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This post is part of our Battle of the Brands feature. Let us know which brand you prefer, and check out other Battle of the Brands posts.
Businesswise, it's no real competition between Subway and Quiznos. Subway, the number 1 sub sandwich chain, claims to have more than 29,000 locations in 86 countries, earning more than $11 billion in 2007. Quiznos, on the other hand, has more than 5,000 locations in 20 countries, earning $130 million in 2004, making it a distant number 2. In fact, Subway is the third largest fast-food chain globally after Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) (Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC, etc.) with 34,000 locations and McDonald's (NYSE: MCD), with 31,000 locations.
Both Subway and Quiznos are privately owned, franchise fast-food chains. While Quiznos is a limited liability company controlled by chairman Rick Schaden and his family, Subway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Doctor's Associates, Inc., a company founded in 1965 by Fred De Luca and Dr. Peter Buck specifically to oversee the Subway chain of restaurants.
Subway menus vary by store. For instance, its restaurants in Muslim countries serve Halal menu, and Subway has kosher restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, Kansas City, and a suburb of Cleveland. All locations feature submarine sandwiches, ranging from four-inch "mini subs" to its three-foot giant subs. Popular sandwiches include Turkey Breast, Italian BMT, and the Subway Club. All of Quiznos' sandwiches are served toasted, and its best-sellers include the Classic Italian, the Mesquite Chicken with Bacon, the Prime Rib Cheesesteak, the Chicken Carbonara. Last fall Quzinos introduced flatbread "sammies."
When it comes to advertising, Quzinos has been all over the map, including ads featuring a man suckled at a mother wolf's teat, talking "Baby Bob" ads, a dig at its larger rival with ads featuring a "Wrong Way" restaurant -- and then there were the creepy but short-lived Spongmonkey ads. Subway's best-known spokesman is Jared Fogle, who in 1999 is said to have lost 245 pounds on a diet featuring Subway sandwiches.
But don't think that the smaller Quzinos has had no influence on Subway. In 2003, when most Subway locations switched their beverage contracts from PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) products to Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) products, Coca-Cola helped pay for the initial rollout of toaster ovens to Subway restaurants in North America, This allowed customers the option to have sandwiches toasted, in response to increased competition from Quiznos.
But the real competition is not between one company and another, but between their product offerings. Who has the tastiest offerings? Who provides the best value? Vote in our poll and let us know what you think.
Vote in our poll for Subway or Quiznos as your preferred brand, and let us know in the comments why you love it.
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Reader Comments (Page 4 of 4)
6-08-2008 @ 9:07AM
Ginz said...
They both are terrible. You are better off supporting your local sub shop and help the local merchant make a go it then by going to one of these corporate tasteless places.
Franchises are causing America to be come homogenized. Supporting the local guy you are letting indivduality to continue to exist in America. It is the local shop that gives an area its uniqueness not its chain restaurants or stores.
6-14-2008 @ 3:25PM
Kate said...
When you go into a Quiznos, everything is just overall friendlier. Subway is never clean and overall disgusting. And plus Jared di have liposuction so the Subway thing is just a lie and they used him only to impress people. Go to Quiznos it has better selction and usually better service.
7-05-2008 @ 5:54PM
flamejumper said...
I prefer Firehouse Subs to either. Nasty..
7-12-2008 @ 12:49AM
skatr109 said...
jared is the only guy who got sknny i mean com on from the 60's to now only 1 guy got skinny.Go to quiznos.....no really.Most people who work at subway are fat if you look on youtube.now make your choice a sub that has barley any meat that surely can make you skinny enough with a gym mem. and no cleaness in it(SUBWAY OF COURSE!!)or a sub fit for kings and the pres. of U.S. and has soooooooo much more meat then subway and has a calories watch plan on the side of the menu and has cleaness...dont worry of allergies of dust quiznos cleans like if there was nothing at all dirty they got you covered the whole way.
oh yah you know subway stands for a ghetto place where people go underground to reach a different spot of town and there nasty,filthy,and defintely dirty.Hmmmm so that means subway isnt really fresh.wow!they have a whole lot in common.so final thing to say,you want to eat at a place where you wont thowup,eat quiznos or eat garbage(subway).thats all.
7-28-2008 @ 6:22PM
Marsha said...
Quiznos is expensive because they use higher quality products. That's why Subway is cheaper, because they have lesser quality in their meats and vegetables. Also, Quiznos slices their meats, cheese, and vegetables daily. Quiznos also doesn't use microwaves to heat their sandwiches. Subways bread isn't made to be toasted either, unlikes Quiznos bread which is more hefty and is made to be toasted. Whenever I go to Subway, my entire sub ends up being vegetables and I cannot even taste the meat.