# The Unkindest (Subway) Cut **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 5, 2005, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168 "2005-01-05T06:51:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [January 5, 2005, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168/21 "2005-01-05T15:59:36Z")
I also preferred the old cut. Not because my toppings are now falling out, or for any other reason, but because my favorite sub–the cold-cut trio–doesn’t taste the same anymore. With the new cut, the meat always gets folded over at the crease and part of my sub has too much meat and not enough toppings. That never happened with the ‘v’ cut. (When the new cut first came out, I did ask for it the old way, but then decided not to bother. Still miss it though) ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168/22 "2005-01-05T16:11:44Z")
Hello, my name is Scout, and I am a Subway addict. But I am also weird, because I will always order their Veggie Delight. Note to Subway employees: I am ordering a sandwich that DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY MEAT. THE VEGETABLES ON MY SANDWICH ARE NOT A CONDIMENT OR AN AFTER THOUGHT - THEY ARE THE ENTIRE BASIS OF THE FUCKING SANDWICH. So don’t be stingy, folks. I don’t care how they cut the bread, though it seems more efficient to not do the canoe cut - that always seemed to take longer. I went to one of my many local Subways on Sunday, and the lettuce was so brown and horrible that I decided it did not belong on my sandwich. A veggie sub without lettuce? I had to ask for extra of everything else so that it didn’t feel like all I was eating was bread. Oh, and as long as I’m alive, an investment in Subway will always be a safe one. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jacquilynne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jacquilynne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacquilynne)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168/23 "2005-01-05T16:58:29Z")
> [@kung fu lola](#): > > People who complain about the toppings falling out of their sandwich, were being served by someone who doesn’t know how to make the sandwich properly. Yeah, I know. They kept insisting on using that damned new cut. > [@](#): > > The meat should be on the top half, slightly hanging over the edge. The lettuce, tomatoes, and other toppings should be put on the outer edge of the lower half. I find the idea of a meat on top sandwich truly bizarre. Much like subway’s habit of putting condiments in the middle of the sandwich away from the bun since the advent of the new cut. The proper sandwich order is: Meat related condiments (see: mustard) Meat Cheese Vegetables Vegetable related condiments (see: mayonnaise) They used to be close on this one, and you could get them to do it right by asking for mustard first, until they went all new cut, now everything is out of order and wrong. > [@](#): > > Now for common customer faults. If you ask for extra extra lettuce and all dressed, then yes you will have some toppings fall out. Suck it up. The bun is not like Mary Poppin’s carpetbag, designed to fit whatever ungodly thing you stuff into it. A small amount of lettuce (no! not that much), tomatoes, cucumbers and black olives with a little bit (no! not that much) of mustard. Nothing there that should be causing my sandwich and my lap to be getting so closely acquainted. > [@](#): > > Meatball sandwiches come with onions, green pepper and olive, all of which fit nicely on there. Yuck, yuck, and I suppose, if you must. My meatball subs came with tomatoes and cheese and naught else. > [@](#): > > In the end, though, I really can’t explain why it made me so angry to do the “canoe cut”. Most of the time, the customer suffered anyway - if you try to put hot steak on that thing, it makes the tiny top piece all soggy and falls out all over. Not if you put the hot steak in first, which is what subway used to do when they kept their hot ingredients hot instead of microwaving them one at a time. I now eat turkey breast instead of roasted chicken subs. The greatest things about the hot subs was the way the cheese melted and oozed, and you lose that when there’s a layer of vegetables between the meat and the cheese. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168/24 "2005-01-05T17:28:07Z")
> [@GeoDude](#): > > If the menu says that this specialty sandwich comes with pepper jack cheese and southwest chipotle sauce, then why must… **YES!** In this we are brothers. It’s 2/3 of the reason why I don’t eat at Subway anymore. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2005, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168/25 "2005-01-05T17:47:13Z")
> [@](#): > > At Subway, we had a saying; If you don’t mess with the sandwich, the sandwich won’t mess with you. You should make that the company motto. I preferred the old cut. When they switched I was eating Subway three or four times a week and I made them cut the bread the old way. This was a few years ago; now there’s probably no one left who knows how to cut it the old way. Another vital bit of knowledge, teetering on the brink of loss… ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168/26 "2005-01-05T18:24:10Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#): > > \ > > I didn’t think is was physically possible for something to both blow and suck at the same time. > > \ Yet somehow Subway manages to do both. I prefer the canoe-style cut when dealing with big sandwiches. Most Italian delis round here do it that way, Jimmy John’s does it that way, I do it that way. It maintains the correct ratio of bread-to-topping as well as giving a place for the shredded lettuce to hide in. ---
**Author:** ![kung\_fu\_lola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@kung\_fu\_lola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kung_fu_lola)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2005, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168/27 "2005-01-05T18:32:05Z")
> [@Eleusis](#): > > Well goddamn! It’s all so simple! > > But, you know, unlike say McDonald’s, Subway doesn’t have “Regular”. If I say, “just give me a _regular one_”, don’t stare back at me dumbfounded. Some of us just want the fucking sandwich without an act of Congress. Actually, there are recipes for the sandwiches. Because Subway has no standardized training program for new hires, many owners are too lazy to teach what they are, so employees don’t know. > [@Cinnamon Girl](#): > > The mayo makes me a little hinky since it’s clearly been sitting out for an undetermined amount of time. Isn’t mayo supposed to be refrigerated? It is. It’s sitting in our cold table, which is refrigerated. In fact, it is so well refrigerated that if we leave stuff in there for too long, it freezes. Which brings me to: > [@Martin Hyde](#): > > But if I did I’ve heard some nasty things about subway that would keep me out of there. For example I hear the ingredients sit out for days on end. At my Subway, nothing lasted a day. It was served up too quickly. We’d go through 4 inserts of tomato and 8 of lettuce in one lunch rush. Within 3 hours of being prepped, everything was eaten. Even the less popular stuff, like roast beef and seafood, was served up within 24 hours of being opened. Our product turnover rate was very high. At less busy Subways where I’ve worked, everything was dated. As soon as the lettuce got brown, it was pitched. If the seafood didn’t get eaten within 72 hours, in the garbage it went. It’s the cost of doing business. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2005, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168/28 "2005-01-05T19:39:26Z")
The V-cut is the whole reason Subway exists. I cannot tell you the exquisite gustatory and culinary _delight_ I felt when I first encountered the V-cut. At home, when eating baguettes and subs, I have ever since used the V-cut. Why? Because that way _shit stays in the sandwich!_ [sub]Not that there’s any fecal matter anywhere near what I eat. I’m no coprophiliac. I just wanted some emphasis, alright?[/sub] I do not use the V-cut with Kaisers or regular bread, because that type of bread is wider and does not need the V-cut. But with the narrow, tall piece of bread that is used at Subway, the V-cut is necessary. And anyone who thinks otherwise is a goat-felching idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Cerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3bc359/32.png) [@Cerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerri)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2005, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168/29 "2005-01-05T20:13:44Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > Mmmm, Quizno’s Black Angus steak sub, with everything including extra Batch 81 hot pepper sauce… I’ve become utterly addicted to Quizno’s Steakhouse Beef Dip. /drool ---
**Author:** ![kung\_fu\_lola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@kung\_fu\_lola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kung_fu_lola)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168/30 "2005-01-05T20:28:18Z")
> [@Barbarian](#): > > But with the narrow, tall piece of bread that is used at Subway, the V-cut is necessary. > > And anyone who thinks otherwise is a goat-felching idiot. No, it isn’t. ~ kfl, goat-felching idiot and award-winning Sandwich Artist, 2004 - 2005 ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Girl)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168/31 "2005-01-05T20:52:58Z")
> [@kung fu lola](#): > > Actually, there are recipes for the sandwiches. Because Subway has no standardized training program for new hires, many owners are too lazy to teach what they are, so employees don’t know. And therein lies the crux of the problem. _Anybody_ can make a sandwich, but to make the same one over and over again that consistently meets or exceeds customer expectations requires training. Simple as that. It’s not rocket science, but it is a skill requiring knowledge and attention to detail. Unfortunately, not many possess the desire to become a sandwich-making master or otherwise excel in any way at their McJob. And we all suffer for it. > [@](#): > > ~ kfl, goat-felching idiot and award-winning Sandwich Artist, 2004 - 2005 You know, as a lowly service employee who works for a much-maligned corporate behemoth in the food/bev industry, I’m pleased to see someone that takes pride in their skills even though most people think any schmoe off the street could do their job. Good on ya, **kfl**! ---
**Author:** ![7\_up\_yours](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/919ad9/32.png) [@7\_up\_yours](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/7_up_yours)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168/32 "2005-01-06T03:48:28Z")
I have half a mind to pit all of you for making me want a Subway sandwich right now, even if I am full from dinner. I have no beef with Subway, aside from the fact that occasionally, I don’t want so much mayo, so in reponse to “Any sauce with that?” I will say “Just a LITTLE bit of mayo, please.” and I get heaps of it anyway. I swear to Og I’m not one of those customers who say “A little bit of mayo”, “Well, a little bit more than that.”, “A little bit more”, “A little bit more”, “A little bit more”, “No wait, that’s too much, make me a new one!” I’M NOT!! ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168/33 "2005-01-06T04:43:13Z")
Dunkin Donuts has sandwiches? ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168/34 "2005-01-06T05:22:03Z")
The V-cut is an abomination before God. I once walked out of a Subway when they refused to cut the bread normally and insisted on carving out their little notch. They insisted, even though I asked at least 5 times for it to be cut normally. She said “No, I won’t”, and made her canoe. I walked out. If you know how to make, and most of all how to fold and cut a sub, everything stays where it belongs when the roll is cut normally. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168/35 "2005-01-06T08:53:49Z")
A confession: I do not particularly like Subways and haven’t been there for years. First, because I grew up in MA and am a die-hard fan of D’Angelo’s. Second, I nearly cried when I saw the first canoe cut in my first Subway sub: they took than v thing out of the top, then **dug into the roll of bread and pulled out the bread, and threw it out!!!** :eek: If I wanted luncheon meats with veggies in a tortilla wrap I’d have gone where I could get that! I wants my bread with my sammich! Fuckers. As for things falling out, that’s a sign you’ve got a quality sammich. So I am a graduate of the Shaggy School of fine dining - got a problem with it? ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168/36 "2005-01-06T09:34:10Z")
> [@GingerOfTheNorth](#): > > I, and many other people would disagree. Sometimes it’s the only quick place to get a meal that won’t make your heart explode. > > I like the 6" Subway club on Honey Wheat, no condiments, with lettuce, tomato, green pepper, and olives. That’s part of what sucks about Subway; their deceptive advertising. “A Big Mac has 32 billion grams of fat, but our sandwich only has 6 grams of fat.” When you order it with no cheese, sauce, mayo, or oil But what’s the first thing (actually the second thing) they ask you at Subway? “Would you like cheese on that? Would you like mayo on that? Would you like sauce on that? Would you like oil and vinegar on that? Would you like salt & pepper on that?” You have to specify that you want them to leave all those things off. Well, McDonald’s will make you a Big Mac without sauce if you want it, or you can get a Quarter Pounder, which only comes with ketchup and mustard, so how is it accurate to compare their one burger that happens to come with cheese and fatty sauce on it, to Subway’s sandwich _without_ any sauce on it? Or if you _really_ want to do a fair comparison, compare it to McDonald’s grilled chicken sandwich with no mayo on it. Or better yet, compare the grilled chicken to Subway’s meatball or cheesteak with cheese, mayo, and oil - then McDonald’s would win. Obviously McDonald’s ain’t exactly health food, but Subway’s being pretty tricky with their comparisons. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168/37 "2005-01-06T10:07:27Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > Second, I nearly cried when I saw the first canoe cut in my first Subway sub: they took than v thing out of the top, then **dug into the roll of bread and pulled out the bread, and threw it out!!!** :eek: [/SIZE] Oops. When I said that delis and sandwich places around here do the canoe thing, I meant the pulling out the bread and throwing it out, not the V-cut, which seems to be something else. Digging out the bread and tossing it is not a weird thing for subs. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168/38 "2005-01-06T12:48:55Z")
> [@blowero](#): > > That’s part of what sucks about Subway; their deceptive advertising. I love the one where they talk about how their sandwiches are made “fresh” when you order them. Sure, they are ASSEMBLED in front of me, but assembling a sandwich out of constituent parts that have been wilting under a heat lamp all day do not make them “fresh.” ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168/39 "2005-01-06T14:07:10Z")
> [@blowero](#): > > That’s part of what sucks about Subway; their deceptive advertising. > > “A Big Mac has 32 billion grams of fat, but our sandwich only has 6 grams of fat.” > When you order it with no cheese, sauce, mayo, or oil > > But what’s the first thing (actually the second thing) they ask you at Subway? “Would you like cheese on that? Would you like mayo on that? Would you like sauce on that? Would you like oil and vinegar on that? Would you like salt & pepper on that?” You have to specify that you want them to leave all those things off. Well, McDonald’s will make you a Big Mac without sauce if you want it, or you can get a Quarter Pounder, which only comes with ketchup and mustard, so how is it accurate to compare their one burger that happens to come with cheese and fatty sauce on it, to Subway’s sandwich _without_ any sauce on it? Or if you _really_ want to do a fair comparison, compare it to McDonald’s grilled chicken sandwich with no mayo on it. Or better yet, compare the grilled chicken to Subway’s meatball or cheesteak with cheese, mayo, and oil - then McDonald’s would win. Obviously McDonald’s ain’t exactly health food, but Subway’s being pretty tricky with their comparisons. Some of us are smart enough to forego the crap in order to feed ourselves healthy food. I don’t get condiments other than mustard, and even adding cheese doesn’t add a lot of fat. I don’t care about their advertising, I just like their sandwiches. It’s like anywhere. Make your choices based on your preferences. I could walk into McDonald’s and get a salad with fat-free dressing and grilled chicken, but it’d still be McDonald’s. I can get that same thing at Subway, and the ingredients would be fresher and tastier. Obviously, this is my opinion only, based on my experience in my area. Perhaps the McD’s in your neighbourhood is better than your Subway, who knows. I wish I could eat McD’s food, there’s one less than two blocks away compared to two miles for the Subway - but their food is worse than shit. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2005, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168/40 "2005-01-06T14:21:03Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > I love the one where they talk about how their sandwiches are made “fresh” when you order them. Sure, they are ASSEMBLED in front of me, but assembling a sandwich out of constituent parts that have been wilting under a heat lamp all day do not make them “fresh.” 😕 WTF kind of Subway do you go to? I have never seen a heat lamp at any Subway, and those bins the meats and stuff sit in are refrigerated, at least at all the Subways around here. Now, I’m no big Subway fan, I can make a wayyyyy better sub myself, but claiming their stuff sits under heat lamps is ridiculous. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-unkindest-subway-cut/283168.md?page=3)