Subway® review: You call this a sandwich? ...and...EWWWWWW

09 July 2025, 5pm, Store #239 located at the Love's Stop at 145 Major Grahams Road, Wytheville, VA 24360. Notes: I sent 4 complaints to Subway through its website; all 4 of them were ignored completely - I received 4 emailed replies that said the issue was resolved within 5 minutes of sending each of the complaints, all without any contact with me by Subway or the franchise owner. Ordinarily, I wouldn't post on a site like this but Subway has shown me it is not interested in making this right, so...

This franchise location has food allergen, hygiene and service issues, along with quality and value issues. I have been one of Subway's oldest customers (45 years!).

Since I have been a long-term customer, I am very familiar with the sandwiches, contents (quantity and quality), prep process, methods, and packaging, as well as hygiene requirements.

Here are the things that I observed going really wrong at this location:

1. I walked in and asked for two separate 6" roast beef sandwiches. The prep person, Addy, pulled out only one white prep sheet and simply cut the Italian herbs and cheese roll in half and kept them on the same white paper prep sheet. When I explained that I am allergic to onions and that only one of the sandwiches would have them, I asked her to separate them onto two white paper sheets. She rolled her eyes, sighed and gave me attitude. She took the other half of the bread and put it directly on the prep surface without another white liner paper.

2. Then, she prepared the first sandwich with only two very thin slices of roast beef, laying them flat, two small triangles of American cheese, and the veggies I requested. I asked for extra cheese. Addy rolled her eyes and warned me sternly that there would be an extra charge. I said that would be ok and she put two more very small slices on.

She then took a knife from a container below the "white plastic prep runway"/table, swished it around in what was no doubt dirty water, closed the sandwich using that knife, returned the knife to the dirty water with mayo and remnants on it, then took my sandwich OFF THE WHITE SHEET, transferred it by hand to the green logo wrapping without the white sheet walking about 3 feet to her right by the register, lost one slice of cheese on the way and a slice of tomato on the plastic runway between the prep area and the green logo wrap area next to the register (more on that below), didn't replace either of the cheese or tomato but did flick them off the surface into a small garbage bin, and then wrapped the sandwich only in the logo wrap.

Then she took the same soiled white prep sheet she used for the first sandwich, put the other half of the roll on it, and repeated the same process for the second sandwich, with the only difference being she added more veggies, as per my request, and extra mayo, but repeated the dirty knife process and movement over to the green logo paper without the white sheet. This whole time she is glaring at me as if I am a huge inconvenience in her day, you know, preparing me a sandwich, as is her job.

3. I follow her with my eyes and observe Addy bringing the second sandwich over to wrap without the liner and, at the same time, observe the cashier, Danielle, slap and squish either a fly or a roach, I didn't see which, with her bare left hand, and quickly swipe it off the plastic runway for sandwich prep onto the floor to her left, before I could see what bug it was.

Danielle’s not wearing gloves. I then see Addy SET THAT SANDWICH DOWN BRIEFLY NEAR WHERE THE BUG WAS SMASHED and then wrap it in the green logo paper.

4. Danielle doesn't clean or wipe her hand or the plastic sandwich runway, and proceeds to check me out at the register. She puts both sandwiches into a brown paper bag. I am disgusted and reach into my wallet for exact change so that I don't have to touch her hand or the money she might provide as change, get the receipt and go on my way.

I wanted to get new sandwiches made, but the way they were both looking at me suggested they would not take kindly to me arguing for new sandwiches, so I just leave.

5. Predictably, the sandwiches leak mayo all over the brown paper bag within 5 minutes because there was no white liner and no Subway plastic bag, as required. After telling my hubby the story, we were both so grossed out that we threw the sandwiches away. There went our dinner for that night, as we were traveling up the east coast and by the time we got to the hotel, every other restaurant was closed.

SUBWAY NEEDS TO INSPECT AND SANITIZE THIS LOCATION, AND RETRAIN THESE REPS AT A MINIMUM, AND I'D LIKE MY MONEY BACK.

- Addy was willing to expose me to food allergens (onions) without thinking it was a problem.
- Addy's attitude was rude at best.
- Addy's awareness of the quantity of sandwich contents was severely lacking (not sure you can really call that a roast beef sandwich except in the technical sense since it did have the thinnest possible layer of beef on it). I know it was supposed to have at least 4 slices of beef and cheese on each half. This was the worst quality sandwich I have ever seen prepared at a Subway, and I have had a lot of them over 45 years.
- Addy's understanding of the purpose of the white sheet, both to contain the contents of the sandwich and to transport it intact to the green logo wrap while protecting it from contamination, as well as keeping mayo and other liquids from leaking is nonexistent.
- Danielle's understanding of hygiene is nonexistent. To slam a bug with your left hand and then handle food and cash without cleaning everything involved is unacceptable, in addition to what is an obvious pest problem at that location if she was so relaxed about slapping it dead.
- I felt bullied by both of them into taking the sandwiches and not saying anything. Note that Danielle simply pretended none of this happened, even though she closely watched the sandwich prep and everything else, while Addy glared at me looking intimidating.

Needless to say, never going back, and probably this ends my run with Subway altogether as I suspect I might not ever be able to smell it again without becoming nauseous.

DISGUSTING! DO BETTER, SUBWAY!

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