Subway: 'Footlong' just a name, not a size

upi ^ | Jan. 19, 2013

[JoeProBono]

NEW YORK, - The U.S. restaurant chain Subway said this week its Footlong brand is the name of a sandwich line, not a guarantee each sandwich is a foot long.

The chain said on its Australian Facebook page there is no guarantee each footlong sub would measure 12 inches.

"Subway Footlong is a registered trademark as a descriptive name for the sub sold in Subway Restaurants and not intended to be a measurement of length," the statement said.

ABC News said a tempest started brewing when an Australian teenager went online to state he had measured a sandwich he had purchased at Subway and found it to be 11 inches in length.

The revelation led the New York Post to confirm not-quite foot-longs were being sold in the Big Apple.

Subway told ABC it strives for a 12-inch bun but the vagaries of commercial baking make it difficult to guarantee the results 100 percent of the time.

[JoeProBono]

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

The same paper said that, almost as importantly, each American owes $50,000, because of the federal deficit, and if unfunded mandates are factored in, each American owes over $200,000.

Yeah, I'm worried about 11" foot-longs.

[JoeProBono]

[Sacajaweau]

Of course the "footlong" is "nominal" but I'm sure they all weigh the same....

And once it's "loaded", the "footlong" is no longer valid.

[From The Deer Stand]

Gee, I suppose the next thing we’ll have to worry about is what Justin Bieber is up to these days.

[JoeProBono]

[from occupied ga]

each American owes over $200,000.

Simple math, but let's do the 0bama math. first, the beloved poor don't pay anything, and since this by 0's definition hits the bottom 50% of tax files, then about 50% of us owe $400,000 each and the parasites owe nothing (in fact they're the source of most of this debt.) But this isn't right either.

The top 5% pays 59% of the taxes, so this means if on average the $400,000 is spread unevenly among the top 50% with the top 5% getting stuck with 59% of the debt, then the top 5% owe $2,329,999 and the next 45% owe $186,666. Now that's really what progressive means!

[PLMerite]

“’Footlong’ just a name, not a size”

I never got away with that excuse.

[southern rock]

'Footlong' just a name, not a size

Hence my nickname, "Johnny 9-Inch".

[Dr. Sivana]

"Subway Footlong is a registered trademark as a descriptive name for the sub sold in Subway Restaurants and not intended to be a measurement of length,"

That's ridiculous. I suppose, then, that their "Six inch" subs, which are the faux footlongs cut in half, also are described as a trademark. Even McDonalds' "Quarter Pounders" supposedly weigh 4 ounces (before cooking).Not that we can ever check.

Subway was founded in Milford, CT, a stone's throw from the great grinder delis and restaurants of the greater New Haven area. In the early days, they made their money by being open late enough to service the drunkies and potheads, and by heavy use of 2 for 1 coupons, and of course, a willingness to become a chain, something that is a sign of success in the Midwest, but a symbol o being "nothing special" in the northeast.

Subway also made tidy profits by shredding the lettuce and skimping on the meat. If you are in Wallingford, CT, skip Subway, and go to Rosa's Deli, where the footlong grinders are 14" long, and you can get a superior Suppresata sub for the price of salami at Subway, and an Italian sausage grinder with sauce made by real Italian ladies from Italy (get it with peppers, mmmmmm!). In other towns in CT/NY/NJ, ask around for the local Rosa's equivalent.

[Walmartian]

They should have named it the 2x4.

[knife6375]

I would think the white hut would back Subway on this one. The mooch is all about telling us fat people to eat less. Doomburg should also support the shorter sub.

[JoeProBono]

[Hardastarboard]

I am given to understand that someone on this board by the name of Lazamataz may have committed the same unfortunate faux pas with several young ladies. Since I do not know Mr. ‘Mataz personally, I cannot vouch for the veracity of this claim.

[BerryDingle]

with sauce made by real Italian ladies from Italy

Are the ladies flown in everyday, or is the sauce?

[BuffaloJack]

Subway has footlong and 6-inch. They are clearly stating the length and it is unambiguous.
Selling 11” and 5-1/2” instead of foot-long and 6 inch is clearly cheating the customers.

[BuffaloJack]

Subway has footlong and 6-inch. They are clearly stating the length and it is unambiguous.
Selling 11” and 5-1/2” instead of foot-long and 6 inch is clearly cheating the customers.

[Dr. Sivana]

I remember when Rosa's opened, right across the street from Holy Trinity Church. A small operation started by Rosa, just "off the boat" from Italy, in her (estimated) late 20s at the time. She brought her parents. Before long, three generations working in that small area, making sauce, cutting meat, polenta on Thursday. They made their mark then with their 14" long 99 cent combo subs (cheap meats on that one, but got people in the door). Then I discovered her sausage and pepper grinders and suppresata (think salami squared!). Finally I found a place that matched Angelo's in North Haven on meatballs and sausage, and surpassed on cold cuts. Although King Angelo still had the best apizza that side of New Haven. (Angelo's is gone now)

My most daring event with a Rosa's sub was when I stuck an entire 14"er into my snorkel jacket pocket with the large hole, went to the Meriden Theatre, and ate an entire meatball grinder at the movies. Good times.

[Dr. Sivana]

Are the ladies flown in everyday, or is the sauce?

Rosa and her mom flew in once. But they just cannot stop making sauce! It is how temperamental Italian women keep their husbands.

[Arm_Bears]

This is a big marketing blunder.

It may not be in the same league as New Coke, but this will hurt Subway.

[xrmusn]

As George C would say:

SHRINKAGE!!!!!!!

[Buckeye McFrog]

The election of the Fake White Indian tells me that America is about to enter a new Age of Nader where stuff like this will quite literally become a Federal Case.

[showme_the_Glory]

You can still buy $.05 cent candy bars but they come in $1.00 wrappers.

[Buckeye McFrog]

would think the white hut would back Subway on this one. The mooch is all about telling us fat people to eat less.

Ahh, but that would be wasting an opportunity. I suspect this could become an opening salvo for a campaign against Grrrrreeedy Eeeeeeevil Corporate Types who are "nickel and diming you" (to distract attention from the fact that the Dems have fired up the Shop Vac and are about to stick the nozzle into your pockets).

[I want the USA back]

Push or pull the ends of the loaf and the length changes. The amount of bread doesn’t.

I don’t care. This is just another attack on business by a rag posing as a newspaper, the New York Post.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

The real travesty is the chips. You open the bag and literally 2/3rds of it is empty. I guess it helps with the diet though.

[martin_fierro]

Every time I see one of Subway’s sports celebrity-laden ads, I can’t help wondering how much less each Subway sandwich would cost were it not for all those sports celebrities.

[JoeProBono]

[X-spurt]

An Oldtimer used to say, “its not how deep you plow, its how long you stay in the field that counts”.

[From The Deer Stand]

Great reply! Funny! I hope Justin isn’t upset if it isn’t a true 12-incher, but then males have fudged on inches for some time now.

[Daffynition]

HAHAHA! Imagine you came across Rosa’s of all places on this planet!

Cute place. Nice folks who run it. At *least * the ingredients they use, are much better quality than Subway. [But I do like Subway’s bread...a most important ingredient of a grinder]

Not sure what you call it where you’re from, but the proper *term* is *grinder.* Not hero, hoagie, or sub. :-P

[JoeProBono]

"A submarine sandwich, also known as a hero sandwich, Italian Sandwich, sub, hoagie, torpedo or grinder amongst many regional naming variations, is a sandwich that consists of a long roll of Italian or French bread, split lengthwise either into two pieces or opened in a "V" on one side, and filled with a variety of meats, cheeses, vegetables, seasonings, and sauces.[1] The sandwich has no standardized name, and many U.S. regions have their own names for it;[1] one study found 13 different names for the sandwich in the United States.[2] The usage of the several terms varies regionally but not in any pattern, as they have been used variously by the people and enterprises who make and sell them. The terms submarine and sub are widespread and not assignable to any certain region, though many of the localized terms are clustered in the northeast United States, where most Italian Americans live.[3]"

"Grinder (Italian-American slang for a dock worker)—New England.[5] Called grinder because it took a lot of chewing to eat the hard crust of the bread used. In Pennsylvania and Delaware, the term grinder refers to a sandwich that has been heated."

[houeto]

On the other hand, Hardy's $6 dollar Thickburger costs less than $6!!

[JoeProBono]

[Dr. Sivana]

"A submarine sandwich, also known as a hero sandwich, Italian Sandwich, sub, hoagie, torpedo or grinder amongst many regional naming variations,

They forgot "Po' Boy". I am starting to see "grinder" pop up in northern Illinois. I am not convinced that it has anything to do with the hardness of the bread, especially as a meatball or sausage and pepper grinder properly made will saturate the bread with so much sauce, that the original hardness of the Italian bread is no longer an issue.

Grinder is of course, the correct term, as they existed before modern submarines.

[William Tell]

BuffaloJack said: "Selling 11” and 5-1/2” instead of foot-long and 6 inch is clearly cheating the customers."

I've bought their product and I never felt cheated.

Scientists and engineers are taught about implicit precision.

There is a different expectation when buying a 1 foot long sandwich, a 1.0 foot long sandwich, and a 1.00 foot long sandwich. At 11.5 inches, Subway sandwiches meet the implied specification of being 1 foot long.

A 6.5 inch sandwich also meets the implied precision of "foot long", but then I would feel cheated.

[JoeProBono]

[Revolting cat!]

I miss dime stores, and songs about lacking a dime for the jukebox or a phone call!

[21twelve]

“You can still buy $.05 cent candy bars but they come in $1.00 wrappers.”

I recall getting candy bars as a youth at an old country store. I had a 25 cent Snickers in my hand. The old guy behind the counter said “Hold on - I think I have a ten-center back there and can save you some money!”

Even after opening it, it STILL smelled of kerosene from his heater and had to toss it out. And now with only 15 cents in my pocket couldn’t buy a good one. The old “you get what you pay for” learned at a young age.

[JoeProBono]

[KingNo155]

11 is the new 12 or as George Castanza said shrinkage

[KingNo155]

I saw an ad today for 8oz pint beer glassea

[KingNo155]

I saw an ad today for 8oz pint beer glasses

[BooBoo1000]

None of those joints can hold a candle to In and Out Burgers Some time try a 3X3

[JoeProBono]

[William Tell]

It's good to know that, at least for some, size doesn't matter as much as ... well, nevermind.

That's a very cute graphic. Did you create that?

[a fool in paradise]

That’s what ‘he said’.

[Lazamataz]

NO ONE "NEEDS" A 12 INCH HIGH CAPACITY ASSAULT HOAGIE!!!!!!!11!!!!1!! THIS IS THE SORT OF WANTON DISREGARD FOR CHILDREN THAT FATTENS THEM AND MAKES THEM *DIE*******!!!!1

[a fool in paradise]

Are the ladies flown in everyday, or is the sauce?

The saucy ladies?

[a fool in paradise]

Subway told ABC it strives for a 12-inch bun but the vagaries of commercial baking make it difficult to guarantee the results 100 percent of the time.

You'll wind up with at least 12" of baked bread if you overcompensate on the dough (shoot for 13-14").

No wonder your 12th sub is free, you've already paid for it!