Subway

Figure 5

Besides their slogan “Eat Fresh” and a promise that selected sandwiches are “six grams of fat or less,” the first thing Subway wants you to think about as a consumer is Jared, the man who lost over 100lbs eating Subway sandwiches.  As someone who’s being paid to be a spokesman, I don’t feel all that bad for Jared, but he has forever deemed himself as the Subway sandwich guy.  Jared might be a great father to ten children from Zimbabwe, teach Sunday school, or volunteer at soup kitchens, but everywhere he goes he is a walking advertisement for mediocre sandwiches.  Jared may not be doing it in the same way, but he has allowed himself, like many other Americans, to be defined by the food he eats. 

I recently found out that Subway surpassed McDonald’s in the number of restaurant locations this year and is currently leading with a staggering total of 34,218, about 200 more than its fatty competitor (NPR).  Although it’s a relief to hear that people are more likely to eat a deli sandwich than a Big Mac, the fact remains that Subway is still just a fast food restaurant at heart.  You’ve seen the shiny floors and the dirty booths; those booths are dirty because minimum wage earners don’t care if you’re eating your $4 sandwich of processed products at the Taj Mahal of Subways.  A foot-long sub with chips and a drink cost as much as one hour of their labor. While Subway generally has more healthy options to offer, it still shares the same basic business ideals as McDonald’s and fast food restaurants in general.  Americans are looking for convenience, fast production time, and something that goes with soda when it comes to the average workweek lunch.  Instead of packing their own lunch and saving money, however, at Subway Americans can have a meal that says, “I’m healthy and cost effective.” Wouldn’t our founding fathers just beaming with pride?

If one less Big Mac is consumed in this world because of the existence of Subway, more power to them.  But Subway is now the leading representation of what Americans crave the most: convenience.  In Austin between MLK and 30^th street (about 9 blocks) I can think of at least four Subway locations off the top of my head.  If Subway’s sole purpose is to help Americans become healthier, make us walk the extra two blocks! I think our Big Mac shaped bodies can handle the extra strain.

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Figure 5 is not the Nutrition Facts for actual convenience, but rather a 6” Subway turkey breast sandwich plain and dry.