I'm not sure why no one had ever bothered to measure a Subway foot long sandwich before, but once Matt Corby of Perth, Australia did it this week and discovered his sandwich came up an inch short, the entire world has been out measuring Subway sandwiches and so far there have been very few reports that anyone has found an actual foot long sub. On average it looks as if 60-70% of all foot long subs made are about one inch less than they should be. Combine that with a 25% reduction in the amount of meat each Subway shop is putting on the sandwich on a year over year basis, and an increase in prices and you have a recipe for a scandal. I have great experience in not measuring up but it usually deals with a part of my anatomy not named stomach. The company says that the stores are to blame for not baking the bread at the right temperatures. All the stores? The company says the bread shrinks during baking. So, if we want an actual foot long sandwich we have to eat the bread raw?
Bread expands during baking.
ReplyDeleteBread expands during baking.
ReplyDeletelol, busted! I'm a Quiznos Subs person anyways. Much better imo.
ReplyDeleteI worked at subway for over 7 years... Yea not exactly bragging material I know lol, but anyways, it depends on the owner of the store. Each piece of bread comes frozen. They than put it in a metal box to defrost a bit. After they have warmed up they roll them in a seasoning ( and yes, Italian herb and cheese is exactly the same as the herb bread, only minus the cheese they sprinkle on top) . Than they stick it in the proffer ( is is where it makes the bread big). I've worked at a few chains by different owners, a good owner will tell you to proff them til they are 13 inches so when Ty bake they come out around 12" . A bad owner who wants to save will tell you to bake them till they just poof up a bit , so when they bake they shrink a wee bit.
ReplyDeleteA good owner will make sure they staff put on the right amounts of veggies and meats, and a bad one will make you skimp on the meats, toppings etc.
It truly depends on the owner.
Claritysk, yes, my neighbor owns a Subway and said the exact same thing. He's a good owner. No shame in working there, bet you get great reference from the owner.
Deleteits not really how we eat burgers, even though the menu says, "california burger". its not a "steak" made of "cheese"....
ReplyDeleteDrool...steak made of cheese
DeleteOMG. Subway. Ick fucking nast. I'm from Jersey so eating this crap is sacrilegious. (Although, I did have my share of Subway as a drunk girl at 2 a.m. in college. Desperate times. Desperate measures. If I'm going to slum it with a chain sandwich, I'll hit up Wawa, thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteReally. People are bitching over an inch? So stupid. And if the product is declining, don't eat there. There are a million sandwich places in the free market.
This ^^^. It's all about wawa!
DeleteThis ^^^. It's all about wawa!
DeleteI don't mind, they give such good nutritional value for the dollar compared to McDonalds, Burger King that I will always support them. Still, if it is supposed to be 12" they should make it so.
ReplyDeleteDefinition of a first world problem. Oh no, my sub is 11" and not 12"!
ReplyDeleteThe company says the bread shrinks during baking.
ReplyDeleteThat is absolutely ridiculous. Lie of the day alert.
Thanks for the education Claritysk. I'd hate to label Subway as cheaters when they're really not.
ReplyDeleteIt says "foot long" Doesn't say who's foot they used to measure it, LOL.
ReplyDeleteI wish someone would do an investation into the shriking containers of ice cream. They used to be a half gallon. Now they are 1.75 qts! Now, there's a scandal!
Size doesn't matter, boys.
ReplyDeleteJust the size of their heart.
DeleteI couldn't even type that out with a straight face!
Yes I always thought that too, until I met my most short lived boyfriend .. dyswidt?
DeleteSigh, he was gorgeous too.
I've also noticed that Subway bread is narrower now, too. To the point that some "sandwich technicians" have trouble closing it once they've filled it. Plus Australia no longer gets Caesar sauce, so I don't buy Subways sandwiches any more.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone recommend a book about how chain restaurant food is prepared? I'm very interested in what components come frozen, and how they are prepared. I've noticed the last few times we've eaten at Chili's, for example, that the food seems so preprepared - it doesn't really, truly taste like fresh food.
ReplyDeleteThanks to the gal who gave the 411 on Subway up there - I'm sorry, but if I scroll up to get your name, my keyboard will freeze up.
You would be right. I worked at Chili's as a bartender and they microwaved everything. I worked at a few restaurants, unfortunately, and Chili's was the worst. I could not believe how much they used the microwave.
DeleteThat's just the kind of straight poop I love to get - thanks, Dany Girl!
DeletePlus, I love saying straight poop.
Mmmmm, sammiches now I'm craving Jimmy John's for lunch!
ReplyDeleteMatt Corby as in the singer-songwriter?
ReplyDeleteFru, classic book "Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal"
ReplyDeleteThanks, Agent! I have never read that one. I loved The Omnivore's Dilemma, but never read Fast Food Nation. It is now going on my "must read" list.
DeleteThe less we eat out, the more I notice the nonfood food they serve in so many restaurants!
If you are at a convenience store, don't eat the crap on the grill. Years who I worked at one. That shit stays on there for well over 8 hours, and is only thrown away if it starts to look strange.
ReplyDeletePlenty of people have fibbed a bit about the size of their sandwiches. What's more important - size or thickness? I'm a thickness gal myself
ReplyDeleteIt's all about the girth, Seachica.
DeleteGrr I meant ago, not who.
ReplyDelete@Puggle - my sis had a college roommate who got violently, emergency room ill from a convenience store hot dog. That was enough to convince me forever to just say no. Poor girl only had like 50 cents to her name, so she bought a clearance-priced dog. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteMy coffee just came up after reading the words " clearance priced hot dogs" LOL
DeleteI want to read Fast Food Nation as well. I gave up fast food for Lent my junior year of college, and I've been off of it for 16 years. Shit, I'm old...
ReplyDeleteOh, Susan, you make me laugh, as I was just over on the Barney post feeling old as the hills reading all our young friends talk about how they liked or disliked Barney when they were children. I was teaching kindergarten at the beginning of Barneymania. My little students used to take polls: raise your hand if you like Barney. It was a hot topic: was Barney too babyish for the modern, sophisticated kindergarten viewer?
DeleteP.S. - I just IMDB'ed it, so I can say with certainly - yes, I was in on the beginning. I was hoping I'd exaggerated the time frame, but alas, I did not.
DeleteAgreed Claritysk. I worked at a Subway years ago with a good owner. We would chop all of the veggies fresh daily and make the tuna,put together the seafood salad etc on a daily basis as well.
ReplyDeleteI've been to numerous other Subways over the years and it's obvious when things aren't fresh (soggy tomatoes really irk me for some reason). That's when you know it's a bad owner. Subway in and of itself is a great concept but since it's a franchise, ya takes yer chances.
Ha slacker, I LOVE the Jimmy John's near my house.
I know it's kinda terrible, it's really hard for me to eat at a subway place without being the jerk who is like " uh can you get the fresher tomatoes over in that corner? "
DeleteI work in a gas station and I would advise against eating any kind of prepared hot food. Even donuts or cookies. Just don't. Unless its wrapped, leave it alone. Trust.
ReplyDeleteYou're breaking my heart.....not even the donuts? There goes my breakfast
Delete@RCB, our store had a bakery that would bring donuts every morning. Along with the donuts, we would get a few roaches who decided they wanted to vacation in the store. The bins the donuts came in would also have mouse poop in them on occasion. It was disgusting.
ReplyDelete@Puggle- ick! That happened to us so we decided to drop the fresh donuts (and hot dogs) but we have cookies and I know I wear gloves when I take them out of the box to put on the display but I can't say the same for my fellow employees.
ReplyDelete!! Claritysk
ReplyDeleteI do the same thing. That and saying things like "Is that CRUST on your tuna?" or "If I can ask..When was this made?"
Nothing wrong with wanting quality (relatively speaking) for your money.
Great tips about gas stations. Though it makes me sad:( Now I won't be buying Krispy Kreme from 7/11 anymore.
I used to think Subway was really good but the other day I went into the one by my apartment and all the ingredients looks so FAKE and processed and old and gross and stale.
ReplyDeleteNot the Subway I remember though the franchise explanation is probably the reason.
So...rejectedcarebear
ReplyDeleteThe safest thing to get (foodwise in a pinch) would be to nachos? I'm talking about the chips in plastic wrap and the cheese that is in the bin
The chips would be good but that cheese..well it would depend. Some places have it in a huge can and that weirds me out but other places have the cheese in a plastic bag so that would be cleaner, IMO.
DeleteAre D'Angelos subs still a thing back east? That was a good sandwich...
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame hunter. It really is.
ReplyDeleteIf I owned an idea and franchised it out I would certainly have quality standards in the contract. I guess that doesn't occur to everyone (or maybe it does and is really hard to enforce).
Here's an example (a good one)
A couple of weeks ago my bf and I ordered from a new pizza place that left a flyer on our door. We wanted chicken wings,bread sticks and pizza. They offered a discount if you ordered online so I did. 10 minutes after I placed the order they emailed me back to let me know it was on it's way (RED FLAG, wings take between 12-15 minutes to cook) Sure enough the wings were half raw. I emailed the Contact us part of the site and let them know I was disappointed. The next day the manager called me and apologized. 20 minutes later the main office in Chicago called me (I'm in Texas) and apologized, asking if the issue had been handled. It had, it was really not that big of a deal but still, the fact that they were paying attention to quality and customers made me want to give them another try
(sorry for the long post)
Frufra - if you really want to learn more about restaurant and commercial food service and preparation, pay a visit to your local university or research library. If they have a food science department, the library will have plenty of material on the subject. For the most current information, you'll want to look at the trade journals. They're written for the people in the restaurant/commercial food service business. Even just browsing those journals and looking at their ads is eye-opening. You'll learn that nearly all the food at nearly all chain restaurants is made off-site. Most of the time, all they do is thaw and heat it. Even steaks are partially cooked with sear marks on them, then frozen, to be thawed and quickly heated at the restaurant.
ReplyDeleteWhat it means is, ordering most of the entrees served at chain restaurants isn't that much different than buying a nice frozen dinner at the grocery store and heating it up yourself. This is why I don't eat at chain restaurants. If I'm going out to eat, I want to eat where the food is fresh and prepared on-site, not just thawed out, heated up, and plated.
I worked in a food science library for twenty years. It was an eye-opening experience to read about food prep. It's not necessarily bad stuff, it's just something most people have never thought much about. Same goes for reading out restaurant interior design. There's a lot of science behind it. For instance, fast food chains deliberately make their interiors wide open to be loud, and uncomfortable tables and chairs. That's because they don't want customers hanging out there, they want them to eat and leave, making room for the next round of customers.
Thank you, Squeezebox! A food science library sounds facinating. It actually combines two of my favorite things - I love food history, and I've always wanted to be a librarian. I will absolutely check it out. Thanks again :-).
ReplyDelete@frufa, the OU lib is awesome. I commute daily to the university from OKC.
DeleteI'm in my mid thirties now and have discovered over the years that my body hates fast food, including sub shops. If you're in a bind, yes it's healthier than a burger, but if you know how lunch meats are made you know that it's junk and not really something nutritious.
ReplyDeletethe sizing is nominal! A 2x4 (lumber folks) is not ACTUALLY 2"x4".
ReplyDeleteMore importantly, what the hell is the 'white' cheese made of. They don't call it 'mozzerella", no, they ask "Do you want white or orange cheese?"
"I'll take white cheese with some grey meat & some pink meat please."
Gross
DeleteSqueeze, great info! We don't buy any frozen meals (even WW) nor chain food. But if you bring over 5 Guys fries I will steal a few. Great mock recipes out there where you can control the quality of what you are consuming.
ReplyDeleteIf you want a good sub, try locally owned, non-chain delis or sub shops. Because they're locally owned they usually try harder for a quality product. There are 2 near me I use to get my sub fix. I should add, however, Publix (the grocery chain) also makes a good sub with quality products. I refuse to go to Subway or Quiznos.
ReplyDeleteSusan B,"Italian Red Sauce" restaurant opened recently in Sunrise. If you are down that way they make delicious subs, if not on menu, just tell them what you want and they'll make it. Publix is good because they use Boar's head deli meats:)
DeleteEh - women have been victims of "size exaggeration" since the beginning of time. This is a big shoulder shrug.
ReplyDeleteAlso - if you think Subway is super healthy, you may want to investigate all the preservatives that go into their meat. It's disgusting.
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ReplyDeletedamn it i had a 6 inch for lunch and now i'm wondering if it was REALLY six inches.
ReplyDeleteMeh.
ReplyDeleteSubway is a vomitorium
ReplyDeleteI don't get how not proofing long enough saves on anything. The buns end up shorter, but it's not like there's any less dough involved. I love Subway, BTW. :)
ReplyDeleteWell...Subway sales just went up yesterday. Everyone was ordering a foot long so they could measure it.
ReplyDeleteveggie delite, and veggie sandwiches in general, ftw!
ReplyDeleteOK. Vomitorium is now my new favorite word.
ReplyDeleteIf yous guys are ever headed down to Atlantic City, NJ by way of the Atlantic City Expressway, stop off at Exit 28 and drop by Bagliani's Market on 12th St. in Hammonton. The BEST Italian hoagies ever.
Togo's is the best of the sandwich chains, by far. They don't skimp on the meat or avocado, and you can taste the freshness better than at most places. I just wish I didn't have to drive 3 hours to my nearest one.
ReplyDelete@Agent*it - we use Manzo's deli or Makeb's deli (Makeb's on Okeechobee Boulevard, Manzo's on Palm Beach Lakes in WPB). They're both very good, Makeb's especially has a good breakfast. Publix also has their own brand meats for their subs - you can specify which one, with Boar's Head more expensive. Frankly, I can't tell the difference.
ReplyDeleteSusamE,we will have to meet for a sub one day:)
Deleteyes bread expands during baking but after it is baked and you heat it back up in an oven or toaster or wherever it shrinks a little. i eat panera bagels all the time and those bagels are huge but when i put them in my toaster oven they shrink just a tad.
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one thinking that people probably don't NEED that extra inch? There's an obesity crises, Subway is just doing their part! Lol
ReplyDeleteTwo words. Jersey Mike's!
ReplyDeleteclearance priced hot dogs
ReplyDeleteThose words are so very wrong.
@ SusanB - Now that I'm on the West coast I sure miss Publix. There is not a supermarket deli to rival theirs. Their bakery is to DIE FOR. I miss their whole grain bread, and their subs, as you mentioned, are wonderful, their chicken, etc. Best of all, the chain is employee owned.
I used to get the "Eat This, Not That" E-Newsletter (not sure why I don't anymore) and that was always an eye opener). Example: If you order the BLAH BLAH at Cheesecake Factory it's got [insert astronomical amt of calories] and is akin to eating 3 Big Macs and is more than your daily recommended calories and sodium. Order the [dish with lower calories, fat, sodium] instead.
One can say a dish has 2,000 calories but when they put it in perspective and compare the fat and calories to eating three Big Macs or the sodium to eating three sleeves of saltines, it really gives you pause.
@mango...I bought public's whole grain bread &chicken tenders for our dinner tonight. I'll think of you when we eat!
Delete@ cee kay - they save money in the sense they dont have as much bread to cover up with veggies, toppings and meat.
ReplyDelete@hunter
a good subway will chop up veggies in the morning and proof the bread before it even opens. they should do enough veggies to cover the morning, lunch and late afternoon rush. So that would be your tomatoes, onions and green peppers etc. they will than prep in the slow afternoon for the evening, and possibly a bit more to last til morning just in case.
A bad subway will use their left over bread from the afternoon in the morning (if they are too cheap to pay for an employee to open 2 hrs early). They will also prep things for several days to cut down on work, but than things that are sliced are not as likely to stay fresh.
yes, all the cheeses are processed, which is why the healthy recommended subs do not have cheese on them. things that come canned or have preservatives would be :tuna, olives, hot peppers, jalepeoes. The breads however have No preservatives which is why they have to be baked 2x a day.
I still love subway anyways, but im SO picky! ill be like "no that type of sub actually gets 6 pieces of that meat, not four. id like 4 tomatoes instead of 6, and more olives!" it annoys the subway workers, buit once they realize youve worked at one they totally understand hahah
@SusanB - okay, that was just plain cruel! :)
ReplyDeleteMango, anywhere near Naples?
ReplyDeleteI went to subway 2 weeks ago and when I bit into my sub, there was the key from the till in there ... A whole key and tag!!! True story. Horrifying.
ReplyDeleteChristopher I didn't know you were Australian, how are things down under?
ReplyDeleteI love Jimmy Johns but I do not love their pricing. I started questioning the size of Subways sandwiches when I was able to eat an entire foot long in one sitting, and finish my Baked Lays.
Is a McDonald's quarter-pounder a quarter pound of meat before or after cooking? Is that the same issue?
ReplyDeletePlease, they are doing all of us a favor by lessening the portions!!!!
ReplyDeleteBig deal - still love Subway!
ReplyDeleteAmy: Before it's cooked--I remember hearing about that when Mickey D's first came out w/them.
ReplyDeleteSomewhere, college-age Ted Mosby, and Marshall and Lily Ericsen are very angry that their "sandwich" dealer has been ripping them off all this time!
ReplyDeleteDidn't read all of the posts, but i have always noticed that when they cut the bread - it's always a bit more askew, depending on whether they have an already-cut bun or if i'm the first fresh order.
ReplyDeleteit's noticeable.
Subways is disgusting anyways, I don't est that trash
ReplyDeleteI worked for Cracker Barrel for 4 years (lead trainer for hostess/gift shop cashier). I could tell you scary stories, not so much about the food but what went on in the store. Drugs during shift, sex during shift-lots of sex and drugs.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the food, the salads are all made fresh by the prep cooks.Even the croutons are made on site. I know that the chicken salad is kept for 3 days. Have your server ask the prep cook when they made it. I'm very picky about chicken salad, but CB is usually safe and made from breast meat not mystery meat. The cleanliness standards are pretty strict if the restaurant is following procedures.
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ReplyDeleteI've never ever commented but all this talk about sandwiches made me nostalgic for John's Garden in Malibu, CA (in the Country Mart). Best sandwiches, and so fresh. Try it if you're in the area!
ReplyDeleteWelcome! Great name, love Walter! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks curlyhairslacker! It was a nostalgic day for me as I already miss Fringe.
ReplyDelete