A Fresh Future
Today, the SUBWAY® brand is the
world's largest submarine sandwich chain with more than 34,000 locations around
the world. We’ve become the leading choice for people seeking quick, nutritious
meals that the whole family can enjoy. From the beginning, Fred has had a clear
vision for the future of the SUBWAY® brand. As we continue to grow, we are
guided by his passion for delighting customers by serving fresh, delicious,
made-to-order sandwiches.
Timeline for start the business
1965
Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck team up
to open their first submarine sandwich shop in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Originally called “Pete’s Super Submarines,” they sell 312 sandwiches the first
day. The average cost of a sub was between 49 cents and 69 cents.
Partners DeLuca and Buck form Doctor’s
Associates Inc. The name is derived from Dr. Buck, who holds a Ph.D., and the
fact that DeLuca hoped to earn enough money in the sandwich business to pay his
college tuition and eventually become a medical doctor.
The SUBWAY® name is used for the first
time.
The first franchised SUBWAY® sandwich
shop opens in Wallingford, Connecticut.
The chain’s flagship sandwich, the
classic BMT, is first introduced. It is named for the Brooklyn-Manhattan
Transit system, but later it is referred to as “Biggest, Meatiest, Tastiest,”
in advertising campaigns. The first SUBWAY® restaurant located outside of
Connecticut opens in the state of Massachusetts.
The first SUBWAY® restaurant in
Florida opens in Ft. Lauderdale. The Training Department is established at
SUBWAY® headquarters in Milford, Connecticut.
The “Snak” sub sandwich is introduced.
The name is later changed to the “6-inch.”
The first SUBWAY® location on the West
Coast opens in Fresno, California
The SUBWAY® chain introduces its New
York City transit-system-themed mural as a décor item in a restaurant in
Ithaca, New York.
SUBWAY® restaurant number 200
opens in Renton, Washington.
The SUBWAY® chain opens its 300th
location.
SUBWAY® restaurants begin introduction
of freshly baked bread at U.S. locations. The SUBWAY® chain is ranked number
one in the sub sandwich category for the first time byEntrepreneur magazine.
Party Platters and the SUBWAY® Club
sandwich are introduced. The 400th Subway restaurant in the United States opens
in Dallas. The chain ventures into the international arena and opens a unit in
the Middle Eastern nation of Bahrain.
Steak and Cheese and Wheat Bread are
added to the menu. The SUBWAY® restaurant chain celebrates the opening of the
500th unit, and the opening of the first restaurant in Puerto Rico.
Breakfast menu is introduced at
SUBWAY® restaurants at participating locations. The first SUBWAY® restaurant in
Canada opens in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
SUBWAY® restaurants now number 1,000
locations with opening in Anderson, Indiana. The chain opens the first
locations in the state of Hawaii and in the Bahamas.
Cold Cut Combo is introduced. The
chain’s 2,000th location opens in Kaneohe, Hawaii. First Australian location
opens in the city of Perth. Entrepreneur magazine lists the chain as the number
one franchise opportunity for the first time in their annual Franchise 500
rankings.
The 3,000th SUBWAY® restaurant opens
in North Muskegon, Michigan. The SUBWAY® chain now present in all 50 U.S.
states. First SUBWAY® restaurant opens inside a grocery store. A SUBWAY®
restaurant has a cameo appearance in the Mel Gibson film, “Lethal Weapon 2.”
The SUBWAY® restaurant chain reaches
its goal of 5,000 restaurants with an opening in Texas. The first SUBWAY®
restaurant opens in Mexico.
The first SUBWAY® kid’s meal is
introduced, known as the Kids’ Pak™. First SUBWAY® restaurants open on a
college campus and in an amusement park. First SUBWAY® network TV commercial
airs. SUBWAY® products are featured in the motion picture “Terminator 2: Judgement
Day.”
The SUBWAY® chain participates in its
first school lunch program. First Subway restaurants open in Japan and Saudi
Arabia.
The first SUBWAY® restaurant opens
inside a convenience store. The SUBWAY® brand is featured in scenes in the
films “The Coneheads” and “The Beverly Hillbillies.”
Restaurants and Institutions magazine gives the SUBWAY® restaurant
chain the top ranking in their consumer choice survey for the sandwich
category. SUBWAY® restaurants open for business in Austria, Brazil, Iceland and
Russia.
The chain celebrates its 30th
anniversary with the opening of the 11,000th location. The SUBWAY® chain
becomes a supporter of the Produce for Better Health Foundation’s National
5-A-Day program. SUBWAY® chain begins first motorsports sponsorship with an
Indy race car. SUBWAY® restaurants open in China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt,
El Salvador, Honduras, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and
Taiwan. The SUBWAY® brand is featured in scenes in the movie “Ace Ventura--When
Nature Calls” and on TV in the animated series, “The Simpsons.”
The SUBWAY® restaurant chain opens its
300th international location. SUBWAY® shops arrive in Colombia, Denmark,
Guatemala, Kuwait, Martinique, Nicaragua, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa,
Turkey, United Kingdom, Uruguay and Venezuela. The motion picture, “Happy
Gilmore” features numerous scenes at a SUBWAY® restaurant.
SUBWAY® chain introduces the “7 under
6” menu, featuring seven sandwiches with 6 grams of fat or less. SUBWAY®
restaurants open in Bolivia, Lebanon, Malaysia, and Panama.
The chain opens its first restaurants
in Italy, Norway, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. Convenience Store News reports the SUBWAY® chain is the most
preferred fast-food partner among convenience store executives.
The 14,000th SUBWAY® restaurant opens.
For the first time ever, SUBWAY® commercials appear on network television in
the U.S., every week of the year. The first SUBWAY® restaurants open in
Germany, Qatar, Sweden and Zambia. The SUBWAY® float entered in Tournament of
Roses parade wins the Governor’s Trophy for the first time.
Men’s Health magazine reports the story of Jared
Fogle, a young man who lost 245 lbs. by eating SUBWAY® sandwiches for a year.
He eventually becomes an icon for the brand and appears in a long running
series of television commercials. SUBWAY® restaurants open in Finland,
Netherlands, Poland and Tanzania. Fred DeLuca’s book Start Small Finish Big--Fifteen Key
Lessons to Start--And Run-Your Own Successful Business is published by Warner Books. The
SUBWAY® chain makes the biggest changes to its menu to date by introducing a
line of sandwiches featuring four gourmet sauces and seasoned breads. The
SUBWAY® brand is featured in the film, “Saving Silverman,” which stars actor
and former SUBWAY Sandwich Artist®, Jason Biggs.
2001
The chain reaches 15,000 restaurants
worldwide. Cucumbers are added to the SUBWAY® menu. The first restaurant opens
in Croatia, France, India and Oman. The SUBWAY® chain is the winner of the gold
award for the sandwich category in the Restaurants
and InstitutionsChoice
in Chains Award and receives the MenuMasters Award for best menu/line extension
from Nation’s Restaurant News. The SUBWAY® brand is mentioned on TV
shows such as “Friends”, “Jeopardy”, “Saturday Night Live”, “The Tonight Show”
and “The Late Show with David Letterman.”
The Wall Street Journal reports that
the SUBWAY® chain has surpassed the number of open and operating McDonald’s
restaurants in the U.S. SUBWAY® restaurants reach the milestone of 16,000 locations
worldwide. That record is broken several months later when the chain opens its
17,000th location. The SUBWAY® chain opens its first restaurants in Belgium and
Bulgaria. The SUBWAY® chain becomes the national sponsor of American Heart
Association’s American Heart Walks. The SUBWAY® chain’s Tuscany Décor is rolled
out marking the first complete interior and exterior revamp the chain has ever
undertaken.
The 20,000th SUBWAY restaurant opens.
Research firm, Sandelman & Associates’ Quick Track National Study rates
SUBWAY® highest among national fast food chains and the leading chain based on
the availability of healthy/nutritious food. The SUBWAY® chain wins Silver
Skillet awards from Restaurant Business magazine. First SUBWAY® restaurants
open in the Czech Republic and Luxembourg.
The 22,000th SUBWAY® restaurant opens.
A SUBWAY® restaurant opens inside the True Bethel Baptist Church in Buffalo,
NY, where the pastor, who is the franchisee, uses the restaurant to teach job
skills to area residents who are in need of a helping hand. SUBWAY® restaurants
open for the first time in St. Kitts, St. Martin, Hungary, Grenada, and Chile.
The SUBWAY® chain launches its FRESH Steps childhood obesity initiative.
2005
The 24,000th SUBWAY® restaurant opens.
Toasted subs are introduced. The SUBWAY® chain is named Best Franchise in North
America by Global Finance magazine and takes two first place spots in QSR magazine’s inaugural “Best of” Awards,
being recognized for “Best Use of Space” for its non-traditional location
strategy and “Best Grassroots Giving” for the on-going efforts of franchisees
to give back to their communities. A SUBWAY® restaurant opens at the South
Carolina regional headquarters of Goodwill Industries. The restaurant is part
of a program dedicated to helping people with barriers to employment learn the
skills needed to better provide for themselves and their families. SUBWAY®
restaurants open for the first time in Anguilla and Antigua.
The 26,000th SUBWAY® restaurant opens.
The SUBWAY® chain sponsors Little League Baseball World Series, held in
Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
The 28,000th SUBWAY® restaurant opens.
The SUBWAY® chain launches its Fresh Fit® and Fresh Fit for Kids™ meals. The
first SUBWAY® Eco-Restaurant opens in Kissimmee, Florida to incorporate more
environmentally responsible operations and to introduce the chain’s Eat Fresh,
Live Green™ initiative.
The 30,000th SUBWAY® restaurant opens.
The SUBWAY® introduces its long running $5 Dollar Footlong promotion.
The 32,000th SUBWAY® restaurant opens.
SUBWAY® opens first restaurants in Macau and Slovakia.
The 33,000th SUBWAY® restaurant opens.
25,000 SUBWAY® restaurants throughout the U.S. and Canada introduce the brand’s
new national breakfast offerings, which include a variety of omelet sandwiches
made with the customer’s choice of egg whites or whole eggs. The SUBWAY® brand is
featured in the hit TV show, Undercover Boss. Jared, the “Subway Guy” runs the
New York City marathon. Unique SUBWAY® restaurants opening include one on a
riverboat in Germany and at the 1 World Trade Center construction site in New
York City. The restaurant, which is only accessible to construction workers and
those with official business on the site, is housed on a crane that rises as
each floor of the building is completed.
With more locations than any other
restaurant chain worldwide, the 35,000th SUBWAY® restaurant opens, including
the 8000th non-traditional SUBWAY® restaurant. The chain received the first
ever “A” in the Eat This, Not That! Restaurant Report Card, as well as top
honors from Zagat. Five more Eco Restaurants open, bringing the total up to 14,
with other locations incorporating eco elements.
