Try our business solution for free!

Subway - statistics & facts

Subway is a U.S.-based quick service restaurant chain known for its six inch and foot long submarine sandwiches. The quick service restaurant was founded by Fred DeLuca and Peter Buck in 1965 under the name ‘Pete’s Super Submarines’. In 1966, the company was reorganized under the parent company Doctor’s Associates Inc, and subsequently renamed to ‘Pete’s Subway’, marking the beginning of the contemporary Subway brand. Subway began franchising restaurants in the mid 1970s and today all Subway stores are operated by franchisees. The company remains a privately held company to this day and is still headquartered in Connecticut where it was founded. Today Subway is one of the most valuable restaurant brands worldwide, with a brand value of nearly 14.7 billon U.S. dollars in 2021.

How does Subway compare with other sandwich chains in the U.S.?

Although Subway ranked below KFC, Starbucks, and McDonald’s in terms of the most valuable restaurant brands worldwide, Subway came was the leading sandwich restaurant chain in the U.S., by systemwide sales in 2021. That year, the brand reported 9.4 billion U.S. dollars in sales. Panera Bread was the second highest-grossing chain with 5.73 billion U.S. dollars, and Arby’s came in third with 4.46 billion. Despite the impressive sales figures, the number of Subway stores in the U.S. has declined year-over-year since 2015. Subway’s American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) score has also declined over the past decade. Although Subway reported higher sales figures than Panera Bread and Arby’s in 2021, both companies received higher ACSI scores than Subway in 2022.

Is Subway a global brand?

Subway had restaurants all over the world in 2021. The number of Subway stores in North America alone totaled nearly 25 thousand, including roughly 21 thousand restaurants in the U.S., 2,940 in Canada, and 766 in Mexico. Across the pond, the European country with the highest number of Subway restaurants was the United Kingdom, with 2,209 establishments. Germany came in a distant second with 654 restaurants and France had 387. In many countries, the brand remains a popular option for diners looking for a quick meal. A 2022 survey of the most popular dining brands in the UK revealed that over half of the British public had a positive opinion of the brand.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Sep 13, 2022

Key insights

Largest QSR sandwich chain in the U.S.
Subway
Number of quick service restaurant franchise establishments in the U.S.
188,402
Employment in the quick service restaurant franchise industry in the U.S.
3.73m
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Number of Subway stores worldwide from 2011 to 2019

Quick-Service & Casual Dining Restaurants

Number of Subway restaurants worldwide 2011-2019

Sales of Subway restaurants in the United States from 2015 to 2021 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Quick-Service & Casual Dining Restaurants

Sales of Subway restaurants in the U.S. 2015-2021

Number of Subway stores in the United States from 2015 to 2021

Quick-Service & Casual Dining Restaurants

Number of Subway restaurants in the U.S. 2015-2021

Related topics

Recommended

4

Recommended statistics

Industry overview

7

Industry overview

Company information

6

Company information

Consumers

4

Consumers

Reports & StudiesGet the best reports to understand your industry

Contact

Get in touch with us. We are happy to help.
Statista Locations
Contact Vayola Jocelyn
Vayola Jocelyn
Client Support Specialist– Contact (United States)
Email
support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Contact Yolanda Mega
Yolanda Mega
Operations Manager– Contact (Asia)
Email
asia.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm (SGT)

Contact Kisara Mizuno
Kisara Mizuno
Senior Business Development Manager– Contact (Asia)
Email
support.japan@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 10:00am - 6:00pm (JST)

Contact Lodovica Biagi
Lodovica Biagi
Director of Operations– Contact (Europe)
Email
eu.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9:30am - 5pm (GMT)

Contact Carolina Dulin
Carolina Dulin
Associate Director - LAC– Contact (Latin America)
Email
support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Menu