Did Subway really serve the "worst taco of
all time"? And do you remember when they had pizzas? Keep watching to learn more about how some
of Subway's menu heroes turned into zeroes. Most people wouldn't head to a burger joint
for a taco; likewise, ordering pizza at a sandwich place sounds just as sacrilegious. Still, in 2014, Subway launched the Flatizza: "Fluh-what-zuh?" "Flatizza!" "That's it, Justin!" It was a mini flatbread pizza, available in
pepperoni, veggie, spicy Italian, and plain cheese varieties. The pies initially came in at the very affordable
price of two for $5, but eventually increased to $3.50 each. Subway's descriptions of Flatizzas sounded
downright delicious, calling the cheese version "an exciting combination of warm marinara
sauce and bubbly mozzarella cheese on a toasty flatbread." But the Flatizza didn't deliver. A reviewer on grubgrade.com wrote: "Ragu Pizza Quick [Sauce] Vibe. Overall GrubGrade: 6.25/10." The Flatizza went the way of the dodo bird
and is no longer a part of Subway's menu lineup. For any fans hankering for a pizza-inspired
sub can order one off their "secret menu" according to Wide Open Eats. The saucy sub includes marinara sauce, pepperoni,
mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and your choice of veggies on a toasted Italian bun. In 2014, Subway received a great deal of bad
publicity and pressure to remove azodicarbonamide, a chemical compound also found in yoga mats,
from its bread recipe. As it turns out, though, the chemical is found
in nearly 500 common brands and products, according to the Environmental Working Group. Eventually, Subway phased out the ingredient,
but their slow response was a flop in itself that was difficult to recover from. Adding to the bread chemical debacle, an Irish
court ruled that, due to its high sugar content of more than five grams per six-inch sub roll,
the bread shouldn't even be classified as bread at all, but rather as a confectionary. The ruling, citing Ireland's Value-Added Tax
Act of 1972, stated that the sugar and fat in the bread, quote, "should not exceed 2%
of the weight of flour included in the dough." But a Subway spokesperson protested, saying, "Subway's bread is, of course, bread. We have been baking fresh bread in our stores
for more than three decades and our guests return each day for sandwiches made on bread
that smells as good as it tastes." Subway now boasts five mainstay bread choices:
9 Grain Wheat, Multi-Grain Flatbread, Italian, Italian Herbs & Cheese, and regular Flatbread. Select locations offer Hearty Italian, 9-Grain
Honey Oat, Jalapeño Cheese, Monterey Cheddar, Parmesan Oregano, Roasted Garlic, Rosemary
& Sea Salt, Rye Bread, and Gluten-Free Bread. Their website invites customers to "follow
the smell of our baking bread," so perhaps their bread brouhaha has died down — but
it's fascinating that the foundational element of Subway's product has threatened multiple
times to be their undoing. "Ah, this bread. 'Tis a wee bit sweet. Might have to look into it. Tastes a bit like sugar. Did I mix up the flour with the sugar?" Certain sauces and dressings have disappeared
from Subway's menu because they failed to capture customers' attention and just weren't
being requested much. Italian and Sriracha were among those discontinued,
and a few others are potentially on their way out. According to an employee in a Subway Reddit
thread: "Our store has not discontinued its Caesar
dressing, but we barely sell one sandwich with it per week if it's bottled, so it's
often the one dressing that expires and gets tossed out." A Ranker survey of favorite Subway toppings
lists mayonnaise at number 5, Chipotle Southwest Sauce at number 13. Sweet Onion Sauce comes in at number 14, and
mustard at number 20 as fan favorite sauces. Zesty Italian is #26, and Caesar didn't even
make the list, so most customers probably won't notice their absence. On the other hand, some customers will go
to great lengths to champion their absolute favorite Subway sauces. A patron of Subway India started an online
petition at change.org to bring back the franchise's barbecue and Caesar sauces. The petition didn't get very far, though,
garnering only 15 supporters — landing these and a handful of other sauces firmly in flop
territory. As of 2018, Subway no longer was requiring
franchisees to serve breakfast. Low interest in their breakfast options was
to blame. A Bloomberg study revealed more than 40% of
Subway customers didn't stop there for breakfast, and 19% didn't even know they offered the
morning meal. Other reasons cited for change include staffing
shortages and intimidating breakfast competitors such as Wendy's, Dunkin' Donuts, and McDonald's. In an email to Business Insider, James Walker,
vice president of Subway North America, said, "We are continuously evaluating every consumer
touchpoint (including hours of operation, menu, day part, etc.) and making adjustments
as needed to help Subway franchisees be more successful." Ultimately, each individual business owner
has the final say on whether breakfast stays or goes, but Subway's official menu makes
no mention of bacon and eggs. It probably did not help much that the eggs
were shipped to franchisees in the form of floppy, unappetizing disks, according to Business
Insider. Some fast food restaurants' breakfast offerings
are arguably the best part of their menu. Unfortunately, in Subway's case, it's quite
the opposite. In 2020, Subway made the unpopular decision
to stop selling both roast beef and rotisserie chicken, reportedly because they were the
two most expensive meat toppings on their menu. The menu cuts were a big flop, though, with
angry franchisees and customers flooding Subway with complaints. Rotisserie chicken loyalist Joseph "The Demon"
Albanese cried "fowl," tweeting at Subway, "Discontinuing rotisserie chicken? Seriously? Your own workers actually said today 'do not
know why, stupid move with one of our top sellers.' Probably won't care just thought you might
want to know what is a pretty dumb move." The meaty favorites weren't gone for long,
though. An article in Nation's Restaurant News reports
that roast beef and rotisserie chicken are back on Subway's menu as of late 2021. Not only have the favorites returned, the
chain is now offering new chicken options including a Chicken & Bacon Ranch with bacon,
Monterey cheddar cheese, and peppercorn Ranch sauce. They've also added a Baja Chicken & Bacon
featuring chicken, pepper Jack cheese, and a new Baja Chipotle sauce. Their new roast beef sub is made with USDA
Choice Angus roast beef, lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, green peppers, onions, and cucumbers. Hopefully they don't make the mistake of removing
this menu item again. Fans of taco creations in the UK will have
to run for the border, not Subway, since Britain-based franchisees removed taco beef from their offerings
in 2019. A Subway spokesperson explained, "We're adding lots of exciting new menu options
and there are more to come. This meant we had to say goodbye to some of
our less-loved ingredients." Taco-meat enthusiasts can order a Subway taco,
billed as, quote, "a sub filled with ground beef and salsa" in Japan, where it debuted
in 2015. Foodbeast's take on this taco, however, wasn't
so flattering, describing it as "sketchy ground beef, covered with a ton of lettuce, wrapped
in flat bread." USA Today writer Nick Swartz called the creation
"the worst taco of all time," before specifying that "it's not even a taco." Japan isn't the only place in the universe
one can try their luck at finding an adequate Subway taco. "Subway Skippergata" in Oslo, Norway calls
their version "A TexMex inspired sub with taco flavored minced chicken and nachos. Superb with salsa and Rømme sauce." "Rømme" means sour cream in Norwegian, we
looked it up — you're welcome. Overall, this sandwich doesn't look too bad. But it does prove that you may have to travel
the world to find an adequate taco, or taco-esque offering from Subway, because in most locations,
it seems to be a bust. Over the years, Subway has offered up a $5
footlong deal as a means to stand out from the competition. Can't you just hear the incessant "five-dollar
footlong" jingle from their commercial in your head? "Five-dollar, five-dollar footlong." The last time the chain did a big push for
the promotion was in 2020, but it only lasted a few weeks according to Restaurant Business. The online industry magazine cited poor timing
— it was during the pandemic, when many were out of work — and a lack of franchisee
support — considering only 71% participated in the promotion — as reasons the promotion
fizzled. As if removing the $5 deal were not enough,
Subway had also recently battled yet another lawsuit claiming their footlongs did not measure
up to their name and fell short of the full promised 12 inches. Apparently some footlongs only measure between
11 and 11.5 inches. The courts rejected the lawsuit, though. The plaintiff's co-lead attorney, Thomas Zimmerman,
remarked, "It was difficult to prove monetary damages,
because everybody ate the evidence." But really, Subway had already strayed from
the $5 footlong model long before their failed promotional event. Most Subway sandwiches are now priced at $6
and up; considering rising labor and operation costs, not to mention inflation, it wasn't
sustainable to keep selling them for a Lincoln. It seems the $5 footlong, once synonymous
with Subway's image, was always doomed to fail. Subway regulars may recall a "Subway Club"
punch card that allowed them to earn rewards, such as a free sub, after a certain number
of visits. Cardholders would receive one free 6- or 12-inch
sub free after they earned six punches for either, buy six of either size, get one free. A drink purchase of any size was also required,
and double meat, extra cheese, bacon, and avocado cost extra. Although many may have received stamps worthy
of a freebie, the club was discontinued in 2005 due to fraud. Tech-savvy swindlers were creating fake punch
cards so they could abuse the rewards program. Wired reported that some were even selling
the cards on eBay. Fivestars Insights deemed Subway Club a "loyalty
program blunder," condemning the paper cards as "easy to copy with photo-altering software." Subway now offers MyWay Rewards, an app allowing
customers to earn rewards such as free cookies, free delivery, and buy one, get one free deals. Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Mashed videos about your favorite
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