We love a good sub almost as much as we love a good deal. That’s why sandwich chains are go-to stops for a quick lunch or road trip break. But some serve way better sandwiches than others, so you have to know where to stop.
Here are the worst sandwich chains to avoid at all costs, whether it’s because of low-quality food, super overpriced menus, or all of the above. To avoid a major disappointment, the next time you’re craving a sandwich, steer clear of these spots.
Subway
Subway has NEVER been good. The ingredients have always been of terrible quality, and the bread is sweet and mushy, so who cares if they made it that day or not? There’s nothing worse than low-quality, thick-sliced deli meat with cartilage pieces you can’t chew, and “grilled chicken” patties that clearly came off an assembly line.
And remember when they used to cut a little channel in the top of the bread to hold the ingredients? That was our sign that they were nuts, but we didn’t listen.
Panera
Panera is a shadow of its former self from the 1990s. Everything on the menu sounds good, but when you get it, you’ll notice there’s hardly anything in your $12 sandwich.
There’s a reason everyone loves their broccoli cheese soup in a bread bowl: it’s consistent, coming from a factory, and it fills you up. The sandwiches are a total crapshoot on both those fronts, and way overpriced to boot.
Quiznos
You might be surprised to learn that Quiznos still exists. That’s because they’re forgettable, and they’ve been closing locations since filing for bankruptcy in 2014. When they were founded in the ’80s, a toasted sub seemed like a newfangled idea, but the novelty has worn off as other, better hot sub chains (we’re looking at you, Potbelly) entered the market. These subs are stuck in the past.
Blimpie
Blimpie has somehow been around for 60 years, but it follows the #1 rule of antiques: Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s actually worth anything. The subs are boring at best, and a total mess at worst.
Chances are, you can get a much better sub from any local place near you, so why would you ever have reason to go to Blimpie? Why this chain hasn’t already fallen into oblivion, who knows?
Firehouse Subs
There are very few instances where meat should be steamed, and deli meat is not on that list. Yet for some reason, Firehouse steams its meats, making them wet and soggy. Sliced deli meats of questionable quality are already slimy enough, thank you very much. At least the cheese melts, and we’ll give them lots of credit for the large hot sauce selection, too. Too bad there’s not a better sandwiches to put them on.
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Jimmy John’s
The quality of Jimmy John’s has gone steadily downhill for the last couple of decades. That’s especially egregious since the prices have risen to ridiculous levels. Do you really want to spend $8 for a sandwich of three slices of chewy ham? The kind of ham where the dark edges tear off in long strips when you take a bite? We don’t. The only saving grace here is the cheap day-old bread, so you can make your own sandwiches.
More Sandwich Rankings From Cheapism
- Italian Subs from 6 Popular Sandwich Chains, Ranked Best to Worst — See which chain came out on top in our head-to-head taste test of Italian subs.
- The Best Fast-Food Breakfast Sandwiches, Ranked — Start your morning right with best fast-food breakfast sandwich, according to our taste test.
- Legendary Breakfast Sandwiches in Every State — No matter where you live or travel, we’ve tracked down incredible breakfast sandwiches to try across America.
