Matt Corby of Perth, Australia may have unwittingly started a public relations nightmare for Subway after he posted a photo on Facebook of his sandwich next to a tape measure. The "footlong" sub barely measured 11 inches. And then Corby’s post went viral, grabbing over 130,000 likes and thousands of comments. Corby has since removed the post, but the damage was already done.
Now there are hundreds of similar posts circulating online and various news outlets have begun sampling their local Subway shops, revealing that "most" footlong subs come up short when put to the tape measure test. Subway has already responded to the uproar, noting "We are committed to providing a consistent product delivering the same amount of bread to the customer with every order. The length however may vary slightly when not baked to our exact specifications. We are reinforcing our policies and procedures in an effort to ensure our offerings are always consistent no matter which Subway restaurant you visit."
Of course, the idea that Subway should guarantee the length of its subs is ludicrous. Should the company also require customers to return any bread that is actually over 12 inches in length? But that’s the beauty of social media and the viral potential of silly stories like this one. Most people will find the whole concept funny, but Subway definitely isn’t getting the joke. Look for the following disclaimer at your local Subway in the near future: "Footlong does not imply or guarantee any specific length for your sandwich. Eat Fresh!"
Now there are hundreds of similar posts circulating online and various news outlets have begun sampling their local Subway shops, revealing that "most" footlong subs come up short when put to the tape measure test. Subway has already responded to the uproar, noting "We are committed to providing a consistent product delivering the same amount of bread to the customer with every order. The length however may vary slightly when not baked to our exact specifications. We are reinforcing our policies and procedures in an effort to ensure our offerings are always consistent no matter which Subway restaurant you visit."
Of course, the idea that Subway should guarantee the length of its subs is ludicrous. Should the company also require customers to return any bread that is actually over 12 inches in length? But that’s the beauty of social media and the viral potential of silly stories like this one. Most people will find the whole concept funny, but Subway definitely isn’t getting the joke. Look for the following disclaimer at your local Subway in the near future: "Footlong does not imply or guarantee any specific length for your sandwich. Eat Fresh!"