“They started to go downhill loooong before Covid. Not just with the prices but the ingredient quality in particular took a huge nosedive.”
That Reddit comment cuts to something Subway’s most frustrated customers have been saying for years. The price complaints are real and well-documented. But for a lot of people who have drifted away from Subway, the prices are almost secondary to a quieter grievance: the food itself doesn’t taste the way it used to.
Subway once had a genuinely strong value proposition. Fresh bread baked in-store. Vegetables you could see and choose. A customizable sandwich that felt like your own creation. The $5 footlong, introduced in 2008, became one of the most celebrated value deals in fast food history. Today a footlong runs $12 to $14 at many locations, and for customers paying that much, the expectation is that the quality has kept pace. Many say it hasn’t.
What customers are finding
“I’ve always been a fan of Subway but the last time I went, the portions seemed to be smaller and the food wasn’t as good as it used to be,” one Redditor wrote. The ingredient quality complaint is the most consistent thread. Customers describe vegetables that have seen better days, meat that feels thin, and bread that doesn’t carry the same appeal it once did.
The coupon dynamic has become telling in its own way. “I get coupons in the mail sometimes that have decent Subway deals,” one customer posted. “The one I use most often is 2 footlongs for $14. Outside of those coupons though, you’ll never see me in Subway.” That’s not a ringing endorsement of the brand. It’s an admission that Subway is only worth the trip at a discount.
The numbers
Subway closed a net 729 U.S. locations in 2025 alone, leaving fewer than 19,000 restaurants in the country, down from more than 22,000 just a few years ago. That pace of closures reflects real pressure from customers who have found the sandwich elsewhere at a price that makes more sense. The chain still has loyal customers who find specific locations consistently good, and some Redditors point out that the right location, with the right staff, can still produce a sandwich worth the price. But the gap between the best Subway and the average Subway has become wide enough that customers can’t rely on consistency to make the decision for them.
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