Subway Permanently Axes Two of its Popular Menu Items
Subway is streamlining its menu, and fans are shocked that the sandwich chain decided to ax these two popular items instead of letting some less desirable options fall by the wayside.
According to food blog Brand Eating, Subway has stopped offering roast beef and rotisserie chicken, and franchisees can no longer order these two menu items to sell at their locations.
Subway already made the major change on their online menu; however, it seems like some locations may still be carrying these sandwiches as they run through their supply. In fact, Subway's customer service Twitter account responded to a tweet by a customer complaining about how roast beef was being removed from the menu, saying "Some of our locations may still be carrying this!"
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The move to drop roast beef and rotisserie chicken from the menu shocked both customers and employees. According to one Twitter user, when he asked Subway employees why the sandwich chain was discontinuing rotisserie chicken, they allegedly said that the menu item was one of its top-sellers.
@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.
— Joseph "The Demon" Albanese (@DemonEvilMuscle) June 15, 2020
Because Subway hasn't released a statement regarding why they chose these two items to cut, we have to wonder if it had to do with cost. Presumably, whole meat rotisserie chicken is more expensive to source than their other chicken offerings, like their chicken strips. The subject of a $210 million lawsuit, Subway's chicken strip patties come together with the help of fillers and are thus only partially made of chicken meat. The rest, according to Subway's ingredient list, is soy protein concentrate, modified potato starch, and other flavorings and preservatives. On the other hand, the rotisserie-style chicken didn't have any fillers.
Regardless of the reasoning behind the pared-down offerings, Subway isn't the only fast-food chain making cuts to their menu right now.
After coronavirus shook up the restaurant industry, many fast-food chains strategically cut back on their menu offerings and offered limited menus during COVID-19. Back in April, McDonald's announced it would cut items that were more difficult to prepare in-house like salads. The Golden Arches even scaled back their famous all-day breakfast, restricting the a.m. meal to mornings only—and it might end up staying that way for good.
Although chains initially made these cuts in response to the pandemic, they seem to be having an impact on operations longer-term. Franchisees and fast-food employees have made it clear that offering a limited menu during coronavirus has made their lives so much easier: "The limited menu and ease of operations are allowing our teams to focus and provide blazing fast service," The National Owners Association, a McDonald's franchisee advocacy group, told members in a letter obtained by Nation's Restaurant News.
Subway doesn't appear to be concerned with a need for speed, however. The chain plans to fill those two empty spots on the menu soon.
We're sorry for any disappointment, Adam. Stay tuned for several new and exciting menu items coming your way!
— Subway Listens (@SubwayListens) June 17, 2020
Although you won't see roast beef or rotisserie chicken on the menu next time you need a sandwich, you can expect these 5 New Things You'll See at Subway When It Reopens.
