# Subway -please explain the appeal of a sandwich maker **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 15, 2006, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816 "2006-05-15T11:17:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816/41 "2006-05-15T18:19:40Z")
What I don’t understand about the OP is the incredulity at one chain in particular. I was in your great country last year, and you can buy sandwiches everywhere. In petrol stations, in convenience shops. The same complaint should surely apply to everywhere that sells sandwiches. Personally I like Subway, because their basic 6" sandwich is relatively cheap (just over £2), and there’s no restriction to the number of salad items you can have. It’s very unlikely that at home I’d have _all_ of the following at the same time (which is what I always order in Subway): tuna mayo, swiss cheese slices, lettuce, tomato, olives, jalapenos, sliced onion, sliced peppers, sliced dill pickle, chipotle sauce - and nor would the bread be fresh out of an oven. ---
**Author:** ![vix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a88e4f/32.png) [@vix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vix)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816/42 "2006-05-15T18:22:35Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Just in case the point is too subtle for this thread: it’s about convenience. Also, in my case, known as laziness. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816/43 "2006-05-15T18:30:53Z")
Subway used to be wonderful, before they changed the way that they cut the bread. I always liked that they cut that little “V” in the top, which keeps your sandwich from becoming Table Salad. Now they just cut a slice down one side, making them far too easy to squeeze all of your fillings out. You used to be able to ask them to do it the “old way”, but since the average time of employment at a Subway seems to be a week, nobody knows what I’m talking about anymore. That being said, sandwiches are my favorite form of food. I could have two sandwiches a day for the rest of my life, and be perfectly happy. A club sandwich for lunch (but not cut into that demon configuration that you can’t fit in your mouth) and a ham sandwich for dinner. That would be great. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816/44 "2006-05-15T18:32:56Z")
> [@Cluricaun](#): > > I always liked that they cut that little “V” in the top, which keeps your sandwich from becoming Table Salad. Now they just cut a slice down one side, making them far too easy to squeeze all of your fillings out. That’s a shame. I used to love the way they did that in the US, and I thought we were only missing out on this because of the transatlantic divide. Somebody call me a waaaaambulance, I want my V-cut Subway back. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816/45 "2006-05-15T18:53:57Z")
They still know how to do the V-cut out here. Both the Subways in my town will do it on request. I still prefer the local spot (Subs of the USA), but Subway is better than burgers anyday. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816/46 "2006-05-15T19:11:39Z")
> [@Mindfield](#): > > Creamy garlic spread _and_ proper shredded mozzarella cheese (as opposed to that processed stuff they refer to only as “white.”) Makes a mighty, _mighty_ fine pizza sub on parmesan-oregano bread. Actually, that sounds like a good way to have some Tomato Bread at Subway. The same preperation but a layer of tomatoes over the spread and under the cheese then flash toasted. It’s too bad Subway’s tomatoes are so shitty, though. They are always mushy and flavorless… I like tomatoes but I always avoid subways tomatoes. Maybe they would charge less, too? Maybe they would consider it a veggie sub as listing. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816/47 "2006-05-15T19:21:13Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > By the way, the true term is **Sandwich Artist**. No it’s _not_. It’s Bob’s only begotten sandwich maker, not artist. Heathen. ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816/48 "2006-05-15T19:25:56Z")
> [@Cluricaun](#): > > Subway used to be wonderful, before they changed the way that they cut the bread. I always liked that they cut that little “V” in the top, which keeps your sandwich from becoming Table Salad. Now they just cut a slice down one side, making them far too easy to squeeze all of your fillings out. I stopped asking for the V-cut a while ago, so I don’t know if I could still get it at any of the Subways I go to. My sandwich goes out the end no matter which way it’s cut though. If anything, it stays in better with the single cut. I did like the v-cut better for my favorite sub though–the cold cut trio. Otherwise, I don’t much care. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816/49 "2006-05-15T19:49:29Z")
> [@Mindfield](#): > > Do parenthetical toppings taste any differfent than their al fresco counterparts? Parenthetical toppings are ones that I have some of the time, but not everytime, while their al fresco counterparts I have almost all the time. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816/50 "2006-05-15T19:52:24Z")
> [@RSSchen](#): > > What I don’t get it Quiznos. They’re even more expensive than Togo’s and provide smaller portions, IME. THEY GOT A PEPPAH BAH!!! I eat at Subway’s once or twice a month, when they have the footlong for $4 deal. One of those will last you for two lunches, which evens out to $2 a lunch. Not bad. I don’t get the picking on Subway; it’s just as easy to make your own hamburger, or your own fried chicken, and it would taste better and be cheaper. But sometimes you don’t have the right kind of leftovers to pack a lunch. And besides, it’s not really THAT much cheaper to make your own; I usually get the chicken and bacon ranch, which if I made it myself I would have to buy chicken breast, bacon, all the different toppings. It would be around $15 and most of it would spoil before I got to use it all. I could see if someone was paying $4 for plain baloney and mayo on white bread, but most Subway customers like more complicated sandwiches. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816/51 "2006-05-15T20:37:50Z")
> [@blinkingblinking](#): > > My point is that most people have some bread in the house and you just throw in there what you do have in the house. Big deal. If you want to make yourself the amazing sandwich go to a supermarket and buy some stuff. The same is true for me for pizza, hamburgers, and chicken. (Well, more the first two than the chicken) - but I’m equally as likely to have ground beef and pizza toppings lying around as I am to have deli meat and buns or dough lying around as bread. (In other words, very rarelyl to not at all). I don’t like Subway (their ham scares me) but it serves the same purpose as McDonalds. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816/52 "2006-05-15T22:46:50Z")
I used to eat at subway all the time. In college a footlong deli type sub for 4 bucks or so was great, two meals(And the fact I always got to know the counter person and they would give me about 20 stamps per visit. I think I ate three straight months off of one purchase, 🙂 ) It was to be substantially cheeper the other fast food, and a bit healthier. Then about six years ago they started getting more and more expensive. And I started getting fancier, No more deli type subs. I was getting the hot and fancy type stuff. I was only a couple months ago I actually realized I was paying about 10 bucks for a footlong Southwest steak and cheese meal, that wasn’t really all that good. So no more. For seven bucks I can get a damn good sammich at Panera instead. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816/53 "2006-05-15T23:04:27Z")
Australian. On Weight Watchers Points Plan. Why do I eat Subway instead of making my own sandwiches at home? For a lot of the reasons listed above. If I’m out shopping/seeing friends/whatever, and I want something to take away for lunch, subway is quick and a lot preferable to, say, Maccas or KFC (even though I love me some KFC) or even Nando’s (ditto on the chicken love). I know the basic points value of some of my favourite sandwiches, which means I can factor in my lunch to my overall eating plan for the day, without too much difficulty. I can load up on extra veggies in my sandwich if I’m especially hungry, and I can see what they’re putting on my sandwich - so I can stop them if they’re about to put something on that I really don’t want. It satisfies my craving for junk food, without actually being junk food in the realm of HJs or the others. And over all, I’m lazy. If I want a fresh sandwich, I will generally have to go out and get the ingredients. Good bread doesn’t stay fresh for more than a day or so, veggies wilt and meat isn’t always brilliant after a few days. So rather than buying all of that stuff, and ending up with a fridge full of stuff that I don’t want to eat after a couple of days, I go to subway and get them to make me one. I don’t have to clean up, I don’t have to worry about the lettuce going manky and leaking, and it’s tasty food. So those are my reasons. ---
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816/54 "2006-05-15T23:16:17Z")
Wow I really am in the minority of not thinking much of Subway. If they had any sandwiches made by Bob’s Sandwich Maker with perfectly normal beast then I may actually pay for Subway. Otherwise, I will never pay for Subway. ---
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816/55 "2006-05-15T23:22:25Z")
Wow I really am in the minority of not thinking much of Subway. If they had any sandwiches made by Bob’s Sandwich Maker with perfectly normal beast then I may actually pay for Subway. Otherwise, I will never pay for Subway. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816/56 "2006-05-16T05:03:38Z")
I love Subway. Like others mentioned, I can’t keep all the ingredients I like on my subs on hand in sufficient quantities without most of it spoiling. But I see people go into Subway all the time and order a sub with one kind of meat, cheese, and mayo or mustard on white bread. No veggies, no other toppings. _That_, I don’t understand. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816/57 "2006-05-16T05:08:06Z")
I once saw a woman in a subway order a six inch sub with cheese and tomato sauce, toasted. Nothing else. That just boggled my mind. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816/58 "2006-05-16T05:56:36Z")
The appeal for me is fresh bread. Subways tastes better than the wonder bread that I keep because another family member likes it. While I generally have a loaf of great artisanal bread in the house, it doesn’t keep. I would rather order a sandwich than make a full and lengthy grocery market run. Then again when I’m craving a really good sandwich I much prefer Panera. The bread’s much better there and they also have fabulous bread. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816/59 "2006-05-16T06:09:58Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > It’s $1.99 here for the cheaper subs like ham and cold cut. Sub of the Month has been going on for years. I’m guessing your gasoline, apartment rental and home prices are a lot lower than the Bay Area prices for those things too. ---
**Author:** ![Baraqiyal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@Baraqiyal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baraqiyal)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816/60 "2006-05-16T07:46:51Z")
What are the chances that at any given time, you’re going to have fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions, peppers, cucumbers, etc. just sitting around unspoiled? If you go to the store and buy small quantities of all the various fresh vegetables, meats, and fresh bread, you’ll end up paying more and spending more time than picking up a Subway sandwich. It seems like a no-brainer to me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subway-please-explain-the-appeal-of-a-sandwich-maker/356816.md?page=4)