I was certainly influenced by that widely successfully ad campaign. The spokesman lost several hundred pounds.
You did have to look carefully at the details. You mentioned specific sandwiches with very limited sauces. The spokesman also increased his daily walking.
Is it a widespread misconception that Subway doesn’t offer provolone? Because while some of the smaller stores don’t carry it, it’s absolutely a common option and provolone is always what I order on my usual spicy Italian.
Basically, it’s not necessarily unhealthy, which Subway sometimes uses in misleading ways to associate its entire brand as “healthy”
Ah, yes: how healthy Subway is depends on how much walking you have to do to get there. 
I would say yes based on:
In Canada stores typically do not offer it. They have, according to their menu, cheddar, feta, swiss and grated Parmesan. I have little experience with the US stores.
Going strictly from memory and personal experience, I remember American, provolone, pepper jack, and maybe Swiss being the choices.
This cite says
Pretty much this, IMHO, although in my limited experience with them I’ve noticed that there can be significant variability between locations. I don’t know what it is they do differently, but apparently quality control and consistency isn’t one of their strong points. The one good location I know of tends to have fresh bread that is actually pretty good, but I still don’t trust the low-quality ingredients.
In fact, my local supermarket just down the street makes much better subs than Subway. Their principle is: simple but good quality ingredients, on quality fresh store-baked bread. I’m not usually impressed by store-made stuff, but this store does many of their prepared items exceptionally well.
Well, that sucks! How can one be expected to pair salami and pepperoni with CHEDDAR, yuck! I do have them sprinkle some Parmesan over the top though, that’s nice. They didn’t always have that available.
Is this Pusateri’s again? Anything they sell would be better ‘n Subway.
I still fondly remember the Orange Julius in Westwood Village. They put parmesan on their chili dogs, and they were delicious.
No, Pusateri’s often has interesting sandwiches on display, and pre-packaged ones too – not sure if they still have the pre-packaged ones, haven’t seen them lately (and they will custom-make them for you, too, at the deli counter) but that’s not what I was referring to. Pusateri’s sandwiches have always been fancy-pants upscale things.
No, I mean my local supermarket. They make subs like “assorted” which consist of Black Forest ham, Hungarian salami, Swiss cheese, leaves of iceberg lettuce (not the shredded crap that Subway uses) tomato, butter, and mayo on deliciously fresh bread. Nothing fancy, but all top quality. Their turkey subs are simpler – just smoked turkey, butter, mayo, and lettuce. I usually add tomato to the latter, and more mayo to both. There are other types I haven’t tried. Their tuna salad sandwiches on sliced white or whole-wheat bread are fantastic, too.
Jersey Mikes tastes fresh, but seems kindof bland.
I agree, Subway used to have a strong smell emanating from it. But not enough to say retch.
Subway, or the subway?
Sandwich shop. The dressing smell was overpowering.
Back when I used to visit Subway, I would order either a meatball or an egg salad sub with no cheese, all veggies except olives and jalapenos, and mustard. I skipped the cheese not for health reasons but because I find the amount of flavour it adds to their subs is negligible, compared to dill pickles, banana peppers and mustard (say), so I’ll let them save the ten cents’ worth of cheese. The meatball sub was clearly not healthy, but the egg salad probably wasn’t too awful.
Personally I don’t understand the appeal of eating a big wad of cold cuts (I don’t mind roast beef, I guess), so I had no complaints about the amount of meat in their subs.
Whereas i don’t really see the appeal of eating a big wad of damp bread, and when i end up with a pre-made sandwich, i sometimes eat just the cold cuts, with a fork, and throw away most of the bread.
[Emphasis mine]
Where was this? I’ve eaten in Subways in probably a dozen or more states, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen egg salad on the menu. Some quick Googling indicates that at least some stores do, or did, carry it, but either the dozens I’ve been to didn’t, or they hid it well, or I’m losing my mind. (The last is not out of the question.)
For me it was the smell of the actual bread. I’m not sure what dressing would be causing that smell. There’s not really a standard “dressing” and all the sauces are in bottles. It used to be that I would be in the mall and smell a Subway about a couple hundred feet away the stench was so pervasive. Now, I don’t notice it at all. Like Domino’s, they seem to have upped their game from being a place I would avoid at all costs to something I don’t mind from time to time.
I get the bread (Italian Herbs & Cheese) toasted at Subway, for what it’s worth.
This was in Toronto. Even there, most locations don’t have it.