Subway Hits Big In C-Stores/Truck-Stop Units

Subway is getting bigger by thinking smaller. Three weeks ago, it hit another developmental milestone with the opening in Lima, Peru, of its 5,000^th c-store and truck-stop location. Subway increasingly has focused its expansion efforts in non-traditional locales because of their flexible space requirements and adaptable floor plans. The Milford, Conn., brand now has 10,498 restaurants, or nearly a quarter of its global portfolio, in non-traditional locations.

“The c-store and truck-stop category was an immediate winner for us in that it opened the door to the first and earliest growth for us because it let us go into small towns where the real estate was a little scarce and the buildout costs were high,” according to Chief Development Officer Don Fertman. “With 25% of our overall growth in non-traditional locations, it shows that the non-traditional has become the traditional.”

The first Subway unit sited in a c-store opened in 1990. Today, it has a bigger presence at c-stores/gas stations and truck stops than any other QSR. In 2015, the chain plans to add another 2,500 new units to its current store count of 43,800 locations in 110 countries.