This past year, Subway Restaurants have closed hundreds of restaurants. The falling store count stems from a sales slowdown. The emergence of newer “fast-casual” restaurants that also happen to serve sandwiches, such as Jersey Mike’s Subs, is not helping Subway’s case. Paired with claims that their “chicken” is only 50% chicken and 50% soy is just another nail in the coffin. Ironic considering that their motto is “Eat Fresh”, as in: “Eat Fresh Antibiotics”.
However, they have tried merciless to combat this economic fall. Some attempted solutions to this have been a logo change, attempted delivery service, and replacing upper management in an attempt to save face amidst Jared’s arrest. Yet, all these attempts are nothing but cheap gimmicks that do not address the real problem Subway is facing. They dropped their quality, standards, and lost their role in the “fast-casual” restaurant scene. While they try to offer healthy and fresh options, the presence of their unhealthy sandwiches removes any attempted claim of being a healthy restaurant.
The potential solution to Subway’s problem lies in their motto: “Eat Fresh”. By lowering the quality of their ingredients and delivering a subpar service compared to other sandwich shops, customers will have no incentive to buy sandwiches from them. While the upfront cost may be large, increasing sandwich quality through better meats, breads, vegetables, and condiments will increase sales. After that, Subway has to find their role in the world of “fast-casual” sandwich restaurants, whether it be through cheap prices, fast service, or another market niche. After achieving a strong business base, they can stop to think about using cheap gimmicks to push their business forward.
