Click on the slideshow to discover 20 facts you may not know about Subway.
Click on the slideshow to discover 20 facts you may not know about Subway.
Photo: NurPhoto / NurPhoto Via Getty Images
Fred DeLuca received a $ 1,000 loan from a family friend, Dr. Peter Buck, to open the first store, called Pete's Super Submarines, in 1965. The store was originally a way to help pay for DeLuca's studies.
Fred DeLuca received a $ 1,000 loan from a family friend, Dr. Peter Buck, to open the first store, called Pete's Super Submarines, in 1965. The store was originally a way to help pay for DeLuca's studies.
Photo: Jonathan Nackstrand, ONATHAN NACKSTRAND / AFP / Getty Ima
Pete's first Super Submarines store was opened in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Pete's first Super Submarines store was opened in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Photo: added photo / contributed photo
Pete Super Submarine sandwiches cost between 49 and 69 cents.
Pete Super Submarine sandwiches cost between 49 and 69 cents.
Fred DeLuca was only 17 when he opened his first shop.
Fred DeLuca was only 17 when he opened his first shop.
Photo: Candice Choi – AP File Photo
In 1977, the company introduced its sandwich "Snak", now known as "6 inches".
In 1977, the company introduced its sandwich "Snak", now known as "6 inches".
Photo: Tim Boyle / Getty Images
The chain became internationalized in 1984 with a location in the Middle East nation of Bahrain.
The chain became internationalized in 1984 with a location in the Middle East nation of Bahrain.
Photo: Jeff Greenberg / UIG Via Getty Images
"At first, president and co-founder Fred DeLuca took off all seats except that of his Volkswagen Beetle for daily trips to New York to buy crates of fresh vegetables to take back to his Connecticut sandwich shops," the company said. in a report. Less
"In the beginning, the president and co-founder Fred DeLuca would remove all the seats of his Volkswagen Beetle, except the driver, for daily trips to New York to buy boxes of fresh vegetables … more
Jared Fogle was Subway's spokesperson for more than ten years before pleading guilty to child pornography charges and was sentenced to jail time in 2015.
Jared Fogle was Subway's spokesperson for more than ten years before pleading guilty to child pornography charges and was sentenced to jail time in 2015.
Photo: Associated Press Photo
Metro sandwich artists serve 7.5 million sandwiches daily.
Metro sandwich artists serve 7.5 million sandwiches daily.
Metro restaurants offer more than 37 million sandwich combinations, and the most popular is turkey.
Metro restaurants offer more than 37 million sandwich combinations, and the most popular is turkey.
Click on the slideshow to discover 20 facts you may not know about Subway.
Click on the slideshow to discover 20 facts you may not know about Subway.
Photo: NurPhoto / NurPhoto Via Getty Images
Subway moves away from its famous $ 5 contract after the Franchise Revolt
Subway franchisees will no longer be required to sell the $ 5 billion following a franchisee's revolt earlier this year.
When the chain of sandwiches announced in December that it would bring back a new offer, charging $ 4.99 instead of $ 5 for a "footlong" sandwich, the reactions were mixed. At the time, 400 angry franchisees signed a protest petition claiming that the company's discounting strategy reduced already thin profit margins.
"The national promotion in the last five years has decimated [us] and left many franchisees unprofitable and even insolvent, "wrote the petitioners, led by franchisee Virginia Mitesh Raval, in a letter to Subway in December, reported the New York Post.
Footlong became a huge success for the company as customers sought value during the recession. However, in the years that followed, some franchisees complained that it was hurting their business.
Now the management is backing down. The new CEO of the company, Trevor Haynes, told USA Today Monday that franchisees would no longer be required to offer the deal. Franchisees can always offer the transaction in their stores if they wish.
"How can we help our franchisees with a more regional value message, so that they can (have) a value proposition that fits their business model," he said. "If you look at California, the cost of doing business is very different from that of Arkansas."
Subway did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request to comment on the change.
The chain has been struggling in recent years. Its number of US stores dropped by more than 900 in 2017, almost three times more than the year before.
Sales declined in Subway stores in the United States last year, as people familiar with the situation told Kate Taylor of Business Insider. His former CEO, Suzanne Greco, announced that she would retire after 45 years spent with the company in May.
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SEE ALSO: Subway has brought back the $ 5 footlong – and it reveals a huge internal battle that is getting ready for the chain