Cheapism / Yelp
We love a good sub almost as much as we love a good deal. That's why sandwich chain restaurants are go-to stops for a quick lunch or road trip break. But some serve way better sandwiches than others, so you have to know where to stop. Here are the sandwich chains to avoid at all costs, whether it's because of low quality food, super overpriced menus, or all of the above.
Subway has NEVER been good. The ingredients have always been terrible quality and the bread is sweet and mushy, so who cares if they made it that day or not? There's nothing worse than low-quality, thick-sliced deli meat with cartilage pieces you can't chew, and "grilled chicken" patties that clearly came off an assembly line. And remember decades ago when they would cut a little channel in the top of the bread to hold the ingredients? That was our sign that they were nuts, but we didn't listen.
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Panera is a burned out shell of what it used to be in the 1990s. Everything on the menu sounds good, but when you get it, you'll notice there's hardly anything in your $12 sandwich. There's a reason why everyone loves their broccoli cheese soup in a bread bowl so much: it's consistent because it comes from a factory and at least it fills you up. The sandwiches are a total crapshoot on both those fronts, and way overpriced to boot.
You might be surprised to learn that Quiznos still exists. That's because they're forgettable and they've been closing locations since filing for bankruptcy in 2014. When they were founded in the '80s, a toasted sub seemed like a newfangled idea, but the novelty has worn off as other, better hot sub chains (we're looking at you, Potbelly) entered the market. These subs are stuck in the past.
Blimpie has somehow been around for 60 years, but it follows the #1 rule of antiques: Just because it's old doesn't mean it's actually worth anything. The subs are boring at best, and a total mess at worst. Chances are, you can get a much better sub from any local place near you, so why would you ever have reason to go to Blimpie? Why this chain hasn't already fallen into oblivion, who knows?
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There are very few instances where meat should be steamed, and deli meat is not on that list. Yet for some reason, Firehouse steams its meats, making them wet and soggy. Sliced deli meats of questionable quality are already slimy enough, thank you very much. At least the cheese melts, and we'll give them lots of credit for the large hot sauce selection, too. Too bad there's not a better sandwiches to put them on.
Related: 101 Restaurants Where You Can Eat for Free on Your Birthday
The quality of Jimmy John's has gone steadily downhill for the last couple decades. That's especially egregious since the prices have risen to ridiculous levels. Do you really want to spend $8 for a sandwich of three slices of chewy ham? The kind of ham where the dark edges tear off in long strips when you take a bite? We don't. The only saving grace here is the cheap day-old bread so you can make your own sandwiches.
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