# I hate Subway! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [November 11, 2024, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083 "2024-11-11T16:30:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083/41 "2024-11-12T21:43:44Z")
The smell in Subway stores isn’t the usual pleasant smell of bread baking but a slightly sour one. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083/42 "2024-11-12T21:51:56Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I don’t know if it’s still true but part of Subway’s business model was that the bread was baked at each store, from frozen dough. Yeah, I watched a documentary on Subway (and Blimpie and Jersey Mike’s, basically the rise of the original sub sandwich franchises) and they used to have to deliver fresh bread to each store from a central location. That limited how far their stores could be spread because bread can only stay fresh for so long. Then they had the idea of instead sending unbaked frozen bread that could be baked at each store, which solved the shipping and storage problems, and also allowed them to have franchises all over the country. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083/43 "2024-11-12T21:55:43Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I don’t know if it’s still true but part of Subway’s business model was that the bread was baked at each store, from frozen dough. As a result, every Subway store had this weird smell that’s a tad unpleasant. I go to Subway from time to time, and as far as I can tell, yes, they still bake the bread in-store. And, the article which I linked to earlier indicates that part of the Subway franchise agreement is that franchisees _must_ use the same ingredients, and purchase their food ingredients from the same, specific, corporate-approved vendors, to ensure a consistent end product for consumers. As a result, yeah, they _all_ have the same distinctive smell when they are baking bread. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083/44 "2024-11-12T21:58:48Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > . I don’t know if I just got unlucky or they changed what goes into that tuna but nope. It’s just Starkist canned tuna in water mixed with mayo. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083/45 "2024-11-12T21:59:23Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > It go to Subway from time to time, and as far as I can tell, yes, they still bake the bread in-store. You can usually see the huge ovens behind the counter. I’m sure that’s done intentionally to remind people that they’re buying bread that was baked that day. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083/46 "2024-11-12T22:05:48Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > It’s just Starkist canned tuna in water mixed with mayo. I know that the stuff at Jimmy John’s is, because when I am at the drive thru window, I can see the giant tuna cans on a shelf. They are indeed StarKist, they look like something you could pick up at Costco. (I have never ordered tuna at Jimmy John’s and don’t know if it’s any good, but I imagine it’s probably fine unless they mix something else into it.) Subway though claims to get their tuna from elsewhere: [https://www.subway.com/en-us/-/media/northamerica/usa/tuna-facts/pdf/subway-tuna-infographic.pdf](https://www.subway.com/en-us/-/media/northamerica/usa/tuna-facts/pdf/subway-tuna-infographic.pdf) > Subway’s North American importers – Jana Brands and Rema Food Group – source wild-caught skipjack tuna from Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, the top tuna-sourcing markets globally. I love StarKist myself, I’ve been buying it and eating it my whole life, and I’d prefer it if Subway used it. But they don’t seem to be, unless you have another source saying otherwise. These are the suppliers according to Subway: > **[Frozen Seafood Wholesale Importer, Ahi-Tuna, Seafood, Pouch Pak Tuna, and...](https://janabrands.com/)** > > Jana Brands is a highly diversified international manufacturing and marketing company, selling millions of pounds of frozen foods worldwide. Products produced by Jana Brands can be found in supermarkets, restaurants, commissaries, and specialty shops... > **[Food Sourcing & Supply Chain Solutions | Rema Foods](https://remafoods.com/)** > > Rema Foods provides product and supply chain solutions to leading retailers, foodservice providers, and manufacturing companies. Grow sales And I was curious if maybe StarKist got their tuna from the same people Subway does, and just rebranded it, but apparently not. [Frequently Asked Questions | StarKist®](https://starkist.com/faq/#:~:text=All%20our%20tuna%20is%20wild,products%20are%20manufactured%20in%20Thailand). > All our tuna is wild caught in the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean. The majority of our tuna is produced in American Samoa (which is a territory of the United States), Ecuador or Senegal. A few of our products are manufactured in Thailand. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083/47 "2024-11-12T22:14:48Z")
The time I had an oppurtunity to see into the back of a Subway it was literally Starkist tuna out of a giant can. Maybe that particular franchise was doing its own thing. This Subway was located in a grocery store. Mayo is 100% the only thing they add, though. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083/48 "2024-11-12T22:15:47Z")
This post isn’t about hating Subway, it’s about a convenience store I remember that had fantastic subs. It was located not far outside the gates of Ft. Lewis, Washington, in the mid 70’s It called it’s subs Colassals. The British had roast beef and Cheddar, and all the others had meats and cheeses typical for their countries. In Washington state you could also buy wine and liquor in places like that. Being right near a military compound got them TONS of business. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083/49 "2024-11-12T22:44:29Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Subway though claims to get their tuna from elsewhere: > > [https://www.subway.com/en-us/-/media/northamerica/usa/tuna-facts/pdf/subway-tuna-infographic.pdf](https://www.subway.com/en-us/-/media/northamerica/usa/tuna-facts/pdf/subway-tuna-infographic.pdf) > > > Subway’s North American importers – Jana Brands and Rema Food Group – source wild-caught skipjack tuna from Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, the top tuna-sourcing markets globally. They _may_ have been a little defensive after a lawsuit (since dismissed) a couple of years ago claiming that the tuna used in their restaurants contained no tuna. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083/50 "2024-11-12T22:54:03Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Mayo is 100% the only thing they add, though. This I can confirm from what Subway claims at least. Apparently Jimmy John’s adds “fresh vegetables” so even if I wasn’t already wary, that’s going to be a firm “no” for me. > [@Baker](#): > > Being right near a military compound got them TONS of business. What’s funny is that the first time I ever remember setting foot in a sub sandwich shop, it wasn’t a big chain like Subway, it was a little sandwich place on a Navy base here in Washington. I can’t remember the name of the place, it was like 40 years ago. Also, I just remember something that changed about Subway. They used to cut their bread in a “U-gouge”, where they would cut the bread out from the top to form almost a bread taco shape. Now they just slice it from the side with a hinge, like it’s a huge hotdog bun. I totally forgot about that change. I liked the old way they did that. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083/51 "2024-11-12T23:00:11Z")
I remember when they did that (cut the bread in a v-shaped groove). BTW, [here](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whyd-subway-change-how-it-cut-the-bread/213667) is a 21-year-old thread on the change in how they cut the bread. (I grew up in the area which Subway stores came from, and the headquarters was in the next town over, so I’ve been going to them for probably 40-50 years. I can’t be sure, but in my memory, the sandwiches used to be tastier.) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083/52 "2024-11-12T23:00:24Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Also, I just remember something that changed about Subway. They used to cut their bread in a “U-gouge”, where they would cut the bread out from the top to form almost a bread taco shape. Now they just slice it from the side with a hinge, like it’s a huge hotdog bun. I totally forgot about that change. I liked the old way they did that. I did, too, though I imagine that someone in Corporate figured out that the single slice was simpler, easier to do with little training, and saved time. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083/53 "2024-11-12T23:05:13Z")
If you like the BMT, (or whatever it’s name is now), Every pizza joint makes a better Italian sub sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083/54 "2024-11-12T23:05:15Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > BTW, [here](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whyd-subway-change-how-it-cut-the-bread/213667) is a 21-year-old thread on the change in how they cut the bread. That tracks! That thread was started around the same time that the company I worked at (that was in the same building as a Subway) downsized everyone (including me) then got bought out, so that bread cut change coincided with a time when I stopped going to Subway all the time. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Every pizza joint makes a better Italian sub sandwich. Funny enough, the sandwiches at Domino’s are pretty darn good too. And Jimmy John’s has a fantastic Italian as well. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2024, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083/55 "2024-11-14T02:03:30Z")
I’ve never understood how a place that bakes their own bread has it come out so completely tasteless. I’d rather have a roll from the supermarket. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2024, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083/56 "2024-11-14T02:31:15Z")
The pricing at Subway is such that I could buy a loaf of bread, a deal of lunchmeat, a small mayo, and even some veg–all for less than a footlong. I literally just priced it out, and got $11.77. And I’m getting way more mayo and lettuce than I need. Could maybe instead get cheese on a second loaf. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2024, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083/57 "2024-11-14T02:40:47Z")
That’s tough to do if you’re traveling or on your lunch break at work. I could plan ahead, but some don’t wanna. In this eat out/on the run society it’s how it is. What gets me is those who have these sandwiches delivered at an up price and tip. Not me. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2024, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083/58 "2024-11-14T02:50:22Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I literally just priced it out, and got $11.77. And I’m getting way more mayo and lettuce than I need. Could maybe instead get cheese on a second loaf. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > That’s tough to do if you’re traveling or on your lunch break at work. Indeed; you’re paying a premium for convenience. That’s why fast food joints exist. It’s not to get the cheapest meal possible. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2024, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083/59 "2024-11-14T02:59:50Z")
Not _just_ fast food joints; _all_ restaurants cost more than food made at home. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2024, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083/60 "2024-11-14T03:16:56Z")
With the exception that a traditional restaurant is less about convenience and more about having a positive dining experience. I’ve certainly eaten at restaurants that took so long to get seated and served that I could more quickly have driven to a grocery store, grabbed the items to prep a meal, and cook it myself. But again, convenience isn’t the purpose there (at least not always). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-subway/1010083.md?page=4)