With over 40,000 locations, Subway, the world’s largest restaurant chain, announced Tuesday (July 6) that it will soon launch the most major update to its menu in the company’s history. This so-called “Eat Fresh Refresh,” which hits stores July 13, features updated ingredients, as well as new sandwiches and revamps of existing options. Added ingredients include new breads, smashed avocado, and marinated steak, among others.
The news of the ingredient update comes after the brand made headlines in June for a lawsuit alleging that the chain’s tuna was not, in fact, tuna. The chain has denied these allegations.
In the news release announcing the menu update, Subway states, “While many of Subway’s core protein choices were improved as part of the Eat Fresh Refresh, one ingredient that doesn’t need an upgrade is the Subway high-quality, premium tuna. Subway sources tuna from leading global food suppliers that have a reputation for working diligently with food safety and quality experts to ensure consistent, high-quality products at every stage of the supply chain.”
Tuna controversy aside, Subway has also reportedly had a difficult time weathering the pandemic. Restaurant Business reported that the chain closed 10 percent of its United States locations during 2020, down somewhere between 2,200 and 2,400 units from its start-of-2020 unit count of 23,801. The chain’s global unit count is over 40,000.
“Subway does not disclose this information, but we can tell you that the figure you provided is not accurate,” the company said in statement emailed to the news outlet. “The number of permanent closures in 2020 is lower than your estimate, as there are temporary closures due to COVID.”
The menu update comes as consumer mobility increases and consumers begin returning to quick service restaurants’ (QSRs) physical locations to pick up food on the go. However, Subway risks losing these potential customers to fast-casual restaurants. Discussing the menu changes, Subway CEO John Chidsey told CNN Business, “We want to make a loud enough bang … to draw those people back to give us another look.”
Subway’s update also features enhancements to its digital ordering platforms — its desktop site, its mobile app and its presence on third-party delivery apps and sites. The updates will look to both make the experience more frictionless and provide more transparency about out-of-stock items.
Throughout the industry, businesses are looking for ways to seize on consumers’ excitement to return to restaurants. Franchisee Ampex Brands, for instance, just acquired bakery chain Au Bon Pain with the goal to bring it into the 2020s with more units, new drive-thrus and alternative store models.
“The most expensive piece of equipment is an empty chair,” Ampex President and CEO Tabbassum Mumtaz told PYMNTS in a recent interview. “So we’re looking at smaller footprints as well as larger footprints where we can make sure that customers and guests are comfortable sitting relaxing, having a cup of coffee [and a] piece of bread.”
Meanwhile, McDonald’s aims to drive adoption of its digital ordering platforms with its new loyalty program, P.F. Chang’s is designing new restaurants around digital ordering, and Domino’s is investing in ultra-fast curbside delivery drop off as major players throughout the industry scramble to become part of consumers’ new normal.
Read More On Restaurants:
We’re always on the lookout for opportunities to partner with innovators and disruptors.
Learn More