Today I lunched with DSI regular Steve at a nearby Quiznos Sub joint. I've had a coupon staring at my from my cubicle half-wall for some time, so I thought I would cash in on it today. Lately I don't make lunches on Monday mornings, allowing myself to extend the weekend with 10 more minutes of slumber.
I find Quiznos interesting. It has a great product: fresh bread, lightly toasted, juicy meats and tangy sauces. I respect the effort it has made to distinguish itself Subway, the restaurant chain with the most outlets in North America, according to QSR Magazine.
Quiznos is setting itself apart with good quality ingredients, more spacious interiors, smart customer service, and generally paying attention to the details. Today when Steve and I were finished eating, the manager came over and took our trays for us and asked how the meal was. I appreciate that.
Subway is no slouch either. They have fast service, low prices and the best cookies in the land. I just wish they were a little more attentive to their fountain pop consistency, and took a little more care when laying out the meat on my Subway Club.
There is no winner in this battle, partly because the two brands aren't trying to be the same. Different sandwich options, different price points, different experiences. Just depends how much cash you've got to burn, and whether you want cookies.
6 comments:
You're going to need to actually make some calls one way or the other here, buddy.
First of all, Subway's not cheap: a footlong sub runs around $7-$8. That's only about $1 less than what Quiznos cahrges. Subway also lacks consistency in the topping department - there's no methodology to how things are placed. If I'm going to go into a chain, the main benefit should be consitency of product, and Subway can't even deliver on that.
There's no question: Quiznos is the victor.
Thanks for the comment, buddy.
Sounds like someone's been getting skimped on the hot peppers at Subway. Hmmm? It's true though, their topping place is erratic. But it doesn't really bother me as much as when they pile up your meat on one part of the bun, while another part goes meatless. What's with that?
But remember, I'm trying to find the best sandwich in the galaxy, and otherwise bring out the good in every sandwich I encounter. Hence my seeming impartiality. But kudos for your vitriol.
Ok, interesting ocmments.
I will provide my take on the dining experience.
In general I find Quizno's less consistent in their delivery and in fact more "black box". At Subway, you see behind the glass, exactly what they are doing. Unless you are 7 feet tall, you cannot see the same at Quizno's (leaving room for employee topping mischief). Now the point isn't that it's impossible to see how your sandwich is being prepared, but that they don't WANT you to look at it, and ask for more/changes. Subway gladly permits "extras" (see The Tom Green Show circa 1995 -classic Subway encounter with a foot high sub). Re: consistency, at least you can always find same size subs. Quizno's cuts their bread off a larger bread loaf and sizes seem arbitrarily cut from the larger loaf. further more, the deception continues as Quizno's cuts on diagonal angles. The only reason for this, is to visually elongate the sandwich from one diagonal corner of the sandwich to the next. Real sleuths will see that the midpoint measurement is the only correct way to find the true length of sub purchased.
Subway prices are not "cheap", however I feel, they are still more competitive than Quizno's.
- subway 12" subs are larger than Quizno small and regular subs.
- see comment above about subway foot long vs. quizno regular or small size (notwithstanding largest size - but then again, this will cost you an arm and a leg (or a "foot"...)(relative to other fast food spots).
- subway pioneered the subclub program
- but at end of day, quizno's admittedly has more exotic sub flavours than subway (assuming subway is the reference point of 'ordinary')
May I also remind the reader that Subway now offers "toasted" subs at no extra charge.
- Steve
Sausage Egg McMuffin: Sandwich or burger?
What if it's just a "plain" Egg McMuffin?
I expect the DSI team to launch a full (and delicious!) investigation, and update your anxious readers accordingly.
I too have a difficult time picking one sub chain over the other – and I’m about to make it even more difficult.
I agree that Subway has delicious cookies, but have you ever tried the Quizno’s cookies? Believe it or not, they may have outwitted their fierce competitor (again). They actually warm up their cookies!
That’s right, they zap that cookie into a melting delight, cut it up into bite-size pieces and serve it in one of their little baskets.
This might be something worth investigating if the cookie is your decision maker.
PS: A&W has good cookies too.
Hello. I find your blog very interesting. I see you are talking about fast food restaurants. I should say that they are great. Whenever you are on a run, you take a burger and a coke and there you are having a snack. Personally I love quiznos. I browsed www.pissedconsumer.com for the clients’ feedbacks and they turned out to be very few.
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