MarketWatch – It’s been years since Subway offered a $5 footlong sandwich, a deal celebrated with an ear-catching jingle. Now, the sandwiches can cost up to $15.
And the chain’s regular customers are none too happy about the inflationary state of affairs.
“I made my own sandwich last night. I calculated it cost me ~$3-$4 worth of ingredients.” another Reddit user noted.
The discussion about Subway’s pricing has been a hot topic of late, especially since news broke that the chain was reportedly having a large-scale meeting with North American franchisees about ways to boost business.
Naturally, customers want to see a return to the good ol’ days of those $5 footlongs and say that’s the best path forward to win their business. “It’s that easy,” another Reddit user said.
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The $5 deal ended in 2014, and Subway’s footlongs currently range from around $8 to $15, though prices vary by location. A sandwich combo meal with chips and a drink adds a few dollars to the tab. Extras like more meat and cheese also increase the price.
Admittedly, few fast-food industry watchers predict the $5 deal will ever return. But Subway franchisees told MarketWatch that bargain offerings are still important sales boosters.
“Promotions can only help us increase traffic,” said Monica Laldin, a Subway franchisee in Georgia with seven locations.
Subway does have offers that bring down the cost of a sandwich below the $10 mark, such as a current buy-one-footlong-get-one-free deal. But the chain — which generates around $10 billion in annual sales, and was purchased last year by Roark Capital in a reported $9.6 billion transaction — faces pushback from some franchisees because the offers can cut into profits.
Subway is far from the only fast-food chain dealing with a difficult financial environment, driven in recent years by higher food and labor costs …
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