Subway Uproar Demonstrates Power Of Social Media, Facebook
A Subway uproar has broken out after a single Facebook user posted a plaintive plea on the official Subway Facebook page — demonstrating that his, and possibly many others’, Subway footlong measured only eleven inches.
Australian Matt Corby inadvertently kicked off the Subway uproar with the simple yet telling pic of what was presumably his eleven incher, a damning tape measure, and the brief query: “Subway pls respond.”
As the Subway uproar commenced, jokes were cracked about being lied to about how many inches things are in actuality, among other things. And Subway was forced to respond to the online fracas, issuing a statement about the missing inch of sandwich goodness that inflamed many web users:
“We are committed to providing a consistent product delivering the same amount of bread to the customer with every order. The length however may vary slightly when not baked to our exact specifications. We are reinforcing our policies and procedures in an effort to ensure our offerings are always consistent no matter which Subway restaurant you visit.”
Marketing experts have weighed in on the Subway footlong scandal, saying that, while such a claim would perhaps have languished in obscurity not too long ago, social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have amplified the individual reach of disgruntled customers.
Allen Adamson, managing director of branding firm Landor Associates in New York, says:
“People look for the gap between what companies say and what they give, and when they find the gap — be it a mile or an inch — they can now raise a flag and say, ‘Hey look at this,’ I caught you.”
Although the chain responded, the Subway uproar has persisted in social media, with many still quipping about the unfortunate footlong findings. Below, a few tweets reacting to the stunning news that a Subway footlong may not actually be a foot long:
Just saw a story where Subway’s foot longs are only measuring 11 inches. Subway’s response: It was cold.
— Albert Brooks (@AlbertBrooks) January 17, 2013
Subway’s amazingly stupid response to their Footlong Fail (must read): tinyurl.com/abcuflg
— Mark Duffy (@copyranter) January 18, 2013
First you tell me the Subway foot long isn’t actually a foot long. Then you’ll tell me Thousand Island Dressing isn’t made with 1000 islands
— Mark Campbell (@MrWordsWorth) January 18, 2013
Tags : social media and customer service, subway, subway $5 footlong, subway 11 inches, subway footlong, subway subs short, subway uproar, subway uproar facebook, subway uproar twitter
Posted: January 18, 2013
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Jan 18, 2013
$5 WHAT we had that for like a month, and now have 2 nasty sandwiches for $5….Foot long or 11 inches to us men its still over a foot.
Jan 18, 2013
I know it's the point of the matter. They're supposed to be 12" long. But in all honesty it's an inch of bread we're talking about here. They put the same amount of crappy meat on it either way.
Jan 18, 2013
Hey, when I tell my baby it's a foot long, that's watch she expects! Any shorter and she'll be lookin' for another dude!
Jan 18, 2013
My Subway doesn't make that mistake, and I only eat where there are no meals taxes so its a better deal, no lousy county dipping in your wallet.
Jan 18, 2013
I lost 6" to 1 foot worth of sandwich a week because of this. outrageous.
Jan 19, 2013
Over a year, if you buy one "subway" per week @ 5.00 you are cheated out of $21.25 per year. If two million people buy one "subway" per week, the profit from this shrinkage is $42,500,000.
Jan 19, 2013
Its on F'n inch of BREAD BFD.
Jan 19, 2013
And where are meals not taxed ?
Jan 19, 2013
The meats and cheese are proportioned out you only lost BREAD.
Jan 19, 2013
Who really cares! I'm still going to eat there! I like subway. Does this Douche measure everything he eats? Come on lets grow up here! What is he going to sue over 1 inch of bread?
Jan 19, 2013
Here it is in the next county where they are the only ones left with no meals tax, and I love it! They may charge 5.5% sales tax, but not the 11% meals tax which really adds up if you eat out a bunch.
Jan 19, 2013
The way not to get cheated is ask for extra vegetables on the side wth your order, and take them with you. It will save alot on taco dinners, and salad ingredients.
Jan 19, 2013
Hay Matt, you stinkin Aussie, If you tape measure isn't legally certified, you may have set yourself up for a Slander Lawsuit.
Jan 19, 2013
Don't they use the metric system in Australia instead of the Imperial system?
Jan 19, 2013
I had never even heard of a meals tax. That's terrible! What's next? An air we breath tax?
Jan 19, 2013
I bet it's mostly women complaining about that lost inch.
Jan 19, 2013
Maybe it's a footlong pre-baked length like when you order a 12ounce sirloin it sure don't weigh 12oz when they serve it to you. Subway should just post a sign saying that it's pre-baked length. Get a life Aussie!
Jan 19, 2013
Wow! What a genius.
Jan 19, 2013
I really don't care about it being 11" I will still eat it.
Jan 19, 2013
Who needs the extra inch? As long as it satisfiies your appetite, it's a meal. If you need the extra inch, you need to join weight watchers. : )
Jan 19, 2013
Buy your own bread, make your own sandwich and stop whining about how the big, bad fast food chain, robbed your D A**.
Jan 19, 2013
I guess now it is time to go after the lumber industry and Home Depot and Lowes, when was the last time you got a 2 x 4 that was actually 2-inches by 4-inches. Heads should roll.
Jan 19, 2013
Oh god….I feel cheated, whatever shall I do.
Jan 19, 2013
The foot long hot dogs at Dairy Queen are only 11 inches too.
Jan 19, 2013
Another article concerning this matter mentioned a franchisee claiming that the meat in the Subway sandwiches has also been reduced by 25%. Food prices go up but the Subway prices have remained flat. How do they do that? Decrease the amount of product.
Jan 19, 2013
it's not the length, but the thickness.
Jan 19, 2013
WELL SAID SIR, WELL SAID LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!
Jan 19, 2013
People are all ready pissed off about the state of society in general, so they have begun to question everything, as well they should. Subway got caught. Like more than one contributer said, you notice the sandwich is NEVER 13 inches.
Jan 19, 2013
I FOR ONE AIn't INTERESTED ON THE SIZE OF THE SANDWICH BUT HOW CRAPPY THE BREAD LOOKS AND IT REALLY LOOKS UN APPETIZING. WHERE I GET MY SUBS THEY SURELY DOn't LOOK LIKE THAT…….
Jan 19, 2013
LMFAO I HAVE ACTUALLY STATED THAT SAME THING. FUNNY BUT TRU
Jan 19, 2013
Everbody care,s when they get robbed!!!!
Jan 19, 2013
The fuck is wrong with society these days? Bitching & whining & crying about things that are so damn irrelevant & not important in any way, shape or form. Bitching & whining about one inch of your sub missing? Get a life, you pathetic whiney ass crybaby fat fuck. Plain & simple.
Jan 19, 2013
BIG freaking deal! bread bakes different, who cares how much BREAD you get with a sub? Subway cut meat packs 25% should be the issue, NOT the length of a fresh backed bun…
Jan 19, 2013
2 MM people*$5 *52 weeks = $540 MM sales
Jan 19, 2013
my foot is only 11 inches, I feel cheated. who can I sue.
Jan 19, 2013
And that is exactly what Subway is doing, screwing the public on the long haul of shorting sandwich sizes. Great observation Eric. Subway should have to make them 14" for $5 for 5 years to make up for it.
Jan 19, 2013
IT IS BREAD!
Jan 19, 2013
I stopped using Subway when I watched the lady counting the peices of onion she was putting on my sandwich, she said the boss only alllowed so much onion, told her to keep the sandwich and walked.
Jan 19, 2013
Vinnie Papperelli
make the bread 24 inches, who cares???!!! you are a MORON The meat is the same 10 inches or 16 inches, do you need bread THAT much??? F** IDIOT
Jan 19, 2013
all this bull over 1" and most of it from guys like Eric Marshall do you work 8 hour days or do you take five minutes here and there you cheated is every loaf of bread the same size and Eric when you told your girlfriend it was 10" you short changed her a couple inches should she make a grandstand on facebook get over it and don't go there you wont be cheated 1" where can you go to get a sub for five bucks.
Jan 19, 2013
Subway sucks.
Jan 19, 2013
They are franchises, that was a policy of a specific franchise. I went to one where they had only one type of bread.
Jan 19, 2013
hahahahah even NYS doesn't have a "meals tax".
Jan 19, 2013
It was 2×4 when it was green at the mill; after it dries in the kiln it shrinks.
Jan 19, 2013
so why can't the error be in the favor of the customer? Never heard anyone complain about a 13"footlong. Why do companies always have to short the customer? Someone should now look into the amount of meat, cause it's lame! I don't go their anymore. Also Jimmie Johns. New to the franchise. I ordered a, by their description, medium rare roast beef. When I got the sandwich the roast beef was well done. Called the manager and asked why I didn't get med rare, he responded "all are beef is that way, it's never medium rare" Really?
Jan 19, 2013
Who cares! An 11 in sub for 5.00 that's a steal.
Jan 19, 2013
I work at a major retail superstore. and we have a Subway located in our lobby.Once a week I buy my lunch there.Its been a standing joke now for over a yearI take out my tape measure and measure it.To be truthfull there has been a few times its been short. But only by a 1/4 in. or less. Also its been over by that much a few times also. It seems to me it all evens out over the long run, but I suppose some people ain't got much more in their life but to bark at shadows in the night.l.
Jan 19, 2013
I'll grant you its false advertising – one inch is a big deal in most things I guess – carbs, chemicals, pig intestines (IF its real sausage/salami) and their effects on our health and waistlines notwithstanding, of course!
THIS they complain about… Let's all just ditch Subway for McDonalds and the burger and fries that never EVER mold instead! Maybe Darwin DID have a point……
Jan 19, 2013
Most of the people eating them are lying about their weight so what's the difference.
Jan 19, 2013
Just eat it! I'm sure the next time you order a five dollar foot long they want say anything if you short them on the money alittle, Right!
Jan 19, 2013
Who's to say that they didn't push the ends together and then measured it at 11" if you are going to cry for 1" you probably need to lose weight instead of crying you should thank Subway for the lost weight, FAT ASSES.
Jan 19, 2013
!
Jan 19, 2013
My wife asked what the big deal is over one inch, I replied, what if I cheated you out of an inch in bed, she got upset!
Jan 19, 2013
Is that extra inch really that necessary? I eat a 6-inch perfectly fine.. Footlongs are a lot anyway.
Jan 19, 2013
Nah they have a severely high set of taxes without one.
Jan 19, 2013
Connie Holsinger wait…who's the one really getting robbed. Subway offered a 12 (i guess 11) inch sub for 5 bucks with almost anything on it with no extra charge. Besides what's the big deal over 1 extra inch. the meat, cheese, and ect are still the same! If anything we were robbing subway. This is probably why subway is slowly phasing 5 dollar footlongs out.
Jan 19, 2013
I understand the "its only 1 inch of bread" argument… Legally, this is a "truth in advertising" issue… 1 inch less of bread allows 1 inch less in other ingredients and toppings… The company is profiting from this shortfall… I know the toppings are pre-proportioned, but an inch less of bread means these can be smaller… The reality is: these sandwiches need to be at least 1 foot long, or Subway needs to quit advertising that as fact! If Subway lengthened their bun by one inch, then most would be at least a foot long; validating their response to this "scandal"…
Jan 19, 2013
i think uf the bread was not pushed togather it would be 12
Jan 19, 2013
I hope there is more of such uproar, concerning…your rights and liberties in this country. But no, it's about food. You have no idea what's coming to American while you fill your stomach with one more inch of a sandwich.
Jan 19, 2013
I bet his girlfriend is pissed to find out she was shorted an inch too…
Jan 19, 2013
Yes, it is just bread… BUT; it is also an act of deception, or dishonesty; it could also be a reckless mistake, a company trying too hard to ride the razors edge… Truth in advertising laws dictate the product be delivered as described, as they claim, as it claims match industry standards, as they profit from…
Jan 19, 2013
There are more important things in this world to get upset about then missing an inch off of a sandwich. Come on people!
Jan 19, 2013
Doesn't bother me any I go to Wawa : ).
Jan 19, 2013
I believe this varies from store to store… A media outlet bought subs at various stores in Manhattan, and found many to be 1/2 to a whole inch short… Your store is likely putting more effort into the quality of their product than many… Yes, there are more important issues out there, but they are required to deliver as their advertisements claim; its calld cheating, or theft!!!
Jan 19, 2013
You have the issue in perspective… Never 13 inches… And yes, there are many issues out of place in our society…
Jan 19, 2013
Next time I go to Subway I'm asking for a $.48 discount.
Jan 20, 2013
A 2 by 4 is not actually two inches by fours inches and so on. NO ONE at Subway stated that their sandwiches were a perfect twelve inch measured with a ruler. How many guys think they are endowed with eight and look like a Vienna Sausage? ALL OF YOU!@! SHUT THE @#%$ UP!
Jan 20, 2013
an inch is an inch, how the consumer get's ripped off enuff, wal mart will do it every time, you have to watch every ring up, an they like to start ringing up while you are still unloading. They are famous for that.If one company will do it so will all of them.Look at the picture's at subway an on TV, there sandwich's look nothing like that not even close.
Jan 20, 2013
Anyone weigh a quarter-pounder lately to see if it measures up?
Jan 20, 2013
Thank you Ingrid for throwing some sense into this nonsense debate. First if you look at the sandwich you can see the bread on the right is shriveled and it was also cut and put back together. BUT, with my paycheck shrinking, my health insurance rates rising and my liberties disappearing after the guy who won spent billions and six months campaigning telling me that's not going to happen, do I care about Subway and 1 inch of air filled bread! NO. Should all of you? NO. Worry about your gas prices, heat prices, taxes, who's going to mug you after the government takes away your right to defend yourself, whether your kids can afford college. Real issues and worries. Come on already, get angry about something real, and just grow up.
Jan 20, 2013
if the toppings, cheese and meat hang over the ends of the bread, you have a footlong. quit bitchin. you people should look up a mare mules ass and predict the price of butter. you all must don't have a life. for five bucks it's the beast meal you can get. do you all count the # of fries that comes with a happy meal? do count the amount of pickles on a hamburger? do you weigh the cheese on a hambirger? get a life! if you're going to complain about something, complain about how crazy the world is becoming due to social media!
Jan 20, 2013
Hey, Ed Gaddy, I'm glad you see it, too. The "Subway" uproar shows that People have the power. Why isn't it used for the right and noble cause of preserving our rights and liberties and our Constitution? Wake, People, NOW!
Jan 20, 2013
its the new math.
Jan 20, 2013
Kinda funny that Subway has been serving the same length of subs all these years, yet people are just now complaining about it.
Jan 20, 2013
What a bunch of whiners. Anyone who makes bread understands bread is not always the same each time you make and bake it. You people are just looking for a reason to complain. Leave Subway alone, they give a good product for a good price. Freeloaders!
Jan 21, 2013
Really? This is what people get upset over? There's always something I guess….
Jan 21, 2013
A couple of things people need to realize is this – regardless of how long the bread is you receive the exact same amount of meat, and all of the veggies you want. Most subways (if not all) bake their own bread, and if directions are followed correctly the bread will bake to be 12 inches.Also note Sandwiches are placed in a bag in the vertical position which will cause compression and will shrink although slightly. Subway is not trying to defraud you. They do there best to provide a great and fresh eating experience.
Jan 21, 2013
Yeah – Subway has to follow a formula in order to keep the calorie and fat info. true to every sandwich. Too bad all of the greedy people want a whole salad bar on their sandwich. This person who complained about a stupid inch of bread should be dropped off in a starving country to live there a while then just maybe he would be more appreciative of what he does have.
Jan 21, 2013
Eric the bread might be 1" short but all the meat and ingredient are weighted and measured so you might be short of bread but you got everything inside your moneys worth and what you ask for.
Jan 21, 2013
No, he is not going to sue. He has exposed Subway for what it is.
Jan 21, 2013
Maybe it was cold outside?
Jan 21, 2013
o…Why is bread bad for you?
There are different schools of thought at work here. Some say that even whole wheat commercial bread is better because it is loaded with fiber and its glycemic index is lower. However, what I’m concerned about in processed bread is a pretty nasty ingredient- bromide- and the fact that all the naturally occurring nutrients have been stripped out in the factory process.
I don’t buy the argument that commercial/processed whole wheat bread is still healthy because all the vitamins and minerals (calcium, iron, vitamin E, etc) are added back to the flour as part of the process. Its still no match for the naturally occurring nutrients that were there in the first place! Also, the companies are using them in their synthetic form, which are not able to properly adapt to our bodies.
Processed bread is treated with a variety of chemicals from the ground to production in order to “bleach” the flour and prevent it from sticking- such as:
insecticides
fungicides
benzoyl peroxide or chlorine dioxide (known to cause cancer).
methyl bromide
nitrogen trichloride
alum
ammonium carbonate
nitrogen peroxide
Yuck!
These “hidden ingredients” can cause:
allergies that manifest as bloating, diarrhoea, eczema, asthma, headache or general malaise or lack of energy.
leaky gut syndrome.
growth of unfriendly toxin generating bacteria in the gut.
slowing of bowel transit time, so toxic substances are in contact with the bowel for longer.
It sure makes me crazy that someone would buy a refined, processed “whole wheat plus fiber” bread at their grocery store, hoping it is what they need to support the gastrointestinal tract and help flush out toxins. When they are getting the opposite!
Jan 21, 2013
Don't Austrailians use the metric system?
Jan 21, 2013
been told I was going to get so many inches, lies all lies.
Jan 21, 2013
Oh, please, people. Is a Quarter Pounder really a quarter of a pound of beef? Yes, before they cook it. Is a Subway foot long really a foot? Yes, before they bake it. Do you really get a gallon of gas for $3.25 and 9/10's of a penny? Yes, before they round it up to $3.26.
Jan 21, 2013
I was at subway on Thursday…my footlong was actually 12 1/2 inches long…should I complain about that? They say it's 12 inches, but it was actually bigger….people are bored.
Jan 21, 2013
I'm sorry, but this is absolutely ridiculous! Stop and think about it, people! Subway gets it's bread in premade loaves which they throw into an oven to bake. Each loaf has the same amount of bread in it so who cares if it actually rises slightly differently. If it comes out of the oven an inch shorter but half an inch thicker all the way around, it is still the SAME AMOUNT OF BREAD! Then comes the fact all of the meats and cheeses are pre-measured, so you get the same amount of those on each sandwich as well, no matter what the bread looks like. EVERYTHING is measured so you are always getting what you paid for. Only a true idiot would take a tape measure to a fast food place to measure his food! GET OVER IT!
Jan 21, 2013
Plus being a yeast bread if busy stores pull it out of the proofer a touch early that can happen!
Jan 21, 2013
You didn't lose any bread either … Subway stores do not make their bread, they receive pre-made, frozen "logs" of dough which they defrost and then bake in the store. Since the logs are pre-made to have the same amount of dough in each one, every loaf, no matter what measurements it comes out of the oven, has the SAME amount of bread in it! Same amount of bread, same amount of meats and cheese, all of these are pre-measured, therefore there is NOTHING lost!
Jan 21, 2013
Actually, how do you KNOW that none of the loaves of bread ever comes out to 13 inches? Since all loaves (pre-made frozen logs of dough, NOT made in the stores) has the same amount of dough in them, it all depends on the oven settings, time in the oven, any number of things. The key point is this … who the HELL actually goes and measures their sandwich? This is clearly someone who was TRYING to create an issue. We should ask how many sandwiches did this guy buy that WERE 12 inches before he finally got one that was "short" so he could take the picture?
Jan 21, 2013
Wow, are you serious? Think about this for a moment … have you ever baked anything in your life? If you have, maybe you will have noticed that even if you have everything pre-measured so that you use the same amount of dough, things STILL come up different sizes. Use cookies as an example, with the same amount of dough some will be a larger circle but thinner while others will be thicker but a smaller circcle … not to mention the ones that are not circles but ovals, which means they might be LONGER or SHORTER! Oh, hey, doesn't that sound familiar in this ridiculous debate?
Jan 21, 2013
Funny, I remember commercials run by Subway advertising that the sandwiches where a foot long.
They even had a ruler in the commercial to prove that they were a foot long.
Jan 21, 2013
All this talk about food is making me hungry.
Jan 26, 2013
This shows the truth about subway bread.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h14zJZOW2OQ
Jan 28, 2013
In related news it has been discovered that a huge amount of lawyers are now buying at Subway. And it has been observed that many of them are carrying tape measures and rulers.