The debate over Subway’s sandwich length has been going on since the chain first began, and it still rages on today. A 12-inch sub may be close to a foot-long, but is it 12 inches? Let’s look at how long the Subway foot-long is and what Subway says about its measurement methods. Lying to Get You to Eat at Subway: Sure, we’ve all heard that if you fold a standard piece of paper lengthwise four times, it’s still only about an inch and three-quarters short of measuring up to an actual foot. So, there shouldn’t be much surprise in hearing that a foot-long subway sandwich is not 12 inches long.
That being said, they truly shocked us when ABC News measured several feet long and found that they varied in length from 11 to 11.5 inches (depending on who was doing the measuring).
Subway’s Foot-long Problem
Several customers have claimed that their ‘foot-long’ is 11 or 11.5 inches and that it isn’t a whole foot at all. Since these claims came to light in 2012, over 6 class-action lawsuits have been filed against them in different cities.
Two New Jersey men who claimed false advertising and deceptive business practices filed the most recent suit in 2014. What makes these cases unique from other legal battles between companies and their consumers is that these suits have forced Subway to produce some pretty damning evidence against themselves–including an actual 17-inch bread loaf kept on hand for comparison.
How are Sandwiches Measured?
There are two different ways that sandwiches (or any food) can be measured. The first is lengthwise, from end to end; from one corner of a wrap or sandwich to another. The second way of measuring is across its widest width. This may vary slightly depending on whether you’re measuring a hoagie roll or a regular piece of bread.
But it seems unlikely, for example, that your local deli would use anything wider than 8 inches for a traditional sub roll—so if your sandwich isn’t at least an inch longer than that, there’s probably something wrong with it!
Steps for Measuring Sandwiches
- Remove the sandwich from the wrapper.
- Place the sandwich on a flat surface and flatten with the palm.
- Carefully measure the top, bottom, left and right sides of the sandwich using a ruler or a tape measure.
- Compare the measurement to the advertised length in inches.
- Document results.
- Repeat measurements several times over several days under different conditions (e.g., different people measuring).
- Analyze data and conclude variability in sandwich size.
- Publish findings on your website for all to see!
- Contact Subway about finding discrepancies between their product and your measurements.
- Wait for them to get back to you!
The Truth About Subway
According to some recent findings, a foot-long at Subway might not be a foot-long. Customers have sued the restaurant chain in three different states, who claim that it misled them about what makes up a foot-long sub. One customer found his foot-long measured only 11 or 11.5 inches instead of 12 inches, as advertised.
Also, he discovered that many other customers had similar complaints about their subs. The lawsuit brought on by unhappy customers shows a serious matter: if you order a sub from Subway and it doesn’t measure up to your expectations, you could receive $500 per inch discrepancy — if your foot-long is 11 inches instead of 12, you could receive $550 (minus attorney fees).
Conclusion
Though most of their competitors have clear signage, it’s hard to tell what a foot-long sandwich is when standing at a Subway counter. The point of advertising an X-inch sub is that it allows consumers to gauge how much they’re getting, which helps them feel like they are getting more for their money than they would if they purchased two six-inch subs.
Upon measuring five-foot-long sandwiches from three different Subway locations and found that their actual length varied wildly: the smallest was just 11 inches long, while the largest was only 13 inches. Based on these results, you could expect a 6.5-inch discrepancy between advertised and actual length across all five sandwiches tested—which could add up over time if you eat at Subway often enough.
FAQ
- Is it a 12-inch -long subway?
- A foot-long is just a measurement of length and can vary depending on which ruler you use. The official foot is 1/3 of a yard or exactly 0.3048 meters. Since a yard is 36 inches long, that means that a foot measures exactly 1/12th of a yard (or 3 inches). A foot-long would therefore be somewhere between 9 and 11 inches, depending on who’s doing the measuring, because different countries have different ideas about what makes up an inch.
- How tall is a Subway footlong?
- The website is pretty clear that a foot-long doesn’t mean to be exactly 12 inches – they want customers to know that they might get an 11-inch sandwich rather than a 14 inch one! If you do order one, and it’s not as long as you expected, don’t be afraid to remind them about their height disclaimer. Just make sure you’re polite about it!
- Does Subway still have $5 foot-longs?
- As of 2019, you can still get a foot-long sandwich for $5 at many subways across America. The company doesn’t list its prices online – so it’s hard to say if your local store is still offering these cheaper options. If you want to get hold of an official number, you can always call up and ask how much their foot-long sandwiches cost in your area.
