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Subway Sandwich Size Lawsuit
Cheapism / iStock

When was the last time you got a sandwich from Subway and thought, ‘Gosh, this sub is so big and meaty!’? That’s definitely never happened to us, and it apparently hasn’t happened to Anna Tollison, either. She filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against the sandwich chain for serving skimpy subs. Here’s what the lawsuit is all about.

What’s the Lawsuit Against Subway All About?

Subway class action lawsuit screenshot
United States District Court For The Eastern District Of New York

This lawsuit against Subway is about truth in advertising. It claims that the pictures in Subway’s ads are “grossly misleading” compared to the sandwich you actually get. The suit includes photos of actual steak and cheese subs ordered by the plaintiff that look comically small — and frankly standard for the chain — and compares them to the photos of the same sandwich in Subway’s ads.

Who Filed the Lawsuit?

Class Action Lawsuit: Mechanical electrical concept for legal class action lawsuit for mechanical electrical
Bill Oxford/istockphoto

Anna Tollison, a New Yorker, filed the lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, on behalf of herself and anyone else who was misled by Subway’s advertising. That means that if the court agrees with the claims, it could become a class-action lawsuit.

What Does the Lawsuit Claim?

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Subway/Yelp

The lawsuit against Subway claims that the chain is misrepresenting its product and deceiving people with its ads of sandwiches that contain “at least 200% more meat than the actual sandwiches that customers receive.” It further claims that if people knew that Subway’s pictures of the steak and cheese sub were unrealistic, they wouldn’t have paid as much for their sandwiches as they did.

Will This Lawsuit Be Dismissed?

A Subway sandwich and chips
Thomas G./Yelp

It’s very possible this lawsuit against Subway will be dismissed. It was filed by The Russo Firm, a law firm that has filed many similar lawsuits against fast food companies, many of which have been dismissed.

Weren’t There Other Subway Lawsuits?

Subway five dollar footlong ad
Screenshot via YouTube

There have been all kinds of lawsuits against fast food restaurants, including Subway. You may remember a 2017 case that claimed Subways footlongs were shrinking. That case was dismissed, as was the one that claimed Subway’s tuna salad didn’t contain tuna.

Chipotle is another chain that customers have criticized for serving burritos that are much smaller than they used to be.

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Meet the Writer

Lacey Muszynski is a staff writer at Cheapism covering food, travel, and more. She has over 15 years of writing and editing experience, and her restaurant reviews and recipes have previously appeared in Serious Eats, Thrillist, and countless publications in her home state of Wisconsin.