Subway Making Major Change to Its Restaurants

By Andrew Roberts

Subway is celebrating the success of its menu revamp and store renovations from the past few years. According to CNN, 2022 was reportedly a record-setting year for the company and they're angling to beat it in 2023 with a fresh take on preparing their meats.

As CNN notes, the company is adding slicers to the customer experience. It isn't a new option in the world of sandwich shops, with plenty of other chains using a slicer in front of customers when they order. Subway CEO John Chidsey detailed the decision.

"We were one of the few, if only, sub shop that didn't slice in restaurant. Not only does it give the guest a better perception of seeing the nice, fluffy meat, but we save a lot of money since we were paying a lot of money to have it sliced upstream," Chidsey said while explaining some of the continued renovations Subway will implement going forward.

The slicers would be the next big change to the sandwich chain's m.o. following the shift away from customizing sandwiches and toward the Subway Series menu. CNN notes that the sandwich combinations are currently around 20 percent of the sales, which Chidsey is hoping for more.

"We'll never walk away from customization because that's how Subway is built, but I can see down the road we could be at 40% to 50% in terms of 'Subway Series' sales," Chidsey says, adding that it has been great so far for Subway's "transformation journey."

According to CNN, Chidsey did not address a report in the Wall Street Journal that said Subway could be up for sale. The fast food sandwich shop could come in at over $10 billion if a sale is in the cards, but for now Chidsey and the rest of the company seem happy with the direction.

The company is plotting another makeover for the summer menu, while also continuing to expand outside the U.S. and bolstering its rewards program and app. The slicers should start appearing in Subway restaurants starting this summer.

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