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Mr. Sub vs. Subway

Which chain do you like better?

  • Mr. Sub

    Votes: 14 35.9%
  • Subway

    Votes: 25 64.1%

  • Total voters
    39

wild goose chase

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I still remember when Mr. Sub was the sub sandwich place in Toronto. Then, all of a sudden, Subway seemed to come in and its popularity declined. I noticed Mr. Sub is now more common in the suburbs, but seems less common overall.

Which do you prefer and what was it about Subway that made it more favorable than Mr. Sub?
 
I still remember when Mr. Sub was the sub sandwich place in Toronto. Then, all of a sudden, Subway seemed to come in and its popularity declined. I noticed Mr. Sub is now more common in the suburbs, but seems less common overall.

Which do you prefer and what was it about Subway that made it more favorable than Mr. Sub?

The decline of Mr. Sub was likely related to their initial reluctance to carry new toppings, different types of bread, and offer toasted subs. Quizno's ate up much of the sub market until Subway started doing toasted subs for cheaper. Mr. Sub was always a step behind and it must have done damage.
 
Subway has always had vastly better ingredients IMHO. The last time I was at Mr. Sub, the bread tasted like some cheap, highly-processed variety that had been sitting in a plastic bag for three days, the mayo -- sorry, "salad dressing" -- was that greasy tasteless kind, and the fillings weren't much better.

Subway isn't haute cuisine either, but it is still far better than Mr. Substandard. Mr. Sub did well when they had no competition, but I can't understand why anyone would choose them today. The fact they still exist at all speaks volumes about the degree to which Canadians will tolerate mediocrity.
 
I saw an article in a franchise/business magazine last year that said Mr. Sub would "relaunch" as a "fast-casual" restaurant...however, I haven't heard or seen any changes from them...
 
I saw an article in a franchise/business magazine last year that said Mr. Sub would "relaunch" as a "fast-casual" restaurant...however, I haven't heard or seen any changes from them...

They can't even handle being fast food franchise properly and they want to be "fast casual"?! Speaking of Mr. Sub - normally stores get remodelled every decade - I can't seem to recall this chain having gone through even one cycle since my acquaintance with it more than 20 years ago.

AoD
 
Speaking of Mr. Sub - normally stores get remodelled every decade - I can't seem to recall this chain having gone through even one cycle since my acquaintance with it more than 20 years ago.

They have done at least one major aesthetic rebranding. In the late 70s they were seemingly everywhere, like Subway is now. I remember way back every location had very distinct wallpaper which was a LOUD motif of traffic signs and signals. I later read they chose it because they didn't want people to loiter, so they picked the ugliest thing they could find. Not that one really could loiter at an old-school Mr. Sub (then called Mr. Submarine), as they had no seating at all. I don't think that really changed until Subway began challenging their market share. Mr. Sub's menu was apparently lifted from a place in Buffalo, and for years they wouldn't serve coffee, for no reason other than the sub shop in Buffalo did not, and I gather they abhorred any sort of innovation. I suppose this thinly-veiled customer hostility is much like another Canadian former-success story, in how the Second Cup was before Starbucks: ugly decor, uncomfortable seating, signs warning you not to stay more than 20 minutes. In other words: buy something and GTFO. Once Starbucks arrived on the scene with the novel concept of making their stores nice to be in, and encouraging customers to stick around and spend more, the Second Cup went into decline, and has never recovered.
 
There is a newer looking Mr. Sub in Pickering - Brock St. south of the 401. It even has a new looking sign and has plenty of seating. I haven't actually be in there to see if anything is different as far as the menu goes.
 
I ate at the Mr. Sub at Union from time to time whenever I needed something quick after school. Their Canadian Club is surprisingly okay.

That said, there's a Mr. Sub run by some old Greek or Macedonian guy at Clarkson Rd. and Lakeshore in Mississauga. You can see him hacking darts outside then going back inside his shop to make subs, without gloves too. The last time me and some friends went in there was probably 6 years ago after a night out. The old guy was making our subs (sans gloves of course) and my friend says something along the lines of "Wow, you sure are up late! That's dedication!" The old guy responds with, "I stay open late for pricks like you."

None of us have gone back there since.
 
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I ate at the Mr. Sub at Union from time to time whenever I needed something quick after school. Their Canadian Club is surprisingly okay.

That said, there's a Mr. Sub run by some old Greek or Macedonian guy at Clarkson Rd. and Lakeshore in Mississauga. You can see him hacking darts outside then going back inside his shop to make subs, without gloves too. The last time me and some friends went in there was probably 6 years ago after a night out. The old guy was making our subs (sans gloves of course) and my friend says something along the lines of "Wow, you sure are up late! That's dedication!" The old guy responds with a "I stay open late for pricks like you."

None of us have gone back there since.

That got a laugh out of me. LMAO
 
That got a laugh out of me. LMAO

Haha yeah it's funny in retrospect but it really shows the general disparity between Subway and Mr. Sub in their overall commitments to customer service and quality. That Mr. Sub has been there for years but considering there's very little customer traffic at that location, I can't figure out for the life of me how that guy is still in business.
 
The decline of Mr. Sub was likely related to their initial reluctance to carry new toppings, different types of bread, and offer toasted subs. Quizno's ate up much of the sub market until Subway started doing toasted subs for cheaper. Mr. Sub was always a step behind and it must have done damage.

Yep Mr Sub is always behind Subway. When Subway started expanding their menu and bringing in different breads and different variety of subs, i quit going to Mr Sub.
 
I've always felt that subway had a greater variety of subs to choose from and (as someone mentioned) the bread was better, come to think of it even the toppings seem fresher at subway. Mr Sub always felt like the Coffee time to Subway's Tim Hortons.

Granted I grew up with a Subway 5 mins from my high school and would usually grab a pizza sub on my way home after writing exams. That likely influenced my preference more than any perceived quality after the fact.
 
Mr. Sub over Subway, simply because I find their meat is better. Plus, my usual go-to sub isn't available at Subway.

If anything, I grew up with Mr. Sub. There was one near my old apartment in East York, by St. Clair and O'Connor.

Subway has some great deals and fantastic promotions, but all things considered...I'll take Mr. Sub anyday.
 
It's too bad this thread didn't have a poll!

I'm one for Subway. I'm a pretty simple guy and I like my simple footlong meatball marinara sub on whole wheat.
 

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