Subway is changing how you order your sandwich, and some people are not here for it.
Will this change cause the sandwich giant to lose customers? Only time will tell.
Since its inception, Subway has been known for its build-your-own sandwich model. All the ingredients, from the meats to the veggies to the sauces were on display behind a glass barrier.
You could easily see all your options laid out in front of you and point to what you wanted. Sure, they’ve always had menu options, but it seems the build-your-own option was most people’s go-to.
But it seems those days are gone.
In a viral video with more than 350,000 views, a woman filmed the sandwich chain’s new and controversial addition—meat fridges that also double as privacy barriers.
“I don’t like this new privacy sh*t” Aiyanna (@aiyannace) said in her TikTok. “I miss when I could choose my bread and see how much meat is being put on my sandwich.”
“Why are y’all hiding how much meat I’m getting? I don’t like that,” she continued.
Once past the “hidden” meat section, the toppings are once again visible. Once Aiyanna loads up her sandwich and grabs two cookies to go she heads out the door with her meal.
As she leaves, she points out the huge price jump for the footlong sandwich. What was once a jingle-worthy $5 foot long, now easily cost $10 to $15, depending on your location and what all you get.
@aiyannace Yall I’ve had the same Subways order for the past 10 years #subways ♬ original sound – Aiyanna🪸
Subway’s new meat covers
Now back to the “privacy fridges.”
Just last week, Subway announced that its U.S. locations would begin to serve deli meat that’s sliced fresh in-house as opposed to delivering it pre-sliced. (They now have meat slicers like the ones you see at the deli.) Some people have speculated that now that the meat is sliced in-house (a move seemingly made to improve perceptions of meat quality), the fridges are necessary to keep it fresh.
Blocking customers’ views might just be a by-product, whether done on purpose or not.
In another video, a person accused the chain of doing this on purpose so they could get away with serving customers less meat and cheese. A la Chipotle, Subway has also been accused of starting to skimp.
A commenter who said they’re a Subway manager claimed that while higher-ups instructed them to tell customers that the fridges are meant to keep meat fresh longer, corporate allegedly told them it’s really to discourage people from doing the standard build-your-own sub-option and instead order from sandwich options on the board.
“I believe the goal is to get the customers to look up at the menu. Everyone looks down while they order. Build your own sandwiches are slowly being phased out,” added a Redditor.
As part of the deli slicer launch, Subway introduced new sandwich options like “The Beast” which seems to have all of their deli meats on it along with double cheese, and the “Garlic Roast Beef” featuring a roasted garlic aioli.
In the comments section, a Subway worker defended the new “privacy barriers” saying that they prefer to not be watched by customers.
But mostly, people said it was an inconvenience.
“Literally don’t remember what meat they have till I see it,” a person said.
“I like to see the meat. when I worked there we would serve grey meat bc management didn’t want us throwing anything away even if it was expired,” another added.
“Get sandwiches from Whole Foods instead! They are so good and cheaper than Subway,” a commenter suggested.
The Daily Dot reached out to Aiyanna and Subway for comment via email.
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