Dive Brief:
- Subway will bring back its Footlong Pass, a $15 monthlong subscription program that offers 50% off of a footlong sub every day, the company announced Friday.
- The subscription, which was first introduced in August, is exclusively available to MyWay Rewards members. The previous program sold all of its 10,000 available passes in less than six hours last August.
- This time, the program will offer 250,000 passes beginning March 21 at 8 a.m. EST for redemption throughout the month of April.
Dive Insight:
The return of the Footlong Pass comes as the chain seeks a sale. The chain also recently opened its second global headquarters in Miami, which includes a sandwich test station.
The company, which had been beset with problems like oversaturation prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, turned a corner on same-store sales in recent years following changes to its menu. Subway launched its Subway Series menu in July, which was partially responsible for a nearly 8% rise in its North American same-stores sales for 2022, the company said on a February earnings call. Subway has also shifted its growth strategy from focusing on single owner/operators to multi-unit franchisees.
The return of the Footlong Pass could help boost same-store sales in the second quarter and also help increase rewards memberships. Subway has offered its MyWay Rewards Program since 2018 in the U.S. and Canada and offers tokens that can be redeemed for cash rewards on orders. Members also receive exclusive perks, offers and discounts.
Restaurants have been offering more subscription programs within the past few years as a way to build loyalty. Panera updated its Unlimited Sip Club last month to provide an optional annual membership and expanded benefits to include $0 delivery. P.F. Chang’s added a subscription loyalty program last year for $6.99 per month to provide benefits like free delivery.
