Subway: Never go against the fahmily
Corporate Gossip
Becca Platsky
4.9 • 655 Ratings
🗓️ 14 April 2023
⏱️ 61 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
If Theresa Giudice opened a mediocre fast casual sandwich shop it would look like Subway restaurants. Founded in part by a 17 year old from the Bronx named Fred Deluca, Subway would become the world's largest fast-food chain. But while Deluca's family was raking in that sweet meatball money, their franchisees were in honey ham hell. Once the sandwich king, Subway now faces serious lawsuits and FTC investigations amid dwindling sales. How did this chain, known for its "definitely 100% real, seriously guys I promise it really is tuna" sandwiches tumble to the bottom of the food chain? Find out on this episode of Corporate Gossip!
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Hosts: Becca Platsky (Becca@nitetoast.com) Adam Platsky (Adam@nitetoast.com)
Produced by: Michael Albanese @bigmanmike
Timestamps:
1:50 - Fred Deluca opens the first Subway with $1,000 and a bag of tuna and quickly realizes that making franchise royalties is wayyyyy easier than making a hot italian sandwhich.
5:15 - Deluca is Tiny Time vibes with a Scrooge personality.
7:40 - The most haunted calendar of all time is created by Deluca and his colleagues. They literally take pictures of themselves shirtless around the office. Deluca is Mr. January.
12:30 - Subway becomes the LuLaRoe of fast food restaurants.
16:00 - Wokeup this mornin' and I got myself a sub.... Subway's hitmen set their targets on francisees.
22:30 - J*red F*gle, I don't think I need to say anymore.
26:00 - After his death, Deluca gives his estranged wife the ultimate anniversary present... half of a dying sandwhich company!
31:50 - Subway's requirement for a new CEO? Sharing the majority of the founder's DNA.
37:00 - You know what they say about mixing business with family? It literally always works every time! You should def do it!
40:00 - Subway spends millions of dollars on a rebrand and a ton of celebrity influencers but their sandwhiches still suck.
44:20 - Subway's future looks as grey as their tuna.
45:45 - Find out what fast food restaurant you are based on your zodiac sign.
Links:
SubCon 2023! (Subway Convention)
Subway does franchisee damage control after John Oliver segment: memos
Subway Got Too Big. Franchisees Paid a Price
New Subway sandwich menu items taste just as vile as the old ones
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of the corporate gossip podcast, a few things before we get |
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| 0:57.0 | Kenwar Deep Burke was living the American dream. |
| 1:00.8 | A Lake Tahoe businessman, Burke operated four subway franchises in prime locations across the vacation town. |
| 1:09.3 | Starting in 2006, Burke fed thousands of customers in his sandwich shop. |
| 1:15.0 | His babies, he called them. He was one of thousands of American immigrants who went into business |
| 1:21.3 | with Subway in the early 2000s. Lured by low startup costs and recruitment campaigns in their home countries, |
| 1:29.0 | these eager entrepreneurs fired up their bread ovens, sliced their cucumbers, |
| 1:33.4 | and filled their soda dispensers for sandwich lovers across the country. |
| 1:39.2 | On the other side of the Sierra Nevada, near Sacramento, Minal Katri and her husband were operating |
| 1:46.5 | their subway right off the freeway. Business was solid and the pair found it easy to work together. |
| 1:53.1 | Until that is, a saboteur set their crosshairs on the Katri's store. What happens next is straight out of the Sopranos. It all started when an |
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