Subway Wants To Be Your Go-to Place for Footlong Sandwiches – And Snacks
We got an advance taste of the sandwich chain’s new ruler-length chocolate chip cookie, Cinnabon churro and Auntie Anne’s pretzel, which arrive this month at locations nationwide.
Gerardo Mora
Late last year, on National Cookie Day (December 4), Subway offered customers in four cities — Chicago, Dallas, Miami and New York City — a chance to preview the footlong chocolate chip cookie it had debuted in just one location on National Cookie Day the year prior. The sandwich chain also announced plans to roll out the cookie as a permanent menu addition at Subway locations nationwide in 2024.
Now, the day has almost arrived: Starting January 22, Subway’s 12-inch-long chocolate chip cookies will be available in the restaurant’s locations across the land. Plus, the chain is also introducing two other ruler-length versions of iconic snacks: Cinnabon churros and Auntie Anne’s pretzels.
The lengthy trio — to be known as the Subway Sidekicks series — aim to provide customers with sweet or savory snacks, able to stand on their own or serve as a complement for customers’ sandwich orders. The treats took more than a year to develop and offer a bonanza of “size, taste and value,” according to the brand.
“We know that grazing and snacking is on the rise, especially with our core consumers. We also know that bringing in two iconic brands, such as Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon, connects with very popular products already out there and expands them to the Subway system,” Doug Fry, president of Subway North America, tells Food Network in an interview.
“By opening up snacking opportunities for our guests,” and providing them at an affordable price in a grab-and-go context, Fry says, the Sidekicks series “really hits the mark.”
Gerardo Mora
We had a chance to try all three new Sidekicks items ahead of their broad release at our local Subway. While we found the Cinnabon Footlong Churro ($2), which is baked, served warm and crispy, and features Cinnabon’s familiar Makara cinnamon and sugar, a bit too sweet for our liking, we were impressed with the Auntie Anne’s Footlong Pretzel ($3) and the Footlong Subway Cookie ($5).
The attenuated chocolate-chip cookie, also served warm, is thick, gooey, rich and almost absurdly generous. We could probably get a week’s worth of dessert out of one footlong. It’s kind of perfect for sharing as well.
We’re also fans of the footlong pretzel, which adds a side of Subway’s Honey Mustard (or your choice of dipping sauce) to Auntie Anne’s salty, chewy, buttery pretzel, and elevates it to another sweet and savory level. We could definitely see grabbing this one as a sandwich side or afternoon snack.
Chef Paul Fabre, Head of Culinary at Subway, says expanding these beloved products into a footlong format and delivering consistently high quality at 20,000 locations was challenging, but he believes his team has met the challenge, developing items that will really please Subway customers.
“At the end of the day, we know we’re the favorite place to go for your sandwiches,” Fry says. “We’re hoping we’re now the favorite place to go for your snacks as well.”
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