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Subway is hoping that revamping its ingredients and mobile app will help entice customers back to the sandwich chain. Beginning July 13, the company’s U.S. restaurants will offer nearly a dozen new or improved ingredients, as well as 10 revamped or original sandwiches. “How do we get folks to look at the brand again and come back to see us?” The chain’s tremendous expansion was fuelled by the success of its $5 footlong bargain during the 2008 financial crisis, which helped it become the largest in the United States by number of units. However, new competitors such as Chipotle Mexican Grill and Potbelly enticed customers away, and the company’s huge footprint resulted in sales cannibalism among its surviving customers. Subway’s parent company, Doctor’s Associates, reported revenue of $689.1 million in 2020, down 28 percent from net sales of $958.9 million in 2019. According to franchisee disclosure records, heated battles with franchisees played out in courts and made headlines. Since 2016, the sandwich giant has been steadily reducing its vast shop presence. It has 22,201 locations in the United States at the end of 2020, according to executives. The chain’s restaurants have largely recovered from the coronavirus outbreak, providing it momentum for its turnaround. However, sales on college campuses and in urban areas are still down.Tackling the company’s core menu is a key component of the company’s turnaround. “People were really crying out for food innovation. There hadn’t really been a whole lot of food innovation, and where there had been, it had kind of been chasing the shiny object, like Popeyes’ chicken sandwich is going to save the brand,” CEO John Chidsey said. Prior to 3G Capital’s acquisition of Burger King, he was the company’s CEO. Months before Chidsey joined Subway, the chain’s culinary staff, together with external advisors including James Beard Award-winning chef Nancy Silverton, began working on two new types of sandwich bread: white and multigrain. The chain then attempted to improve its protein selections, reintroducing rotisserie chicken and roast beef, as well as slicing its ham and turkey as thinly as a deli would. The chain is also adding smashed avocado, BelGioioso’s fresh mozzarella, and a parmesan vinaigrette to its ingredient lineup.Despite the upgrades, customers shouldn’t expect to pay more for their subs once the revamped ingredients roll out.One menu item that won’t change is Subway’s tuna, which will remain unchanged. The chain, on the other hand, is standing by the tuna. “We love our tuna,” Haynes said. “It’s 100 percent tuna, and it’s one of the few things we didn’t change because we’re extremely proud of the product.” On the day before the big debut, nearly half of Subway’s U.S. locations will close at 6 p.m. Time to prepare in your local time zone. On July 13, it plans to give away up to 1 million free sandwiches starting at 10 a.m. Even after the launch, Subway intends to continue to improve its menu. Seasonal sandwiches or proteins, according to Haynes, could be introduced in the future. The business also just revamped its mobile app, which now includes a new dashboard, information on out-of-stock items, and the ability to place delivery orders in select regions. More changes are expected in the fall. Restaurant chains such as McDonald’s and Chipotle have also been upgrading their technology services in the aftermath of the epidemic, which resulted in an increase in digital orders over the last year and a half. According to market researcher NPD Group, restaurant digital orders increased by 124 percent in the year ended in March.To showcase the huge changes it’s making, Subway is planning a big advertising push with glitzy not-yet-unveiled spokespeople.”We will be everywhere,” Haynes said./nRead More

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