The following article mentions child abuse.
There was once a time when Subway was the only place to go for a sub sandwich. This chain started life as a single store in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1965, where people could customize their subs to their heart's content without breaking the bank. The restaurant's concept exploded in popularity, and today Subway is a behemoth of a brand, boasting just under 20,000 units in the United States and more than 37,000 locations worldwide.
However, what was once America's most beloved sandwich brand has started to wane in recent years. Since 2015, Subway has gradually lost its grip on the national market, and has been shedding stores year after year as competitors begin to emerge, challenging its dominance. In 2024, it saw one of its biggest declines yet, closing 631 locations — and while it tries to justify these closures as a standard part of business activity, there's no denying that it looks like people are choosing to spend their money elsewhere.
So, why are folks flocking elsewhere? It's easy to pin the explanation on the quality of the food (and there are plenty of bad things to order at Subway), but the reasons run deeper than that. Let's crack open the case of this failing chain.
Read more: 10 Jersey Mike's Subs, Ranked
Subway's Prices Aren't That Much Cheaper Than A Lot Of Restaurants
Subway used to be synonymous with affordability. Where other fast food chains and restaurants were pricier than you'd probably like, you could feel assured that when you ate at Subway, you'd be getting a good amount of bang for your buck. Its five-dollar footlongs were the jewel in its crown, but it also managed to keep costs down more generally, thanks to its unfussy nature and everyday ingredients.
Unfortunately, though, in recent years, you'd be hard-pressed to feel like you're getting a good deal at Subway. As Consumer Confidential's David Lazarus explains (via KTLA 5), "Consumers are starting to realize that if there's little price differential between the likes of Subway and a fast-casual eatery, you might as well go fast casual and enjoy a sit-down experience with proper napkins and everything." Inflation and business decisions have caused the price of its sandwiches to steadily inch up, with the once-affordable footlongs now costing up to $15. Customers aren't too happy about these price increases, either, recognizing that their money is better spent elsewhere. "Subway is absolutely not worth it anymore," said one of many Reddit commenters who are clearly moving away from the chain.
Its Competitors Are On The Rise
For a long time, Subway completely dominated the sandwich market, leaving any competitors in the dust. Over the last few years, though, more space has been carved out in the sub sandwich market, and challengers have sought to take Subway's crown. One such challenger is Jersey Mike's, which is clearly making a play to become the go-to place for sub sandwiches in the U.S. — and with growth of 13% in the first quarter of 2024 and consistent expansion in the years prior, it's doing a pretty good job of doing so. Plus, Jersey Mike's serves several subs, and as they grow in popularity, Subway slows down, with the latter chain showing market share loss in the last five years.
Jersey Mike's isn't the only chain that Subway needs to worry about, either. Jimmy John's has also been growing over the last decade or so, with the franchise model it operates under allowing it to scale at lightning speed. More recently, Jimmy John's has also planted its flag in the sand with international markets, with franchise deals signed in Canada, Latin America, and the Middle East. All of the cash from these countries will inevitably give Jimmy John's more of a foothold in the United States, threatening Subway even more.
The Chain May Well Be Cutting Corners On Its Ingredients
You want to know one of the main reasons why people don't love Subway anymore? People know what's good and what isn't, and Subway's ingredients may not be cutting the mustard. The restaurant has long received criticism for the quality of its ingredients, with everything from its vegetables to its sandwich meat leaving a lot to be desired. The chain that long advertised its food under the "Eat Fresh" slogan has been accused of failing to live up to modern industry trends, and as a result, it's being nudged out of consideration as folks opt for options using ingredients that don't feel so cheap or past their prime.
These accusations haven't just come from customers, either: They've also come from the very franchisees that run its stores. For years, franchisees have complained about the quality of the vegetables they receive from Subway's distribution centers, with the lettuce and tomatoes often deteriorating within days of arriving at their restaurants. Its bread and condiments have also been dubbed as cheap and low-quality, with former owners alleging that Subway puts its income above the quality of its food.
People Have Realised That Its Sandwiches May Not Be As Healthy As The Chain Says
For decades, Subway has had a reputation as a healthier form of fast food. Its very format, with customers being allowed to request as many types of vegetables as they want, has given it an air of wholesomeness that places like McDonald's or Burger King just can't quite replicate. Subway has, of course, used this to its advantage. The infamous "Subway diet" wasn't created by the restaurant, but once it caught wind of the potential to market its sandwiches, it began putting commercials out to champion it. Subway even hired its creator, Jared Fogle, as a spokesperson for the company. Diets and weight loss, of course, don't equate to healthiness, but people were still drawn in.
However, in the last few years, there's been a reassessment of the true healthiness of Subway's food. Plenty of Subway's sandwich filling options are high in sodium, added sugar, and saturated fat, and an order at the restaurant is nutritionally much the same as food from other fast-food restaurants. Its sauces and toppings can be especially unhealthy, and options you might not expect (like the giardiniera) can be astonishingly high in sodium.
Subway Has Been Plagued By Lawsuits
Lawsuits against fast food companies are far from uncommon, and most major brands have had to face a few in their time. However, when restaurant chains are repeatedly plagued by lawsuits, it can start to damage their brands beyond repair, especially when the legal action in question involves the very products people are buying and eating. In the last couple of years, Subway has had to contend with several high-profile lawsuits that have both embarrassed the chain and caused folks to question whether they're actually getting their money's worth.
Most recently, a lawsuit against Subway claimed that its sandwiches don't have enough meat. In 2024, Queens resident Anna Tollison filed a class-action suit after the steak and cheese sandwich that she bought had way less meat than was advertised, which was dubbed as a misrepresentation of its actual product. While this lawsuit may well be dismissed, as suits of its type against other fast food chains have been, it still causes people to question exactly how much they're getting for their money. The lawsuit echoed one filed in 2017, which stated that Subway's footlong sandwiches were shorter than advertised. The lawsuit was dismissed as worthless, but it still put a dent in the chain's reputation.
It Just Can't Seem To Get Its Promotions Right
When a restaurant chain is struggling or wants more customers through its doors, it usually busts out the promotions. Most of the time, these work a treat: The promise of getting a couple of dollars off a meal can work wonders for an eatery's product margins. However, it's a sign of a mismanaged and unappealing restaurant when even the heftiest promotions don't work as intended, and Subway has had its fair share of these over the last several years.
In November 2024, Subway had to pull a major promotion from its stores after it didn't drive traffic in the intended way. The chain had launched a 6-inch Meal Deal promotion for just $6.99 on November 3, but by the end of the month, it withdrew it from its physical locations, although it continued online for a couple more weeks. Subway acknowledged that it just didn't get the results it had thought it would. Man, how unpopular has Subway become that a steal of a deal doesn't work anymore?
Elsewhere, Subway has faced pushback from its own franchisees over its deals. A June 2020 deal where Subway brought back its "two footlongs for $10" deal was loathed by store owners, who saw no profit from the offer. After a lot of noise, Subway cancelled the promotion, no doubt disappointing customers in the process.
Its Struggling Franchisees Are Unhappy With The Company
The relationship between companies and their franchisees can often be a little fraught: They rely on each other, but they often have slightly different interests and intentions that can get in the way of a truly harmonious relationship. In Subway's case, this was seen in 2024 when it took the move to install meat slicers at its franchise locations. The move came after Subway shifted away from pre-sliced meats, which was seen as a move to compete with rivals like Jersey Mike's. Franchisees, however, were unhappy with the move, and while Subway gained fairly good P.R. by introducing meat sliced directly on the premises, the store owners didn't actually see any profit or increased footfall.
Subway's franchisee issues didn't end with new meat slicers, either. Several of them have faced bankruptcy and have shut down entirely, with dozens of restaurants closing their doors as a result. These franchisees have faced issues like hacking, drained cash resources due to COVID-19, and wrongful death lawsuits, all of which have brought negative attention to the company.
Subway's Sale To A Private Equity Firm Saw It Lose Its Roots
For decades, Subway's image was one of a family-run business, albeit a business that was absolutely massive. Subway founder Fred DeLuca managed to retain control of the company from its very first opening in 1965, and did so throughout its years of franchising and growth. Then, in 2024, everything changed. Subway was sold to private equity firm Roark Capital, a backer of Inspire Brands which owns heavy hitters like Arby's, Jimmy John's, and Dunkin', among others. With this move, Subway became part of a family of restaurants, as opposed to one that stands on its own. It's arguable that it also lost an essential part of what made it so special for so many years.
DeLuca's lifelong ownership of Subway gave it that essential sense of being the product of the American dream, a business run by an individual who did good, instead of a faceless corporation that didn't care about its customers. The completion of the sale to Roark Capital left Subway feeling anonymous and bland — a direction that it's arguably been heading in for years.
The Chain's Public Image Has Been Damaged By Its Former Spokesman
Subway's image was changed for good by one man: Jared Fogle. In fact, it was changed twice. The Indiana resident became synonymous with the brand when he created the Subway diet back in 1999, in which he substituted part of his daily intake with Subway sandwiches. Fogle's subsequent weight loss became a big talking point for the brand and propelled him to celebrity status, and he even had his own page on Subway's website. Naturally, he appeared in an endless string of promotional appearances for Subway, thereby making the chain even more prominent in the public eye.
However, in 2015, Fogle was charged and subsequently sentenced with distributing child sexual abuse material and engaging in unlawful acts with minors. Subway immediately sought to create distance between Fogle and its brand, and suspended its relationship with him. This was still an incredibly damaging moment for Subway, and even 10 years on, it's hard to forget the association between the individual and the chain.
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
Subway's Attempts To One-Up Fast Food Brands Through Its Advertising Have Failed
It's a time-honored tradition for fast food brands to compete with each other through their advertising, and Subway's no different. However, where it's not done so well is in the effectiveness of its ads, which have backfired spectacularly and damaged the brand they were intended to promote. One famous commercial in 2018 was the worst of all. The ad placed McDonald's' famous golden arches front and center, and compared them to the line created by heart monitors. In the background, a voice repeated the word "burger" again and again, getting faster and faster, until the line on the screen flatlined.
The idea behind the ad was to promote Subway as a fast food chain with a difference. However, what actually happened was that it annoyed pretty much everyone who watched it. People universally criticized the commercial, with some people even saying that they would actively avoid eating at Subway as a result. How's that for a backfire?
Subway's High-Level Management Is In Chaos, Which Could Be Creating Trouble For The Chain
It's never a great sign for a fast food chain when its top management seems to be in flux. Unfortunately for Subway, that's been the case for a while now. It hardly projected a strong, stable image when CEO John Chidsey stepped away from the brand in 2024 after just five years in the position. Although turnover of top jobs in companies like this isn't uncommon, it happening in such a short space of time (and following a period of decline for the business) makes it seem like it was a less than ideal situation for everyone.
What's even more concerning is what's been happening since. In April 2025, Subway was still reportedly on the hunt for a full-time CEO and was simultaneously changing up some of its other roles. This news flagged that there might be some chaos afoot in the company, and while a new CEO, Jonathan Fitzpatrick, was announced on July 21, it'd be a surprise if any big decisions were able to be made in the year up to that point. Customers can sense chaos like that, folks.
The Chain's Portions Have Been Criticised
Subway has never exactly been known for its heaping, abundant portions, but you used to be able to get a fairly good meal for the price. Despite the controversy around whether its footlongs were actually, you know, a foot long, it wasn't unusual to leave the chain feeling satisfied. However, in 2025, customers are feeling pretty different. Check out any discussions online, and you'll see scores of Subway diners pointing out the effects of shrinkflation on the brand, with folks getting less for the same amount of money.
People are particularly quick to point out how poor Subway's portions are now. "They can't shrink the footlong, obviously, but they stinge on the ingredients now," said one Reddit commenter. Another pointed out that they think Subway is trying to hide this from customers by purposefully shielding the meat section from view, so that you can't see how little is going on your sandwich. One employee, also on Reddit, did mention that the smaller portions were a consequence of management cracking down on over-abundant sandwich layering. When you can get more at a place like Jersey Mike's, why would you go to Subway?
Subway's Employees Are Turning Against It
It's never a good look for a company when the people who work there are actively pointing out its flaws online. Unfortunately for Subway, that's been happening for a while now. Several of its employees have been very vocal about the issues they face in-store and the unsavory secrets about its food. One former employee in a now-deleted viral TikTok took the restaurant to task for its breakfast items, warning customers against them for their sheer lack of freshness, and also blasting the veggies for being old and wilted.
Employees have also flagged how awful some restaurants' sanitation standards are. "A lot of Subways are crawling with health code violations and managers don't care. Most Subways are never deep cleaned and often have mold growing in the corners and walls," said a whistleblower on Reddit. "Temperature logs are faked and lots of food isn't held at the proper temperature. Managers don't truly care about their store or serving people well, so everything else falls." There's no way of verifying this person's claims, of course, but the other assertions in the thread aren't far off from these statements. With gossip like this in the public domain, it's no wonder people aren't eating there anymore.
The Sandwich Shop Is Losing Its Sponsorship Deals
You can assess the health of a restaurant chain by how prominent it is in the public eye, and that prominence is aided massively by sponsorship deals. In 2020, Subway became one of the biggest partners for the NFL, in a prestigious move. As part of the deal, Subway enjoyed a slew of the NFL's biggest stars in its commercials, including Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady.
In 2025, though, Subway lost its mantle as an NFL partner, and to a company that we're sure it wasn't happy about — Subway was replaced by none other than Jersey Mike's, arguably its biggest competitor in the sub sandwich market. This move could have been made by Subway as a cost-cutting measure, as it means it no longer has to pay for NFL rights. Let's be honest, though, it smacks of cashflow issues, and doesn't exactly do favors for its public profile.
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