Is a Subway footlong worth the money?

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A college student is questioning the cost efficiency and nutritional value of regularly purchasing Subway footlongs for $7-$8 each day. Many contributors suggest that cooking at home is generally more economical and healthier, emphasizing the importance of buying fresh ingredients from local markets. Some argue that while Subway may buy ingredients in bulk, their prices can still be higher than homemade meals due to markup costs. Alternatives like Walmart sandwiches or other sub shops, such as Jimmy John's, are recommended for better value and quality. Discussions also highlight the convenience of Subway versus the time and effort required for home cooking, including shopping and meal prep. Participants share simple, nutritious recipes and suggest that cooking in bulk can save money and reduce food waste. Overall, the consensus leans towards homemade meals being a more cost-effective and healthier option, despite the convenience of fast food.
  • #51
Sophia said:
oh, would you really throw away veggies and meat the next day after you buy them? o_O
3 Days max
 
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  • #52
Greg Bernhardt said:
Subway is bottom feeder sandwiches. There are so many better sub options. Really shocked how many Subways there are and how many people eat there.
Can you elaborate? Not on better options but on what makes Subway so bad. The ingredients?
 
  • #53
jedishrfu said:
My favorite was Quiznos hot sandwiches.
Quiznos make yummy subs for sure, but man, I'll bet the calories could kill a moose.
 
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  • #54
jedishrfu said:
My favorite was Quiznos hot sandwiches.

Going the way of the dodo. About 80 or 85% of their US stores have closed. Corporate went bankrupt two years ago. Essentially, their business model is "screw the franchisees". They lock them into buying from them at above market rates, and there was effectively no territory protection. They learned too late that by squeezing every nickle they could out of the franchisees, they would kill their own revenue stream.

As far as Subway is concerned, at quick service restaurants the food cost is typically about 30-40% of the price of the meal. However, this doesn't mean that you can pay this little for ingredients at retail. (How often do you buy pickles in 5 gallon jars?)
 
  • #55
We almost got into the Quiznos franchise ownership but decided it was too much for us to handle and raise a family. Looks like that was a good thing. I remember the pitch saying they provided everything we needed and that explains the demise. Wow.
 
  • #56
Ramen seems pretty hot now. In Austin there are a few hot places Tetsuya Ramen and Jinya to name a couple. We've been to Jinya, it's very upscale and the ramen while really good is somewhat pricey but it's really good. We recently had tonkotsu black at $13 a bowl and it was delicious.
 
  • #57
jedishrfu said:
It would be more cost effective to go to the market, buy your supplies and make your own meals. There is no easy fast and cheap method of eating healthy and well but going to the market is a definite step in the right direction.
Well, you can have the best of both worlds.

I'll have a footlong veggie.
With tomatoes, lettuce, onions and all the other ingredients.
Extra.

Extra...

More...

More. They're free, right? I got to have enough to get through to Monday.
Keep goin'...
 
  • #58
DaveC426913 said:
Well, you can have the best of both worlds.

I'll have a footlong veggie.
With tomatoes, lettuce, onions and all the other ingredients.
Extra.

Extra...

More...

More. They're free, right? I got to have enough to get through to Monday.
Keep goin'...
And they also have the pizzas now, reasonably priced.
 
  • #59
jedishrfu said:
Ramen seems pretty hot now. In Austin there are a few hot places Tetsuya Ramen and Jinya to name a couple. We've been to Jinya, it's very upscale and the ramen while really good is somewhat pricey but it's really good. We recently had tonkotsu black at $13 a bowl and it was delicious.
:woot: Do you like Reimen ? I also recommend tsukemen.
 
  • #60
Pepper Mint said:
:woot: Do you like Reimen ? I also recommend tsukemen.

In general, I like soups and noodles of all kinds although they can be messy if you drop something back in. The restaurant ramen is really good. I never liked the quick ramen so much as the soup tasted like a boullion cube.

Thanks I'll check out the tsukeman.
 
  • #61
jedishrfu said:
Ramen seems pretty hot now. In Austin there are a few hot places Tetsuya Ramen and Jinya to name a couple. We've been to Jinya, it's very upscale and the ramen while really good is somewhat pricey but it's really good. We recently had tonkotsu black at $13 a bowl and it was delicious.

Ramen is also quite hot in Toronto, where several ramen shops have opened up, particularly near the downtown core -- which is a boon for me, as I love ramen (being half-Japanese, I grew up with ramen). Pho is also quite popular in this city as well.

(To the mods: am I allowed to provide names of restaurants that I would recommend here, as well as links to their websites? Or is that a violation of PF forum rules?)
 
  • #62
StatGuy2000 said:
(To the mods: am I allowed to provide names of restaurants that I would recommend here, as well as links to their websites? Or is that a violation of PF forum rules?)
We've allowed links to major chains before answering questions about food. It's never come up about small food shops before. Yes, it's fine, go ahead and list them.
 
Last edited:
  • #63
Evo said:
We've allowed links to major chains before answering questions about food. It's never come up about small food shops before. Yes, it's fine, go ahead and list them.

Thanks for the clarification!
 
  • #64
StatGuy2000 said:
Ramen is also quite hot in Toronto, where several ramen shops have opened up, particularly near the downtown core -- which is a boon for me, as I love ramen (being half-Japanese, I grew up with ramen). Pho is also quite popular in this city as well.

As a follow-up to my earlier post, here are ramen shops I would recommend in Toronto (to the mods: please feel free to separate this into another thread):

1. Konnichiwa (http://konnichiwa.ca)

2. Touhenboku Ramen (http://www.touhenboku.ca/)

3. Kinton Ramen (http://www.kintonramen.com)

For those PF members living in Toronto, I would greatly appreciate any recommendations for Vietnamese restaurants serving pho.
 
  • #65
And back to the original topic:

To those PF members living in Toronto -- any suggestions for good sandwich places that is an alternative to Subway? The only place I know of that I can recommend is Lettieri (located at Bayview Village).
 
  • #66
StatGuy2000 said:
And back to the original topic:

To those PF members living in Toronto -- any suggestions for good sandwich places that is an alternative to Subway? The only place I know of that I can recommend is Lettieri (located at Bayview Village).
You're making me cry thinking of the sandwich place nearby , that used a carving board to make sandwiches in front of you, absolutely amazing ones, that decided to abandon the fresh sandwiches and just sell pre-fabs. Sorry, I just needed to let it out to recover.
 
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  • #68
StatGuy2000 said:
To those PF members living in Toronto -- any suggestions for good sandwich places that is an alternative to Subway?
No, there are none.
 
  • #69
DaveC426913 said:
No, there are none.

Dave, I'm assuming you're being sarcastic (sarcasm doesn't translate well on Internet forums).

Because you can't be seriously suggesting that there are no good sandwich places in Toronto, are you?
 
  • #70
StatGuy2000 said:
Dave, I'm assuming you're being sarcastic (sarcasm doesn't translate well on Internet forums).

Because you can't be seriously suggesting that there are no good sandwich places in Toronto, are you?
Likely expensive ones. Customers look for cheap or even free yet clean ones.
 
  • #71
Pepper Mint said:
Likely expensive ones. Customers look for cheap or even free yet clean ones.

I wasn't factoring price into this. At any rate, there is a tremendous variability in the prices of restaurants and eateries in Toronto, and (at least from my own experience) there is only a very weak correlation between price and quality.
 
  • #72
Anyone noticed the "resemblance" between "Jared," Subway's former spokesman, and "X," Sprint's latest peddler?
 
  • #73
Bystander said:
Anyone noticed the "resemblance" between "Jared," Subway's former spokesman, and "X," Sprint's latest peddler?
Yes, actually. But is that important and helpful in resolving both current and future subway footlong issues ?
 
  • #74
Pepper Mint said:
important and helpful
Really don't know --- ad campaigns come and go but, given comments in this thread regarding the franchise and by extension the franchise "parent company," the "resemblance" just reminds me that complaints about quality of bread(s), freshness of ingredients, might have more to do with "corporate policy" than I was originally (in my unreminded state) willing to consider.
 
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  • #75
Bystander said:
Anyone noticed the "resemblance" between "Jared," Subway's former spokesman, and "X," Sprint's latest peddler?
It seems the first three letters of your description of Jared apply to something else about Jared.
 

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