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Subway is one of those shops that, no matter where you are in the world, you know what you're going to get: pillowy bread, salty sliced deli meat, gooey melted cheese, and limitless veggies. It's consistently affordable, making it one of America's go-to spots for lunch and even dinner—especially when you're in a pinch. But we bet there is a ton of info you're not privy to when it comes to your favorite submarine chain. Here's everything you need to know before you make another pit-stop there:
1. It's been around since 1965.
Founded by 17-year-old Fred DeLuca as an effort to pay for his college tuition, Subway has evolved from a humble sandwich shop in Bridgeport, Connecticut to a national and international sensation.
2. The first locations were known as Pete's Super Submarines.
The chain was originally named for Peter Buck, who lent DeLuca a $1,000 to get the company started. But the duo soon realized it sounded too much like "pizza marine" and swapped out the name for Subway.
3. Subway serves more than 5,300 sandwiches every minute.
That's more than 320,000 an hour, which means if you placed every sandwich Subway makes in a year it would wrap around the Earth more than 13 times.
4. There are more than 31 million different sub combos on the menu.
Thanks to a crazy variety of bread choices, proteins like turkey, roast beef, and tuna, cheese options like Swiss, American, and provolone—plus toppings like mayo, honey mustard, and veggies like lettuce, tomato, banana peppers, olives, and more, your sandwich options are seemingly endless.
5. Subway employs 500,000 people.
That includes its independent franchisees' and partners' employees, and it's equal to the entire population of Sacramento, CA.
6. It created the most catchy jingle of all time.
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7. Subway started baking its own bread back in 1983.
And it was the first submarine chain in the country to do so.
8. Its footlong came under fire for not measuring up.
Back in 2013, two men from New Jersey filed a lawsuit, claiming they were served sandwiches marketed as "footlong," when they were actually 11 inches long. Eventually, seven other people joined the lawsuit. A judge threw out a $525,000 settlement to the plaintiffs' lawyers, saying the funds largely benefitted the lawyers, making it "no better than a racket," according to the Chicago Tribune. Subway agreed to take additional measures to ensure its sandwich breads are 12 inches long, and the judge acknowledged that common sense dictates there would be some variability in size, due to the baking process.
9. America's favorite sandwich is not the BLT.
Winning more than a quarter of votes nationwide, the Italian BMT beat out other popular orders like the Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki and Oven Roasted Chicken. And, surprisingly, it's been on the menu since 1975.
10. The Italian BMT was named after New York City trains.
To go along with the chain's transportation theme, it was named after the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit System but was later given the nickname "Biggest, Meatiest, Tastiest."
11. It's already started posting calories on menus nationwide.
More than a year ahead of the FDA's enforcement of menu-calorie labeling, Subway started to include calorie listing on all of its items on menu boards across the country. This follows the brand's nutrition-forward thinking, which started in 1997, when nutrition information was first printed on its cups, tray liners, sneeze guards, and napkins. Now the chain has gone a step further by ensuring all the chicken served is raised without antibiotics.
12. The plastic used at Subway is recycled.
In fact, the salad bowls and lids are made from two 20-oz. plastic bottles, diverting the equivalent of 111 million 20-oz. plastic bottles from the waste stream annually. The chain's napkins are also made from 100% recycled material.
13. The most popular cookie at Subway is chocolate chip.
Subway restaurants serve up 865 million of the gooey cookies every year—that's enough to circle the earth almost twice!
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