How Subway franchisees view some of the chain's recent moves

Subway could avoid some problems if it consulted more with its franchisees. Or so says the head of its biggest association. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Bill Mathis, a Subway operator out of Minnesota and chairman of the North American Association of Subway Franchisees, or NAASF. Subway remains the largest restaurant chain in the U.S. by unit count, with some 20,000 stores domestically. But thousands of those locations have closed over the past decade. NAASF represents much of that franchisee base. The association rarely speaks publicly, but Mathis is breaking that silence on this podcast, specifically to talk about some of the group’s concerns with current strategies. We talk about communication between management and the association and what impact that could have on some of the chain’s strategies. But we also talk about several other issues, including slicers and the impact they have had on food and labor costs. We also talk about Subway’s recent requirement that franchisees accept digital coupons—and what that is doing to franchisees. Mathis also discusses the purchase of Subway by Roark Capital and the association’s view on that. And we talk about the general financial condition of franchisees and the state of food and labor costs right now. It's an in-depth discussion with one of the most-prominent franchisees in the country’s biggest sandwich chain, so please check it out.