The Real Reason Subway Employees Make Food In Front Of Customers

Subway currently ranks sixth in Restaurant Business's list of highest-grossing chain restaurants. That's impressive on its own, but it isn't the sandwich spot's only honor. As Eat This, Not That reports, Subway has the most locations out of any fast food restaurant chain. Not just in America, but across the world. That means a dizzying number of people have ordered Subway sandwiches, and thanks to the chain's protocol, have specifically watched their sandwich as it was made in front of them. That's not an accident.

The Daily Meal estimates Subway serves 7 million sandwiches every day. Anyone who has ordered one of these sandwiches, be it the Italian B.M.T. or the sweet onion chicken teriyaki, knows that all the sandwich ingredients are displayed at the counter. After you order, you witness one of the chain's "sandwich artists" assemble the meal in real-time.

When Subway first came on the scene in 1965, according to The Daily Meal, employees would turn their backs to the customer when making sandwiches. It didn't take long for that to change.

Subway's sandwich artists are also soda protectors

Per The Daily Meal, the reason Subway employees now face forward when making sandwiches is because, in the 1960s, Subway founder Fred DeLuca once had a man tell him that he routinely steals sodas from the shop's fridge while the workers have their back turned.

This fact was confirmed in a Chicago Tribune article from 1989, which elaborates that the person who spilled the beans was "a stranger who had given [DeLuca] a ride." It's unclear whether this stranger knew DeLuca was the brains behind Subway or not.

Even though Subway has since rectified this opportunity for sugar-based theft, that still hasn't stopped the chain from getting into other types of trouble. In recent months, Subway has been sued for allegedly misrepresenting the content of its tuna sandwich and chicken sandwich. People claim the tuna isn't actually tuna, and the chicken is only about 50 percent chicken (via Eater).

While Subway's sandwiches may still be made in front of customers, their tuna and chicken is prepared ahead of time. Maybe next time just get a cookie?