Quiznos grew to about 5,000 locations by 2007 before shrinking to roughly 148 by 2025, a reversal with implications for franchisees, workers, and category trust.
The video outlines how Subway’s $5 footlong, a leveraged franchise model, and $875 million debt converged as the financial crisis hit. It tracks the Quiznos collapse through lawsuits, mass closures, and a 2014 bankruptcy that left a shrinking network and lingering stigma.
ABA investigations in 2014–2015 detailed exploitative franchise practices, and post-2014 sandwich franchise applications fell 35 percent. Ownership changes, debt-heavy buyouts, and a 2020 rebrand preceded a shift toward convenience-store kiosks by 2024, with a cumulative decline of about 97 percent.
