Sandwiches are pretty awesome in general. Subway is a mediocre place to buy them. The fact that you can choose your toppings is one of the better things about Subway.
In Canada, Subway recently introduced paninis, which are tasty. Some vegetables don’t work well with paninis, because they get too moist and oozy when pressed. So these sandwiches do come with recommended toppings and they ask if you want anything else.
I am trying to eat 5-10 servings of vegetables each day as part of a diet which still allows me to eat small quantities of tasty crap. So I like that I can order double spinach, double banana peppers, double green peppers, onion, etc. I find lettuce and fast food tomatoes to be without flavour and don’t want them standard.
While I understand the OP, it would be easy to make sandwiches come with a specific sauce and vegetables — is it so hard to say lettuce, tomato and onion? I get why Subway customizes it - people vary a lot in whether they think banana or jalapeño peppers are spicy or desirable. Lots of people are on diets and avoiding sugary condiments. Smart people know ranch dressing tastes like unicorn tears and broken dreams.
“not available in all markets, participation may vary, see store for details” – None of that changes what the sandwich Subway has identified as the Chicken & Bacon Ranch should contain. It means that sandwich isn’t available everywhere, that every location can determine if it’s going to make the Chicken & Bacon Ranch sandwich available for sale, and customers should ask if the Chicken & Bacon Ranch sandwich can be purchased there. Would you agree?
There are two different photos shown for the Chicken & Bacon Ranch sandwich; one on the “All sandwiches” page (which, best as I can tell, is a photo of the sandwich as it’s described), and a second photo on the actual page for the sandwich. That photo shows a sandwich which appears to contain almost every vegetable Subway offers.
To my way of thinking, that means there are indeed various ways to customize the sandwich. I have never disputed this.
None of this changes what Subway has said in the actual description of the sandwich. In other words, the definition of a Chicken & Bacon Ranch sandwich as created by Subway and listed on that page hasn’t changed. Would you agree?
If the only disclaimer was “not available in all markets,” then I’d maybe agree that it’s a flat yes-or-no choice at each location as to whether it’s available or not; for the sake of argument, that’s presumably what the phrase does and why it’s there.
But why do they then include a “participation may vary” disclaimer right after that? If they’ve already just established that a restaurant may not offer it at all, then why bother to add that second disclaimer — and then explain that variations may occur due to differences in product assembly?
Sure, figure the first disclaimer is a warning that you may not be able to get the sandwich period. But figure that still leaves room for an additional disclaimer: one establishing that, no, they’re open to the possibility that a restaurant could fairly be said to be offering that sandwich, albeit with a variation.
(The gag, of course, is that the variation is that you can still get it with lettuce and tomatoes and onions and green peppers — and for the same price, even — by saying “with lettuce and tomatoes and onions and green peppers”.)
I’m not sure I follow you. I mean, literally, I obviously disagree because of what I was just saying: they’re apparently reserving the right — on that very page — to still refer to it by that name even if participation varies and differences in product assembly may cause variations to occur; but even leaving that aside, consider this: if I ordered a Chicken & Bacon Ranch, and they made one up for me complete with lettuce and tomato and et cetera, how much would they charge me?
And the answer is, I believe, “more than they would for a Cold Cut Combo, but less than they would for a Philly Cheesesteak. As in, look at the signs when you walk in; and right where it says ‘Chicken & Bacon Ranch’, that’s the price before taxes.”
And how much would they charge if I ordered a second Chicken & Bacon Ranch, but then slowly and patiently explained to them that this one should be minus lettuce as well as minus tomatoes? And the reply would, I believe, be “it’s the same price as the first one; it’s still a ‘Chicken & Bacon Ranch’. See the dollar amount listed on the sign for a ‘Chicken & Bacon Ranch’? This one would also cost that much, because it is also one of those. It is not a ‘Meatball Marinara’, and you will not be charged as if it were. It is not a ‘Veggie Delite’, and you will not be charged as if it were. It is a ‘Chicken & Bacon Ranch’, and you will be charged accordingly.”
I swear, people are just being contrarian. I suggest a decal that could be posted to the counter, and I get “It’s too much hassle”. How can sticking a decal and removing it at the end of the promotion be “too much hassle”? They put the signs on the wall for the promotions! Some even use window painters! A decal is way less hassle than that.
You make a perfectly good suggestion, and you get “maybe the manager wants to ignore it”.
What can you do with that attitude? Might as well say “what if subway is staffed with imbeciles? What if they only have pumpernickel? What if the apocalypse comes while you are ordering?” What if what if what if…
But, again, as far as I can tell the other half of that is about putting everything right back in play. Like, we’re quibbling over the default — over whether you should get lettuce on a given sandwich if you don’t say whether you want lettuce — while all just agreeing that you should get lettuce if you say “with lettuce”, and that you should get no lettuce if you say “with no lettuce”.
I believe there are some people who, when they say “with everything”, in fact mean “including jalapeños”. I believe there are some people who say “with everything” but would, if asked, say, “oh, heavens, no; I don’t want jalapeños”. And we can argue over whether one of those people is an imbecile — or whether the sandwich maker in one of those interactions is an imbecile, or what the default should be — and What If this, and What If that, and so on; but I’d like to think that you and I are on the same page when it comes to the following: if someone says “with jalapeños,” then so let it be written and so let it be done; and if someone instead says “without jalapeños,” then that preference should be honored likewise.
All we’re quibbling over is what happens if that doesn’t get said, right?
If a guy says “with everything,” they get jalapeños, or they don’t get jalapeños, or they get a moment to clarify when the sandwich maker says “jalapeños?” And our only real disagreement is — which of those three should happen in that case?
But those are the people that are insisting that a company that has a pretty successful business model change that business model to suit their preferences.
Reasons are given as to why the company may decide to continue operating in the way that it has successfully done so for several decades, and that is met with “but that’s not how I want them to run their business”.
I will always love Subway if for no other reason than it’s the only place to get a sammich that doesn’t automatically assume that everyone wants a job lot of mayo spooge on every bit of bread they can find. A company I worked for brought in a bunch of Jimmy John’s for a work related lunch thing and I picked up a random piece of sammich and I swear the sheer amount of drippy white goo inundating the pallid shreds of iceberg looked very much the way I’d imagine Sunday morning in a low rent whorehouse would look in the aftermath of payday. I once ordered a corned beef and swiss in a damned DELI and it came slathered in mayo with shredded iceberg lettuce and tomato on it–NO. A deli corned beef is rye bread, meat, swiss and brown mustard and that’s IT. Add sauerkraut and Russian dressing to make a Reuben if you like but NO FUCKING MAYONNAISE. Guh.
If there was one item I could unilaterally remove from the existence on this planet, it would be mayonnaise in a jar. So gross.
Customer #1: Points at picture. “I’d like that sandwich as shown please”
Sandwich Artist: Looks at picture. Puts on meat, lettuce, tomatoes and onions and American Cheese on white bread.
Customer #2: Points at picture. “I’d like that sandwich please.”
Sandwich Artist: Asks customer for type of bread, vegetable toppings, cheese and dressing. Customer requests the bread be toasted.
Customer #1 looks at Customer #2’s sandwich that is twice as tall and toasty…
Customer #1 to Sandwich Artist: “Why did Customer #2’s sandwich cost the same as mine?”
Sandwich Artist: “I made yours as shown in the picture as you requested.”
Customer #1: MANAGER!!!:mad:
Customer A: Points at picture. “I want that sandwich, but can you substitute the lettuce for pickles, the onions for peppers, the tomatoes for olives and the American cheese for provolone. Oh…and can you add jalapenos too.”
Sandwich Artist: SIGH :smack:
Customer at Panda Express: “I’d like an Orange Chicken Bowl please”. Walks down line… “Oh, and add Honey Walnut Shrimp…and Black Pepper Chicken too!”
Server: “Would you like a Three Choice Plate?”
Customer: “Oh no. Just the Orange Chicken Bowl with the shrimp and chicken!” :eek:
Customer #1: Points at picture. “I’d like that sandwich as shown please”
Sandwich Artist: Looks at picture. Puts on meat, lettuce, tomatoes and onions and American Cheese on white bread.
Customer #2: Points at picture. “I’d like that sandwich please.”
Sandwich Artist: Asks customer for type of bread, vegetable toppings, cheese and dressing. Customer requests the bread be toasted.
Customer #1 looks at Customer #2’s sandwich that is twice as tall and toasty…
Customer #1 to Sandwich Artist: “Why did Customer #2’s sandwich cost the same as mine?”
Sandwich Artist: “I made yours as shown in the picture as you requested.”
Customer #1: MANAGER!!!:mad:
Customer A: Points at picture. “I want that sandwich, but can you substitute the lettuce for pickles, the onions for peppers, the tomatoes for olives and the American cheese for provolone. Oh…and can you add jalapenos too.”
Sandwich Artist: SIGH :smack:
Customer at Panda Express: “I’d like an Orange Chicken Bowl please”. Walks down line… “Oh, and add Honey Walnut Shrimp…and Black Pepper Chicken too!”
Server: “Would you like a Three Choice Plate?”
Customer: “Oh no. Just the Orange Chicken Bowl with added shrimp and chicken!” :eek:
All I’m saying is, if Subway wants to suddenly identify a particular sandwich and specify the ingredients that come with that sandwich, a customer should be able to go into a Subway and order that sandwich and get what was promoted – without having to remember the ingredients the company listed.
If Subway changed the few sandwich descriptions that do this (I’ve found a grand total of two, but I can’t say I’ve done in-depth research), I would happily shut my sandwich-hole and go about my merry way.
In other words, I’m not asking Subway to change their business model. They changed it for these specific sandwiches, when they listed the ingredients. All I’m asking is for them (or their employees) to know what the default ingredient list for those sandwiches is if I order one.
Look, you’re a perceiving, thinking, intelligent human being. Why can’t you just accept the fact that no matter what you think the literal meaning of the promotion is, at a Subway you’re going to have to specify the ingredients?
What’s the point of thinking that it makes sense to go around worried about the fact that this one company doesn’t do what you thought it would do the first time you saw one of these promotions?
By now you can have built that mental circuit to bypass that now proven wrong even if logical conclusion.
Rule: Regardless of what the poster says, at Subway, the customer chooses the ingredients.
Now, just make your decision whether to go there with that rule in mind.
Customer 1. Thinks nothing but how good his sandwich is and how right the basic default sandwich model is, and ignores other customer, because why is it his business how other people make theirs. I mean, he lost all outrage at pineapple pizza. To each his or her own. Can’t even imagine why the manager would need to be called.
If you people would just think about what us “sticker people” are saying, there wouldn’t be any conflict. But you all just gotta keep nit picking. Some of these counter “arguments” are just ridiculous. “Successful business model” that has changed a lot since I started going there. Remember soups? Remember the V cut? Remember seafood salad? Remember when they weren’t pushing every sandwich to be toasted? (and why must they ask every time? If I wanted it toasted, I’d bloody well ask. I know how to “subway”.)
It is annoying that Subway should lure customers in not only with their standard ‘have it your way’ promise, but also with the prospect of pre-defined meal arrangements. It’'s like they’re having their sub and eating it.
arguments like this why a finished product advertisement says something like “suggested serving” or item might differ from viewing
only thing the subways ive been to have promised is whats listed in the description on the menu like the sweet onion chicken teriyaki you get the sauce onions and chicken as a base and you put whatever else you want…
.although here in ca they had “carne asada” as a local special a few years and they were supposedly out 95 percent of the time I asked for it until I asked the owner if they had any and was surprised when he said they did and told him all about it being out all the timw and boy was he pissed …
Apparently since it took a minute or two longer to make it the workers just told everyone it was out …they didn’t like me much there after that …
I just came in here to update everyone that history has vindicated me.
The subway app has each sub with it’s own specific ingredients and then you can customize them after, so some subs come with mayo by default, some subs have tomatoes by default, some subs have a certain sauce etc.
So apparently Subway all this time DID have a specific idea of what was on what type of sub, and they were deliberately hiding it from us all these years.
