Subway Subs

Is it just my opinion that Subway subs suck? They are nothing but bread....you need to order them with double meat in order for it to even be something edible! What a huge waste of money for bread with almost NO meat on it! In order to get a good sub for the money in my neck of the woods, our locally owned sub shops make a "real" sub with lots of meat and cheese in it! If I wanted bread...I would go by a loaf!

It is decent bread though. As chains go, I like Potbellys for subs. I enjoy the hot peppers.

Hello All,
I have had so many good and bad experiences with Subway, based on
the problem Lindseyup67 brings up. It is often that management tells
the prep person to go lite on meat or heavy, or just crappy prep people
who don't give a darn about what they are doing.
That's why there are some Subways in my area that I just avoid and others
that I visit.
Of late, I visit a locally owned place, "Sergio's" in Bridgewater, Va.,
that makes subs the way I ask them to make them. Service is often slow,
but I am in sub heaven when I partake of the joy they have made for me.
Take Care,
Fieldthistle

I avoid Subway because I think the smell of the bread cooking is weird somehow ... not appetizing to me.

I will get their wraps from time to time they have a veggie burger thing that works pretty well in a wrap. I took it out once and ate it alone and it was pretty salty-gross by itself.

IMO the bread's not even good. It's a pre-fab quick-cook dough, kind of like a Pillsbury product but worse, that smells of too much yeast and chemicals. Fresh baked doesn't mean anything if what you're baking is crap.

As for the scant fillings, you can buy better quality stuff at 7-11.

I'd pick Subway over Quiznos any day of the week. Quiznos is the pits. Their meat tastes like garbage - so the fact that they pile it up high does not help the sandwich in the least bit.
Subway is a far better choice. Their hearty italian and wheat breads are fine. Their meat, while not the highest quality like a real deli, tastes just fine and the fresh toppings you can put on it are always cool and crisp. I would avoid the subway pizza, though.

There is a positive to less meat maybe. Jared lost weight eating at Subway.

I liked Subway far better years and years ago. I live about 20 miles from Subway World HQ. So there have always been Subways galore here. Been eating at Subway since I moved here when I was 8-9, in 1976. 20-30 years ago, even 15 years ago, Subway was different and better. The regular subs had at least as as much meat as their double meats now do. The double meats then really were meat packed. I liked the old Subway bread better too. Don't like the Quizno Wannabe bread they have now nearly as much!

I don't care for Subway's Subs. The Subs are just too bland (I mean everything on it). I always go to Charley's Grilled Subs, Tubby's, or this other place in SE Michigan for Subs.

I only eat the Pan Pizza at Subway. However, if I was forced to eat their subs, I would eat their Tuna Sub.

If I want a bread sandwich, I can get it cheaper just by buying a loaf of bread. What a pathetic place to call a "restaurant". Something they have in there smells like BARF, and I cant even stand to get near the place. I swear, I have no idea how they have ANY Business whatsoever.

I wasn't happy when they dumped the Parmesan Oregano bread a few years back, but if it was because of why the one I go to dropped the Italian Herbs and Cheese one (the smell) and *not* because of the redundancy in the "style," I guess it makes for some happier employees and their nasal cavities.

I tend to do one of two sandwiches...the Chicken Pizziola, or a ham with marinara. The pizza is not bad for what you pay for.

I agree about Quizno's...nasty.

quote:

Originally posted by Davydd

There is a positive to less meat maybe. Jared lost weight eating at Subway.

I heard a theory, if I recall on a local restaurant review show, "The Phantom Gourmet," that Jared was actually a normal guy who started eating every day from the regular menu at Subway and put on a ton of weight. So they came out with a lean menu and put him on that so he'd lose the weight.

quote:

Originally posted by Ashphalt


I heard a theory, if I recall on a local restaurant review show, "The Phantom Gourmet," that Jared was actually a normal guy who started eating every day from the regular menu at Subway and put on a ton of weight. So they came out with a lean menu and put him on that so he'd lose the weight.

I've never heard of Jared of being called "Normal" before.

quote:

Originally posted by TerrierMom

I liked Subway far better years and years ago. I live about 20 miles from Subway World HQ. So there have always been Subways galore here. Been eating at Subway since I moved here when I was 8-9, in 1976. 20-30 years ago, even 15 years ago, Subway was different and better. The regular subs had at least as as much meat as their double meats now do. The double meats then really were meat packed. I liked the old Subway bread better too. Don't like the Quizno Wannabe bread they have now nearly as much!

I can't figure out how Subway survives in Connecticut where really good subs can be found at any mom & pop Italian grocery store. I know that the first store the founder operated, in Bridgeport, turned out real ones, not like the stuff his chain sells.

Had lunch at Subway today, a vege sub on toasted Italian bread with oil & vinegar. As usual it was very good. No foul smells here, maybe cleaner than some others?

quote:

Originally posted by John A

Had lunch at Subway today, a vege sub on toasted Italian bread with oil & vinegar. As usual it was very good. No foul smells here, maybe cleaner than some others?

I've only been in two or three Subways, and while I don't care for their food (I was buying stuff for my grandson) I've never seen a Subway that was anything other than clean.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hoffman

quote:

Originally posted by John A

Had lunch at Subway today, a vege sub on toasted Italian bread with oil & vinegar. As usual it was very good. No foul smells here, maybe cleaner than some others?

I've only been in two or three Subways, and while I don't care for their food (I was buying stuff for my grandson) I've never seen a Subway that was anything other than clean.

That is the case with most restaurants Michael. THe only ones that I've notice to be run down or just down right gritty are eithe rthe Truck Stop or Inner City locations.

When subway offered their regular white sub rolls, their restaurants (and the bread) always had a chemical smell to me. But, since they went to various breads I haven't noticed the odor so I chalked it up to the bread they were serving. I think I've eaten there once in the past 3 years but the wife grabs a meatball sub from time to time (which means of course that I actually go in and grab the sub for her while she sits in the car ).

All but one have been spotless and I wouldn't hesitate to eat their but I prefer a grinder so usually get my "subs" from an italian restaurant.

(and I'm actually posting, for the first time, in a thread where I think the originator was just trolling).

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Hoffman

quote:

Originally posted by TerrierMom

I liked Subway far better years and years ago. I live about 20 miles from Subway World HQ. So there have always been Subways galore here. Been eating at Subway since I moved here when I was 8-9, in 1976. 20-30 years ago, even 15 years ago, Subway was different and better. The regular subs had at least as as much meat as their double meats now do. The double meats then really were meat packed. I liked the old Subway bread better too. Don't like the Quizno Wannabe bread they have now nearly as much!

I can't figure out how Subway survives in Connecticut where really good subs can be found at any mom & pop Italian grocery store. I know that the first store the founder operated, in Bridgeport, turned out real ones, not like the stuff his chain sells.

Marketing! Subway marketed itself as the "cool" and best place to get subs, and all us dumb school kids fell for it. When I was a kid it was their 6 foot subs we all wanted for our birthday parties and such. So we yammered to Mom and Dad until we got them. I was into HS before discovering that small local places run by Nonni and Poppy also sold subs that were better. Besides which, that early on, you'd even see Subway execs actually working the local stores on occasion. Even saw Fred DeLuca himself on a a few visits.

I have a Vienna joint in an arcade in Uptown Charlotte and there's a Quizno's 2 doors away from me. They serve around 225 customers in about 4 hours. They have the owner and 3 employees humping for those 4 hours and have a constant line. They've been there around 8 years.

Interestingly, just outside the arcade's back door is a string of more restaurants and delis. A new Subway is going in one of the stores. It'll be about 100 feet from the Quizno's. Will be interesting to see what happens after Subway opens. Quizno's has the edge because they have a triple store with plenty of seating. The Subway is like ours, less than 500 sq. ft. I don't really eat at either.

A Vienna joint?

It was called Pete's Subs when it first opened here and it was pretty good. My sister used to work there and I can attest to the fact that it offered good value.

Jump ahead to today: You'll never find a sub at a Subway that looks like the ones in the tv commercials. The bread smells more like burning plastic than bread, and it's usually stale. The cold cuts are mostly turkey based and they don't tell you that on the menu. (Is that legal)? No matter what you order, it tastes of vinegar even if you ask for no vinegar. The portion of meat is so small that the sandwich isn't even big enough to be called a snack. (You sure get a big helping of that plastic bread, though).

They know how to choose locations, however. A few years ago an independent opened a few blocks away that made the best sandwiches with large portions, fresh ingredients and twice as many choices at the same prices as Subway. One of their sandwiches or salads were good for 3 lunches, but because Subway was located within a block or 2 of the major office buildings downtown, they survived while the new place perished after about a year.

I went to Subway twice this year just for the daily specials and was so disappointed that I probably won't go again.

And by the way, they should be calling it "extra meat" because you'll rarely get double.

I could see how portions could be different in something like tuna salad where employee judgment comes into play but their cut meats used to come in pre sliced and they put x number of slices based on the sandwich ordered.

About the only other choice we have for subs is Jersey Mikes which IMO has really gone down hill in our area. Blimpies was around for a while but they've all closed, including one inside a Walmart which only lasted a couple of months.

It really depends on the franchise you go to. I've had Subway that would make me swear them off for good until I found an excellent branch near my work. Customer service and ingredient freshness really help make the subs better all around.

If you can find a chain that has really fresh ingredients the sandwiches are actually pretty good, especially for someone eating lower fat.

quote:

Originally posted by ces1948

I could see how portions could be different in something like tuna salad where employee judgment comes into play but their cut meats used to come in pre sliced and they put x number of slices based on the sandwich ordered.

They still do. And even the tuna salad is put on the sandwich in a specific size scoop. It's not that the amount of meat varies, but that corporate has told them to use less meat.

That said...I don't mind Subway that much. It's easy to see what I'm getting, it's usually fairly fast, and it's a change from eating yet another burger and fries. It's not my first choice (based on price alone...I can eat there for the same amount I can eat at all the other overpriced restaurants downtown, and most of them are local and better), but it isn't awful. I see no more point in complaining about Subway than I do any other chain. I mean, it's not like you don't know what you're getting when you go there, so it's pretty much your own fault if what you get isn't what you want or like.

Subway prepares your sandwich in full view and you can customize it the way you want it. That is something Quiznos, Potbelly and Jimmie Johns do not do.

=A Vienna joint?=

Yessir. We sell Vienna dogs, hot dog buns, Polish, Italian sausage and beef, meatballs, Supreme tamales and brats. I know Vienna doesn't make it all, but they have it made for them and distribute it, and then we get it through our Vienna distributor (Sparta Imports). So I'd say that makes us a "Vienna Joint."

And Subway doesnt Deliver like Jimmy Johns.

quote:

Originally posted by felix4067

quote:

Originally posted by ces1948

I could see how portions could be different in something like tuna salad where employee judgment comes into play but their cut meats used to come in pre sliced and they put x number of slices based on the sandwich ordered.

They still do. And even the tuna salad is put on the sandwich in a specific size scoop. It's not that the amount of meat varies, but that corporate has told them to use less meat.

That said...I don't mind Subway that much. It's easy to see what I'm getting, it's usually fairly fast, and it's a change from eating yet another burger and fries. It's not my first choice (based on price alone...I can eat there for the same amount I can eat at all the other overpriced restaurants downtown, and most of them are local and better), but it isn't awful. I see no more point in complaining about Subway than I do any other chain. I mean, it's not like you don't know what you're getting when you go there, so it's pretty much your own fault if what you get isn't what you want or like.