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Subway on Tuesday announced “really bold changes” to its existing menu in an attempt to whet consumers’ appetites, as ongoing claims about the authenticity of its tuna fuel its brand.
On Tuesday, the fast food chain announced “Eat Fresh Refresh,” its biggest menu update in more than 50 years of history, which will be available in stores across the United States on July 13.
The revamp includes over 20 menu updates, with 11 new and improved ingredients, six new and old sandwiches, and four signature sandwiches, including two more bread options, Artisan Italian and Hearty Multigrain.
The company embarked on creating the new bread options in January 2019 and had them prepared for the summer of 2020, but “couldn’t get it started in the midst of the pandemic,” according to Trevor Haynes, president of Subway for North America.
In order to best prepare for this new programming, more than 10,000 restaurants will close on July 12 at 6:00 p.m. EST to allow time for local staff to prepare.
‘Nothing to hide’
One menu item that won’t change, however, is its Besieged Tuna, which is currently the subject of a California lawsuit that Subway has called “baseless.” Meanwhile, a New York Times analysis in June added fuel to the fire after a newspaper-commissioned lab report found “no amplifiable tuna DNA” present in a sample.
Subway, however, doubled down, with Haynes insisting the customer favorite “is nothing but 100% wild caught tuna.” In restaurants, mayonnaise is added during preparation.
Haynes said the Subway team agreed that “our tuna doesn’t need to be touched, our guests love our tuna, it’s a product we are proud to serve in restaurants.” As part of Eat Fresh Refresh, the team will include a message about how proud they are of their tuna product and stress that there is “nothing to hide”.
Haynes says this redesign is “really focused” on ensuring the menu is “contemporary” with mix-and-match options for each guest’s unique palette. The brand wants to ensure that it continues to evolve with changing tastes and to deliver a “better guest experience” all the time with both new favorites and old classics.
New menu items include thinly sliced ham and turkey, BelGioioso mozzarella, walnut-smoked bacon, mashed avocado with sea salt, and MVP Parmesan dressing. Sandwiches that will be added include Turkey Cali Fresh, Steak Cali Fresh and an All-American Club.
For now, this refresh is only happening in US locations, but may set a trend for the brand on a global scale.
A Subway spokesperson told Yahoo Finance: “We are currently focused on the deployment in the United States, but as we gather feedback from new and loyal Subway fans, we will remain close to management teams around the world. to share our learnings as they consider their own the menu is refreshing. “
Subway teams up with DoorDash, revamps app
Along with the revamped menu, Subway is revamping its app to offer indoor pickup, curbside pickup, or door-to-door delivery through the third-party delivery platform DoorDash (DASH). The sprawling chain owns a Subway restaurant within five miles of 92 percent of the American population.
“This is what the consumer is looking for, our customers are looking for hyper accessibility to brands,” Haynes told Yahoo Finance. This ongoing effort to help franchisees meet the needs of their customers is “aggressively rolling out” across the United States, adding “thousands” of restaurants every two days.
During COVID, he says franchisees were creating their own curbside pickup options with personalized banners outside their restaurants. By the end of the year, approximately 7,000 restaurants are expected to participate in this new digital ordering experience.
Subway Aims to Help Attract Workers During Labor Shortages
In May, the brand launched a digital campaign aimed at attracting 40,000 employees in 30 days across the United States. Haynes says it “really helped” drive traffic to his career portal for potential applicants, but it will be an ongoing effort.
“The pressures are easing a bit in parts of the country, we seem to find more staff available.” He says owners of Subway franchisees are able to upgrade new hires “fairly quickly”, but are more concerned with how they find new talent there in the first place.
In an effort to accelerate the transition for franchisee owners, Subway worked “tirelessly” with supplier partners and suppliers prior to launch.
Brooke DiPalma is a producer and reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeDiPalma or email him at [email protected]. Check out his latest:
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