Subway, restaurant chain specializing in submarine sandwiches. In 2002 it became the largest fast-food chain in the United States, measured by number of outlets. The company operates in more than 100 countries. Headquarters are in Milford, Connecticut.
Subway began in August 1965 as a partnership between Fred DeLuca, a 17-year-old who needed money for college, and Peter Buck, a family friend with a Ph.D. in physics. Buck loaned DeLuca $1,000 to open a takeout restaurant in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The restaurant was called “Pete’s Super Submarines” because submarine sandwiches were the menu specialty.
In 1966 DeLuca and Buck incorporated a company called Doctor’s Associates. DeLuca later identified the doctor as Buck and the associate as himself. A second store was opened in 1966, and two years later the restaurant name was changed to Subway. After an expansion to 16 owned-and-operated outlets, the first franchised restaurants opened in 1974. By 1982 the company was claiming to be the largest “sub chain” in the United States. The first stores outside the United States opened in Bahrain in 1984. In the second decade of the 21st century, there were more than 40,000 Subway restaurants worldwide. By then, all stores were owned by franchisees. DeLuca died in September 2015, after which day-to-day control of the company passed to his sister, Suzanne Greco. The company remained privately held.
A submarine sandwich is made by filling a split Italian roll with various sliced meats, cheeses, vegetables, and condiments. The name derives from the shape of the sandwich. This type of sandwich is also called a hoagie, a hero sandwich, a poor boy (or po’ boy) sandwich, an Italian sandwich, or a grinder. Unlike much of the fast food sold by restaurant chains, Subway products are typically not fried and are liberally garnished with fresh vegetables. Subway therefore is able to brand itself as a purveyor of healthier fast food. The company made a minor celebrity of Jared Fogle, who claimed to have lost more than 200 pounds (90 kg) on a diet of Subway sandwiches while a student at Indiana University. Fogle served as a Subway spokesman from 2000 until 2015, when a scandal and criminal charges ended his career.
