14 DAY TRIAL // A couple of years ago, a photo surfaced of a supposedly foot-long (12 inches / 30.5 centimeters) Subway sandwich lying on a table, a ruler atop of it. The photo, posted by one Matt Corby of Australia, showed that the Subway sandwich was, in fact, merely 11 inches (28 centimeters) long.
Soon enough, other people started measuring their Subway sandwiches and finding them to be shorter than the advertised 12 inches (30.5 centimeters). Then, round came a lawsuit against the chain.
Sandwich lovers won this one, it would seem
This Monday, October 19, Subway went public with the news that, as part of a settlement agreement reached in this class-action lawsuit, it would start measuring its sandwiches before actually serving them to its customers.
The sandwiches that will come under scrutiny are the ones advertised as measuring 6 inches (15.2 centimeters) or 12 inches (30.5 centimeters) from one end to the other. Previously, the chain allowed for small deviations from these standards.
Soon enough, however, these sandwiches will measure precisely their advertised length. Well, actually, Subway says it will see to it that the bread used to make them is the right length. The rest of ingredients are a whole other matter.
“Franchisees [will make] use of a tool for measuring bread in each Subway restaurant to help ensure that the bread sold to customers is either 6 or 12 inches long,” reads the settlement agreement.
The chain also promises that inspections will be carried out periodically and that the restaurants whose sandwiches fail to meet these standards will be penalized, maybe even shut down for good.
Then there's some money the chain must pay
Apart from making sure its sandwiches measure up to people's expectations, Subway has agreed to pay $1,000 (€880) in compensation to the plaintiffs. It's also agreed to cover the legal fees of the lawsuit, which have so far amounted to $525,000 (nearly €463,000).
The settlement agreement that would have Subway measure its sandwiches is for now merely a proposal. It should be ready and signed in final form sometime in next year's January.
