Confessions From Subway Employees Who Know All The Secrets

Everything Is Frozen - Even The Lettuce

Image Source / Local3It’s logical for fast food restaurants to have to freeze some things to keep up with the quick demand, but for a restaurant that preaches ‘eat fresh’, this one might be surprising. A previous employee on Reddit revealed that everything was frozen, even lettuce ‘pre-cut’ in the freezer.

The Grilled Chicken Has Food Coloring On It

Image Source / FatSecretYou get a couple of different options when it comes to the chicken at Subway, including regular chicken and grilled chicken. But apparently the ‘grilled’ chicken isn’t actually grilled, and the appearance of it being grilled is actually food coloring on the exact same chicken as the standard.

You Can Ask For A Pizza Sub Even If It’s Not On The Menu

Image Source / RedditGreat items come and go, and one of those is the pizza sub. A lot of the time, you may arrive at a Subway restaurant to find the pizza sub no longer on the menu. Sob. But you can actually ask an employee to whip it up anyway and they might, because apparently all employees are trained how to make one anyway.

The Cheese Is Just Solidified Cheese Spread

Image Source / Shopping Behaviour XplainedAccording to a Reddit user, the Subway cheese ‘is not actually cheese’. The cheese is often the most exciting part of your tasty fast food, so this one may ruin it for you. But apparently the cheese is solidified cheese spread – which loses its artificial yellow colouring when left in water, and turns grey. Yum.

There’s No Limit To How Many Veggies You Can Pile On

Image Source / FoursquareYou’ll already know that you can ask for as many different salad fillings as you want, but did you think there was a limit to the quantity, too? You can actually just tell them to keep piling on whichever greens and fillings you like, there’s no official limit as long as you actually ask (they won't automatically do it).

Wheat Bread Isn’t As Healthy As You Think

Image Source / Snack GirlIt seems you still can’t win even when you’re trying to be healthy and choosing the wheat bread option instead of the standard Italian bread. So the wheat bread is apparently even worse because of the amount of stuff added to it to make it look and taste different.

Every Ingredient Is Counted

Image Source / TripAdvisorEvery piece of meat, cheese and vegetables are apparently all counted when you ask for them to be put on your sandwich. So every piece of meat, slice of cheese, piece of onion or pepper slice is all counted for a specific amount. You can always ask for extra, but the default is always the same if you keep schtum.

Get Your Veggies Added Before Heating To Make It Taste Better

Image Source / FatSecretThis is a helpful hack instead of being a ‘no way!’ revelation. You usually have your sandwich toasted and add the veggies on afterwards, but a suggestion is to ask for salad like onions and peppers to be added before it's toasted to make sure they heat/melt too for extra taste.

Asking Them To Microwave The Chicken Can Prevent A Cold Middle

Image Source / MashedWe’ve all had experience of a meat Subway sandwich being cold in the middle, which can have something to do with how the chicken pieces are stored, and when they’re not thawed properly, this can still mean a cold middle even when toasted. If you ask for the chicken to be heated in the microwave alongside toasting it can help prevent a cold middle.

Fancy Making Yourself A Pizza? Technically You Can

Image Source / Brand EatingIf you’re creative enough with the right insider information, you can create something akin to a pizza (at least in smell!) at Subway. You need to first of all have an employee who’s happy to do it, and secondly ask for a flat bread with meatball sauce on top. Ask for pepperoni slices, cheese, and then add all your chosen veggies before asking for it to be toasted. The result should be a decent pizza knock off akin to Domino's.

Tuna Is Possibly The Most Unhealthy Thing You Can Get

Image Source / Business InsiderYou might have always been getting tuna up to this point thinking you were making the sensible, healthy option and resisting the rest – but it might all have been for naught. The unhealthy aspect comes from the mayo in the tuna salad. Apparently a tuna sandwich is 90% mayonnaise – after one can of tuna is mixed in a huge vat of mayonnaise and mushed together.

You Probably Shouldn’t Order Chipotle Or Teriyaki Chicken If You Want Fresh

Image Source / Joy Della VitaSubway is very strict on quality control, so you wouldn’t even be eating anything that you shouldn’t be in terms of shelf life, but apparently Chipotle and Teriyaki are pushing it. They get left for longer than the other chicken items, getting a four day shelf life when everything else gets two.

The Chicken Strips Are A Better Bet Than The Chicken Breast

Image Source / RedditOne employee revealed on Reddit that they deem the chicken breast ‘disgusting’ and that chicken strips are the safer bet. They explained that the chicken is put in water all day after being taken out of the freezer, and then squeezed of all the gross chicken water at the end of the day. Apparently this process is repeated to keep it ‘fresh’ but really it just ends up being mushy and kinda disgusting.

Looking For A Late Night Snack? Don’t Get Meatballs

Image Source / RedditSubway is one of those go-to fast food restaurants after a night out, but this just brings to mind how long all that food has been sat out. Apparently if you go to Subway very late in the day, the meatballs go ‘kind of nasty’ very quickly – more quickly than other items you could order. So it’s probably best to avoid them for a midnight snack.

You May Be Getting Conned With Light Mayo

Image Source / Maritime GluttonWe all convince ourselves Subway is a healthier, fresher option, and especially when we’re opting for light mayo over regular mayo. But what happens when the bottle of light mayo is running kinda low? Well, one employee revealed on Reddit that they’re often told to just top up with regular mayo. Yep.

Get More Food For Your Money With The Flatbread Hack

Image Source / Change.orgSubway is an easy, cheap option for fast food, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t get more for what you pay for. Flatbread is an option that does have more calories than bread, BUT if you don’t care about that, then the actual measurements of flatbread in comparison to the bread means more surface area – and more food filling.

Did You Know You Can Make The Cookies More Delicious By Heating Them?

Image Source / TripAdvisorYou’re probably so pre-occupied with getting your sandwich toasted that you didn’t even think about getting your cookie heated, too. You can actually ask your server to warm up your cookie in the microwave, too, so you get a soft, melty, even-more-delicious snack.

The Bread And Cookies Aren’t Made Fresh

Image Source / Bloomberg.comThe dough for the bread and cookies is certainly baked fresh – but when you’re getting your sandwiches and cookies, it’s not been made fresh. When the dough is delivered, it’s delivered frozen and has to be defrosted. Employees therefore don’t mix the ingredients themselves fresh, but they do bake the dough fresh – when it’s defrosted.

There Are Only Two Types Of Bread

Image Source / Food RepublicSubway has an array of delicious bread options – but does it really? It only has two types of bread when you get down to it – there’s only white and wheat, and then you have the other toppings added later as extras, such as herbs and cheese, which are added before it’s baked.

Strangely, Mustard Is The Dominant Smell

Image Source / The GuardianOne employee reported that they would always go home smelling like mustard, no matter what. Even if they had no contact with mustard, they would still always smell like mustard. Hair, clothes – everything smelled like mustard. That’s just weird.

It’s Actually Cleaner Than Most Fast Food Places, Though

Image Source / WikipediaIt’s not all doom and gloom, though. You’ll be glad to hear that Subway is actually cleaner than most fast food places, due to its own hygiene rules. In addition to the government requirements for hand washing, Subway also takes extra precautions with gloves that are changed regularly.

You Can Tell How Fresh The Bread Is Just By Slicing Into It

Image Source / Eat This, Not ThatA trick employees learned is that the harder the bread is to slice into, the more fresh it is. If a loaf of bread falls apart very easily with a slice of the knife, the older the bread is. Usually, the bread which is the hardest to chop into has been cooked in the past hour.

But You Also Might Be Eating Day-Old Bread

Image Source / The Fresh LoafThis is very unlikely, but it can still happen – and most likely if you’re making a first-thing-in-the-morning visit. Usually, there should be the right amount of bread made for the day, but sometimes bread can roll over to the next day if not used – and if the new batch is still being prepared.

Even If It’s Not Exactly Fresh, Everything Does Have A Date On It

Image Source / TripAdvisorNot technically being fresh thankfully doesn’t mean that nobody cares about use-by dates. Everything is labelled with a date on, including things which are delivered to Subway pre-packaged or already cooked. So you’re never getting anything that’s too old, but it’s not 100% fresh either.

The Tuna Is Real (Probably)

Image Source / Business InsiderThere has been some controversy over whether the tuna at Subway is actually real tuna, but previous employees have said probably yes. As mentioned in a previous point, the tuna is mixed in a huge vat of mayonnaise, and employees have to open cans of tuna in order to do this – and the cans of tuna certainly seem like real fish anyway.

It’s Not As Calorie-Friendly As You Might Think

Image Source / Business InsiderUsually Subway menus list how many calories you can expect in each sandwich, and it’s usually a healthy amount. But then you get into the extras of what you pile onto the sandwich, like cheese and sauce. The calorie listing is usually just for a standard sub with basic white bread and no cheese or sauce. But of course you’re going to add cheese and sauce.

The Strict Rule On Veggies Could Be Giving The Manager A Bigger Bonus

Image Source / TripAdvisorAs mentioned, employees have revealed that the sliced and diced pieces of veggies are always counted as standard. This, understandably, is to keep the food cost down, but a former employee revealed that keeping the food cost down equalled a bigger end-of-year-bonus for their manager, which is why many managers are strict to make sure employees aren’t piling on the veggies.

The Chopping Boards Might Be Really Disgusting

Image Source / MediumA former employee revealed that both the chopping boards and the deli wrapping paper are disgusting and should actually be considered a health hazard. They aren’t cleaned as much as they should be and the deli paper even just quickly coming into contact with a dirty chopping board is enough to make it a hazard. Ew.

If An Employee Goes Away To Check If Something Is Fresh, They’re Actually Probably Checking To See If It Can Pass As Fresh

Image Source / TripAdvisorYou might have wandered into a Subway store and asked the server if a certain ingredient is fresh. They might have popped into the back to check for you. A former employee revealed that they’re always going to say yes, and that they’re actually checking more to see if it can ‘pass’ as fresh – even if it’s not. Double ew.

The Roast Beef Tends To Go Bad The Quickest

Image Source / SILive.comWhen asked about which specific meats to avoid, a former employee said it’s a good idea to avoid the roast beef, as this one tends to go bad the quickest. You might have thought it would be the chicken, but nope, apparently the roast beef is the one to watch out for.

Some Managers Would Change The Expiration Dates On Foods So They Wouldn't Be Thrown Out

Image Source / Mr-LabelIt makes sense in your home fridge to not always consider expiry dates as gospel. The milk might be fine for another day after a sniff, for example. But when you're Subway - you know, providing food for the public - expiry dates are important. But this manager, conscious of food costs, would switch expiration dates to make the food last as long as possible. Not even for a few days.. but for a couple of weeks.

Sometimes Food From The Pan Would Be Put Back In A Bag

Image Source / Daily MailParticularly lettuce. Any 'fresh' food in the tin display pans might even be put back into a bag at the end of the day to be passed off as new lettuce to be used again. Just so it doesn't get thrown out and wasted. Which is great for them - not so great for us.

Frozen Bread.... Kept For A Year

Image Source / KitchenousFreezing food is great if it means you can hang on to it a little longer. But for a year? A whole year? This manager apparently kept unbaked frozen bread for so long that the yeast had even died in it. According to the employee, this particular manager got fired (understandably).

The Steak Meat Smells Disgusting When It First Arrives

Image Source / Indy100As mentioned when talking about the lettuce being shoved back in its bag, everything arrives at Subway delivered in bags. Including the meat. And apparently when the steak is delivered in such a huge quantity in its bag, it smells absolutely disgusting. Not something you'd really want to know for a sandwich, right?

The Delivered Meats Have To Be Toasted - Even If The Customer Says They Don't Want It Toasted

Image Source / InsiderYou order a steak sandwich and decide you don't want it toasted. Nope. Not gonna happen. Apparently employees are told that they absolutely have to toast and "cook" any of the prepared meats, even if the customer doesn't ask for it, and presumably to kill the bacteria.

Moldy Tomato? Serve It Anyway

Image Source / Eat or Toss?One employee reported that they once found a questionable (i.e. moldy) tomato and understandably tried to throw it away - as you would. But their boss stopped them and told them to slice it up anyway and put it in the tomato bin. It was then added to someone's sandwich later, unbeknownst to the customer and the server.

An Employee Got Fired For Going To A Funeral

Image Source / The Spokesman-ReviewTo be fair, having an a**hole for a boss isn't exclusive to Subway, but it sure doesn't sound like they have the best management. The same person who was told to slice up the moldy tomato was then fired after they took a day off to go to a family member's funeral.

Speaking Of Tomatoes: They Aren't Washed, Either

Image Source / ResearchGateMake sure to double check your tomatoes if you order them, because apparently they're not properly washed before being served. One employee said they'd never eat there again after working there because the tomatoes are taken straight from their crate and go into the slicer, even if they've got all that grit and dirt on them.

The Same Slicer Is Used For The Veg And The Meat

Image Source / YouTubeThe same employee also commented that the (unwashed) tomatoes are put in the same slicer as the deli meat is - without being cleaned first. We all know the importance of not mixing meat with other food produce, which is why you use different chopping boards for example, so this is shocking to say the least.

Some Employees Don't Have Time To Change Gloves When They Should

Image Source / RedditUp to this point, you might have been resting easy thinking 'well at least they always change their gloves, that's sanitary, right?'. One employee noted that during their time at Subway, during extremely busy shifts, they're just non-stop making sandwiches infront of the counter - which means no time for glove change.

But You Can Actually Ask Employees To Change Their Gloves

Image Source / San Francisco ChronicleWith this knowledge, you're perfectly entitled to ask your server to change their gloves before your sandwich is made - just to be safe. In fact, this same previous employee actually recommends doing so. Asking them to do so certainly makes it more likely it'll be a little bit more sanitary... fingers crossed.

The Veggies Are Clean (Mostly)

Image Source / RedditIt's all been sounding a bit gruesome so far, but one employee remarked it was 'generally' pretty clean, for the most part. Most of the vegetables were kept washed, but this employee commented (once again) on those pesky tomatoes, that they were the exception to the rule in having their extremely bad days.

Leftover Meat Would Be Packed Back Into A Container To Be Used Again

Image Source / TripAdvisorIf, at the end of the day, there's leftover meat out on the front in its container (which is likely) it won't get thrown away. It'll get taken back off the counter, shoved into a container and put in the fridge to use the next day. Yep. You could be eating yesterday's meat that had been sat on the counter all day long.

There Have Been Cases Of Cockroaches

Image Source / WikipediaCertainly not in every single Subway place across the world, but one previous employee certainly saw cockroaches when they worked in theirs. And yes, that's plural. Apparently they saw four

cockroaches in the span of three shifts. Even one during your entire time there would be bad enough! Ew.

Buckets Are Infested With Bacteria - And Managers Know About It

Image Source / CNBCOne employee's manager specifically says for everyone to change the buckets the food is in because there can be bacteria at the bottom of them. The same manager then proceeded to replace the food into the same, apparently bacteria-infested bucket, as it was in before.

Meats Are Packaged In Methane

Image Source / New York PostDoesn't sound too good, does it? Methane is a gas, and if you're not clued up about methane, in this scenario you need to know that it smells like a great big fart. So, that's basically what your meat packaging smells like when it's opened up. Before it's served on your sandwiches.

The Sauce Bottles Are Never Cleaned

Image Source / RedditI mean, that's bad enough for inside the bottles, but think how many grimy food-ridden hands (even with gloves on) have picked up those bottles and touched the outsides for every sandwich made. One employee reported that the sauce and dressing bottles only ever get refilled and not washed, and that the bottles just get completely replaced every 6 months.

You're Supposed To Get Double Cheese On A Veggie Delight, For No Extra Charge

Image Source / BigOvenIf you order a Veggie Delight, you're supposed to get double the amount of cheese for free. But the catch is, you have to ask for it, because they won't do it automatically. If they say it's not free, that means they haven't been trained properly, because the free cheese Veggie Delight is the real-deal!

Onion-Flavored Cookies, Anyone?

Image Source / The Daily EdgeAnother issue at Subway is that sometimes the food buckets have the wrong food items mixed in them. And one great example from a former employee comes from cookies being placed in the Tupperware previously used for the onions. And as we know, even if you wash and clean things that have had raw onions on them, they can still smell for a while. So put cookies in there and you might have onion-flavored cookies. Yum.

Some Vegetables Have Been Drained Over The Dishwasher

Image Source / RedditSpecifically olive and peppers come in bags that have to be opened and drained. One Subway store thought it a good idea to hang the bags over the dishwashing sink so that they could freely drain. Unfortunately this means that, while the dishes are being washed (with industrial soap), the olives and peppers are getting splashed with it.