Things You Need To Know Before Eating At Subway

By Editorial Staff in Facts On 5th July 2016

Subway is one of those shops that no matter where you are at in the world, you know you're going to get a good sandwich. It's become one of America’s go-to spots for lunch and even dinner especially when you’re in a pinch. Even Jared couldn't keep customers away. But there's a ton of things you probably didn't know about Subway that you need to know before you make another pit-stop there.

#1 The First Location Was Known As Pete's Submarines

Subway was started by a 17-year-old named Fred DeLuca who thought a sandwich shop would be a good way to pay off his student loan debts. He borrowed the money from a friend named Peter Buck, who gave him $1,000 to get the shop up and running. DeLuca named the shop after Peter but after it began to catch on with hungry patrons, the name was shortened to just Subway.

#2 The Sandwich Chain Sells Over 5,300 Subs Per Minute

That's more than 320,000 an hour, which means if you placed every sandwich Subway makes in a year it would wrap around the Earth more than 13 times. At the end of 2010, Subway became the largest fast food chain worldwide, with 33,749 restaurants 1,012 more than McDonald's. They are located in 93 countries.

#3 The Sandwich Makers Are Considered Artists

Ever since the inception of the company, the workers who make the actual subs have been called 'sandwich artists' because of their training in making every sub look like it does in the pictures or ads. Fred DeLuca was a stickler for making his subs look delicious, and the company has special training on how to create a masterpiece.

#4 There Are Over Three Million Sub Variations On The Menu

The options for a sandwich at Subway are almost endless, with toppings such as five different cheese's, vegetables, condiments, and various choices in sub rolls. It would be hard for anyone to order every item or combination before they died from old age. Even the 'sandwich artists' get confused at times.

#5 They Are A Large Worldwide Employer

Subway employs 454,000 people just in the United States, which is about the population of the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Worldwide, the sub shop employs over 775,000 people, with the franchises being very popular in Asia and Western Europe.

#6 Each Location Bakes Its Own Rolls

They were the very first submarine shop in America to begin baking their own bread in the shops. They started in 1983, and they are now known for their one of a kind soft and sponge-like rolls that come in four to six varieties depending on the location.

#7 The BMT Means Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit

The Italian BMT was named after New York City trains. To go along with the chain's transportation theme, it was named after the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit System but was later given the nickname "Biggest, Meatiest, Tastiest." However, the most popular sub at the shop is the Italian BMT, which beat out one-time favorite, oven roasted chicken.

#8 Five Dollar Footlong

The company and it's advertising company, Juniper Advertising, came up with one of the most recognizable campaigns in history. You may recall the "five, five dollar footlong" ads that ran for many years? They stopped only because it wasn't affordable to sell a sub for five dollars any longer.

#9 The Aren't Really Footlongs

After the Sun newspaper ran an article stating that the subs didn't measure up to their claim that they were "foot longs" a civil suit was filed against the chain, and the judge ordered them to make the subs all uniform, and 12 inches in length. The company said that the breads were all baked the same and they came out a few inches shorter or longer depending on the cooking situation. Most 'footlongs' are only eleven inches in length and the courts ruled that was sufficient.

#10 Leading The Charge For Recycling

Every plastic item used at Subway is from recycled materials. In fact, the salad dish is made from two-and-a-half plastic water or soda bottles, which keeps more than 2.5 million pounds of plastic from the waste stream annually. The chain's drink lids and catering trays are made from 95 percent recyclable content like plastic water or soda bottles, which diverts the equivalent of 117 million 20-ounce soda or water bottles from landfills. Everything from the utensils to the bags are from recycled materials.

#11 Jared Couldn't Sink The Ship

The arrest of convicted child pornographer and predator, Jared Fogle, once the long-time spokesperson for the chain, couldn't break customers from eating their favorite subs. Customers maintained eating at the shops even though critics believed the scandal would hurt sales. Jared rose to fame when he claimed he ate only a half of sub twice a day and lost 300 pounds.

#12 Cookies Are A Big Seller At Subway

The most popular cookie sold at Subway is the chocolate chip cookie, which is homemade. And to manufacture all of its cookies, Subway requires the services of 46,600 busy hens working around the clock. That's because 1.6 million pounds of eggs are needed to make enough dough for a year's worth of Subway's cookies. That's a lot of eggs!

#13 Ahead Of Its Time With Calorie Count Menus

More than a year ahead of the FDA's enforcement of menu calorie labeling, Subway started to include calorie listing on all of its items on menu boards across the country. This follows the brand's nutrition-forward thinking, which started in 1997 when nutrition information was first printed on its cups, tray liners, sneeze guards, and napkins.