A Subway employee’s post showing how the restaurant prepares its steak isn’t just going viral—it’s apparently making some people gag.
The TikTok account How Food is Made (@howfoodismade) uploaded a clip from the perspective of a Subway employee who records the process of preparing the cups of steak used in the chain’s sandwiches. It’s garnered a massive 5.3 million views as of Sunday.
“This is how steak is made at Subway,” a robotic voice filter narrates as the TikToker shows off a brown, paste-looking substance inside a plastic container. The clip transitions to a bag cut open to reveal that the “paste” is actually a lump of the steak Subway uses in its sandwiches as BBL Drizzy plays in the background.
The steak appears to have a texture that’s more akin to tuna fish. The employee dumps the brown contents of the bag into a black plastic bin and begins to churn it together with their gloved hand. Then, the steak from that plastic tub is placed into a smaller black plastic tub, which rests on a scale. “Weigh it out to 2.5 oz,” they write in an overlay.
The video then transitions to them placing the cups of 2.5 oz steak portions in a stainless steel container which becomes a part of Subway’s sandwich assembly line.
“All done fresh is the only way we do it here,” the overlay in the clip reads.
@howfoodismade #food #fyp ♬ Bbl Drizzy – TokenAngel
Viewers are disgusted
Commenters who saw the video didn’t seem exactly thrilled with the way the steak looked in the clip.
The official Eggo account commented, “I will never recover from this.”
But another person seemed to adopt the attitude of “well, what do you expect, it’s Subway” after penning a probably sarcastic remark: “Wait it’s not fillet mignon carverd fresh daily?”
According to one person in the comments section, Subway has less savory things to be had.
“I worked at subway and I promise you making the tuna is worse,” they wrote.
“As a former Subway employee, y’all don’t know about the tuna,” another echoed.
However, some didn’t seem all that perturbed by the revelation, remarking that they were resolved to enjoy it regardless.
“Still getting that Philly cheese steak tomorrow,” they said.
Another penned, “And it tastes immaculate.”
Subway’s food preparation sparks debate
This isn’t the first time video footage of how Subway workers prepare the chain’s steak has left viewers with churning stomachs. In 2021, The Daily Mail reported on a similar instance to the @howfoodismade video, where an employee displayed the Subway steak sandwich’s preparation. One said the meat looked like “cat food.”
Other folks who’ve responded to Subway TikTokers, like a commenter on this clip, have complained about the quality of the meat they were eating: “The main thing i used to eat here a meatball marinara now tastes like the most procesed unedible thing ever.”
Folks in this Quora post, who answered one commenter’s question about the “kind of meat” that’s used in Subway steak, didn’t exactly give the nicest assessment of the brand’s wares, either. One person called it “tram steak” and then went on to explain what that was: “Tram steak, similar to every one of their meats, is pre-cooked and takes after a hacked sodden hamburger jerky by all accounts. There are two scoops of steak for each Steak and Cheese.”
TikTokers being grossed out after discovering how particular fast food chains prepare some of their offerings is nothing new— just ask these users who witnessed how Taco Bell makes its eggs.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Subway via email and @howfoodismade via TikTok comment.
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