Just how bad does a Subway fast food restaurant have to be to warrant a negative review on Yelp?
The answer is really, really bad.
I have had Subway more than maybe other fast food restaurant in my life; I could name all of the vegetable toppings by heart. I even worked there one summer during college, so I know what a good Subway sandwich should be like. I also know that the number 1 rule for Subway workers is whenever possible, don't skimp on the vegetables.
At 10 PM last night, I stopped by this location. I had just gotten out of a test prep class, having not eaten dinner yet, and there wasn't a whole lot else to choose from. I figured that Subway is always a pretty reliable meal - no matter where you go, you know exactly what to expect, down to every last bite.
I had never been to this particular location before, but like I said, no matter where you go, a Subway sandwich is the same everywhere. I ordered a foot long tuna on whole wheat bread, which I've had more times than I can count. The first red flag for me came when the man working there scooped my tuna without first asking me if I wanted the bread toasted (which every employee is required to ask) or if I wanted cheese; he just scooped the tuna and moved right along.
I try to eat healthy, so I was fine with no cheese, but I needed my vegetables. The whole reason you come to subway in the first place is to have a healthy sandwich - their slogan is "Eat Fresh" - and so I always like to overdo it on the veggies.
I asked for lettuce - and like I said, I've ordered these sandwiches hundreds of times (and prepared them myself), so I could tell you to the centimeter the exact surface area of lettuce that should be covering a 12 inch sub. This man literally dug into the container with the tips of his fingers, and pulled out about eight anemic strands of lettuce, sprinkling them onto my 12 inch sandwich. I was completely baffled by his level of stinginess. Now I understand that some locations are stingier than others when it comes to allotment of vegetables. Maybe the store ownership is particularly vigilant about olive portions, or maybe the manager watches with a keen eye. But it was 10 PM at night, and there was literally no one there except him and I; there was no reason to be THAT stingy.
I politely asked him for some more lettuce. He picks up a couple more anemic strands and puts them on there. I didn't want to be a pain in the ass at that point, so I let it go, but I was pissed. I asked him for olives, and again - he hand-picks three olives and spreads them onto the sub. I asked for more olives. Two more. A more assertive, confrontation man would have probably stuck both hands on the glass display case and demanded that he stick his hand into the container all the way to the bottom and scoop a handful of olives onto the sandwich. I just moved on. Sweet peppers? Green peppers? Pickles? All the same. When you look down at a subway sandwich, you're supposed to see a layer of vegetables, with your meat underneath. I looked down at my tuna hero right before he wrapped it, and saw nothing but tuna and a couple of vegetables. A good Subway sandwich isn't supposed to be able to close without a few rogue peppers or olives falling out onto the wax paper. This sandwich flipped shut as if it there was nothing on it. For the first time in my life, I was utterly disgusted by Subway.
I was fuming inside, and debating walking out without buying the sandwich. This man's attitude problem, I could get past. But the stinginess with the vegetables was too much. What the heck man? How much could a handful of lettuce cost? Surely less than the $9.00 I was paying for that disgrace of a sandwich. Unfortunately, my stomach was grumbling, and I would have eaten just about anything at that point, so I took my sandwich and left.
Bite for bite, it was the most bland sub I've ever had. I could hardly taste the vegetables - nothing but tuna and bread in every bite. Hands-down my worst Subway experience. read more