File:Jared_Fogle_(2007).jpg
Jared_Fogle_(2007).jpg
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