Fight For Your Right To Veggie Delite

I took a stand today. It wasn’t for an important cause like ending tyranny or bringing about world peace, but it needed to be done.

As many of you probably know, Subway did away with their Sub Club stamp program a couple of months ago, thus effectively raising the prices of all their sandwiches. To make up for this they have started a new promotion where each weekday has one particular featured sub which is available for $2.49. This would be acceptable if it weren’t for one little detail; all of their featured subs have meat on them. The fine print on all the advertisements is very specific that no substitutions are allowed.

This doesn’t work for me at all. I haven’t eaten meat of warm-blooded origin (pause for off-color jokes) since 1994. Subway is normally a good lunch choice for me since I can either have a seafood-and-crab sub or a Veggie Delite. The latter just contains vegetables and, if desired, cheese. It doesn’t sound like much but it is filling and fairly tasty. Price: $2.99.

Now I normally avoid confrontation, but the more I thought about the inequity of this situation, the more dissatisfied I became. It was in a Jack Nicholson frame of mind that I boldly strode into the local franchise and struck my blow for sandwich justice.

I consulted the promotion board. Today’s special was the Cold Cut Combo.

Number: I’d like a 6-inch Cold Cut Combo on wheat…but hold all the meat please.
Sandwich Artist #1: Uhh…the meat is what makes it a Cold Cut Combo.
Number: I’d just like that part left off.
Sandwich Artist #1: blink

He hesitated for a moment but then must have decided that dealing with customers’ outlandish requests wasn’t his problem. Perhaps I would have gotten a bigger reaction if I’d told him to hold the cold cuts between his knees. At any rate, he went ahead and put cheese on the bread and put it in the oven to toast. When it was done, one of his co-workers took over and started adding my requested vegetables.

Cashier: What did you order?
Number: A 6-inch Cold Cut Combo.
Cashier: Do you want chips and a drink with that?
Number: No thanks.
Sandwich Artist #2 (handing Cashier the completed sub): Veggie Delite

The cashier rang up the order as $2.99 instead of $2.49. I interrupted her.

Number: Why am I being charged 50 cents extra? The special is $2.49.
Cashier: Um.
Owner (intervening): The special is a Cold Cut Combo. This is a Veggie Delite.
Number: A Veggie Delite is the same as any other sandwich without the meat on it.
Owner: Well, yes.
Number: I don’t eat meat. I’d like the special, just with no meat on it.
Owner: So you’re saying you want to be able to come in here every day and order a Veggie Delite for $2.49.
Number: In effect, yes.
Owner: I can’t let you take advantage of my business that way.
Number: But I’m not asking for anything extra. I’m asking for the exact same sandwich but with less on it. What if I ask for the meat on the side?
Owner: You can have it on the side but you’re still paying $2.99.

We went back and forth like this for a few minutes. The line of customers started to back up behind me. Eventually the owner relented. She told the cashier to ring up my order at $2.49. She also asked for my name and said she would tell the rest of her staff to expect future visits from the unwelcome interloper she referred to as “the vegetarian guy.”

“Yep,” I remarked, “the only one.”

I also thanked her for her decision, but she didn’t seem to be in the mood to hear it.

And thus I sent the walls of carnivorous exclusivity crashing down in one small yellow-and-white corner of the world. I’m not entirely sure it was a wise move, as there aren’t many other lunch places near where I work. I don’t think I have too much to worry about though; the open layout and transparent counters will make it awfully hard for them to spit in my food without me noticing.

So anyway, you may now all feel free to exploit this breakthrough. If your local sandwich slingers give you any trouble, tell them some bloke on the Internet already settled things. You pay $2.49 and that’s final.

Weird, the Subway by my work has no issue with this; I’ve seen plenty of people order the special sans meat.

You must eat your meat! If you don’t eat your meat, you can’t have any pudding!
Pink Floyd

Can’t belive the owner was so rude about it. I can’t think of any possible objection she would have other than it taking her employees a couple more brain cells to make your Subway club sandwich without meat.

Each Subway is a franchise of course. Don’t know if it would help to write the Subway corporation. Little overcharging shit like that adds up and makes businesses a lot more money over time. Just like the 2.49 9/10 gas price crap. Can you imagine how many trillions of dollars have been made because of all those 9/10 cents?

I am surprised the corporation didn’t include a veggie substitution option in the (what I assume is a nationwide) promotion. It would certainly reduce the amount of haggling the staff would have to endure from troublemakers like me. Perhaps I will send them an email.

Sounds like a good plan, but Veggie Delights are only $2.49 here anyway. Up until about 4 months ago, they were only $2.19.

I like ordering them that way. “Yes, I’d like a Veggie De-light, please.”

I wonder, if you ordered the cold cut combo, meat and all, and removed the meat yourself, would they still want the extra fifty cents?

Interesting. The veggie delite is my favorite sandwich (had one today for lunch, as a matter of fact). If I’m feeling ballsy, I may give it a go.

A brief update:
I went back to the same Subway again and this time they rang up my Veggie Delite at the discount price with no trouble at all. Apparently the owner did follow through on her promise to pass the message on to all of the staff.

I also sent a message to the corporation through their Customer Service Form expressing my disappointment at the lack of accommodation for vegetarians. They responded by saying that they would share my comments with the regional office in my area. I do not anticipate much change, but perhaps if enough people complain they will fix the problem in their next promotion.

Really strange. My experiences with Subway have never been anything but positive. They’re far and away the easiest fast food place to deal with, especially when it comes to changing the ingredients around and making special orders.

A lot depends on where you order.

In downtown Chicago (where I work) no one bats an eye at vegetarian requests. In fact, the local burger joints all understand “Hindu special” to mean a burger with the works but hold the beef (beef being off-limits to good Hindus).

Out where I live, in Indiana, if you say you don’t eat meat you may well be given a look of utter disbelief and asked “You don’t eat food? How do stay alive?” because to many it’s incomprehensible to be other than a carnivore. That’s only a 40 mile difference in location, but it might as well be another planet.

Yes, that’s a good point. This never would have been an issue if I weren’t in beef country. I could very well be the only person this franchise serves who doesn’t eat meat on a daily basis. The concept shouldn’t be that hard to cope with though.

I can’t believe I’m going to comment on one of the freaking Google ads, but Number, you can do the poor, underserved vegetarians in your big rectangular state a favor and buy your own Subway franchise!

Problem solved.

:smiley: