One popular fast food chain is joining the ever-growing list of stores and restaurants shuttering their doors or filing for bankruptcy.
Since 2024, Subway, the fast food chain known for sandwiches, has closed over 600 restaurants in the U.S., QSR reported.
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And while it remains the “largest restaurant chain in the U.S. in terms of footprint,” and the third largest internationally, it’s been shrinking in size, as it closed out the year under 20,000 domestic units, a first in about 20 years.
The sandwich chain peaked in 2015, boasting more than 27,000 locations, meaning it’s closed down about 7,600 stores since, with the rapid decline starting in 2016, per Restaurant Business Online.
Despite having the most stores, Subway did not take the top spot for revenue, with the honor going to McDonald’s (13,457 locations), per Food Industry.com. Next to Subway, Starbucks has the second largest reach with 16,346.
While Subway is seeing success internationally, with more than 10,000 restaurants opened in just three years, it’s also investing in stateside properties with a “Fresh Forward 2.0 prototype” announced last November, which remodels the storefront with more modern imagery like vibrant colors and bold graphics.
“With nearly 37,000 locations worldwide, our focus remains on ‘Smart Growth.’ In the U.S., we are optimizing our footprint using a strategic, data-driven approach to ensure restaurants are in the right location, image and format and operated by the right franchisees. This includes opening new restaurants as well as relocating or closing locations as needed, to ensure a consistent, high-quality and convenient guest experience,” the chain, which was founded in 1965, told the publication.
The chain has also been trying to lure customers back, rolling out promotions like the return of the $6.99 for any footlong deal in February.
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