What is with the smell at Subway??

416124 What is with the smell at Subway?? Thu Jun 28 13:10:54 -0700 2007 79 32 Chains 0 2703834 I forgot my lunch today. Needed something cheap, quick and healthy. The closest option to my office that fits these three things is Subway so I ran down there. And remembered why I never want to go there. The smell. THE SMELL!! When I tell other people I won't eat there because of the smell they look at me like I'm nuts. I can't be the only one though...EVERY Subway I've ever been to - in whatever state - has smelled the same. Why?? For a place that focuses on "fresh" ingredients, what is making that smell?? I don't even know how to describe it other than: ick! Thu Jun 28 13:10:55 -0700 2007 16406 ziggylu 1 2703885 I totally agree! I can smell a Subway from far away. Is it the yeast or something in the bread that they bake? Its pretty distinctive and strong. Thu Jun 28 13:23:52 -0700 2007 2703834 59288 DCLindsey 2 2745376 In our neighborhood there is a Togo's/Baskin-Robbins combo. My wife refuses to go in there (except under dire need for a mint choclate chip fix) because the smell of the Togo's just ruins her taste for ice cream. The Togo's smell does remind me of Subway. Not sure it's the bread, but there IS a definite smell to all those sandwich places. Thu Jul 12 20:39:32 -0700 2007 2703885 11405 Midlife 3 2745478 Oh no I wonder if they'll be spin off threads about the smells of restaurants.lol Just tell me this does it smell like mediocrity,thats the only good answer i've heard for Subways smell. Thu Jul 12 21:16:56 -0700 2007 2745376 98401 widehomehi 1 2703896 Ugh...I worked in a shop next to a Subway for a while and every day I walked out of there smelling like Subway. I can't even think about eating it now. Thu Jun 28 13:24:48 -0700 2007 2703834 108562 lissah 1 2703918 It's that horrible bread. I call it "air bread". And their soda tastes like bubble gum. Thu Jun 28 13:28:14 -0700 2007 2703834 76226 Oh Robin 2 2704049 It's the bread?!? Really?? Lordy be as the saying go....never smelled anything like that at a bakery thank goodness! Thu Jun 28 13:54:32 -0700 2007 2703918 16406 ziggylu 1 2703953 I think it's something in the bread. But not a good bakery smell which I normally enjoy. I totally know what you mean. I can't eat at Subway ever since my honeymoon when we stopped for lunch there on the way to go reef fishing. Tiny town in the Florida Keys with few options. Nearly everyone on the boat got sea sick. I can't even think about their sandwiches without feeling queasy. No big loss. Thu Jun 28 13:34:51 -0700 2007 2703834 16602 lisaf 1 2704002 My boyfriend refuses to eat there for that same reason. I find it oddly comforting. [weird, i know] Thu Jun 28 13:43:26 -0700 2007 2703834 103418 cor 1 2704234 Yep; I'm with you! Some sort of funky not-in-a-good-way yeast smell. I'm developing a similar feeling about Cosi after standing in line at the drugstore behind a particularly disgusting Cosi-uniformed employee who was drenched with sweat and smelling faintly of the vinaigrette they put on my standard order, the tuna-cheddar sandwich ... Thu Jun 28 14:36:01 -0700 2007 2703834 17813 Bill on Capitol Hill 1 2704494 Oh my gosh, that smell!!! Don't remind me! I hate it. I think it probably does have to do with the bread. But I've never smelled anything like it from any other cheap bread. The smell gets on you too. I was in there for like 2 hr once (don't ask) and I could smell Subway on my clothes and skin for the rest of the day. It's so amazing. I used to live across the street from a really cheapy bakery and the smell was heavenly. I don't know how Subway does it. And now I've lost my appetite. Thu Jun 28 16:00:05 -0700 2007 2703834 50942 don giovanni 2 2704523 I avoid the whole area ( consists of five stores) surrounding Subway as the smell is so awful!! Can't imagine anyone really enjoying eating with that odor. Worse than the fishy smell of supermarket seafood counters!! I really have a problem with the odor in the commercial bread isles of markets also for some time now. Think it may be preservatives they put in the dough. Pretty well limiting my shopping to farmer markets and Artisan breads!! Thu Jun 28 16:14:06 -0700 2007 2704494 10678 marti 1 2704538 ziggylu - it's marketing strategy, it's supposed to smell like a New York subway! Just kidding ~ hasn't bothered me before, but now it probably will! I cannot stand the smell of 7-11's and other quickie marts- ugh, must they alway smell like expired hotdogs and vomit?! Thu Jun 28 16:18:10 -0700 2007 2703834 14123 ciaobella 2 2705375 That's funny. I was going to say it reminds me of the smell from field trip busses in high school. Thu Jun 28 21:59:07 -0700 2007 2704538 50942 don giovanni 2 2708903 The stench of 7-11s seems to be the same from store to store. To me it smells like a combination of milk gone bad and plastic, and it stays with you after you leave! Sat Jun 30 07:45:22 -0700 2007 2704538 12752 MsDiPesto 1 2704555 As someone who worked in a Subway during my youth I think I can tell you. I'm pretty sure it isn't the bread... ...it is all the chemical preservative liquid the meats come packed in. The smell was overwhelming and VERY hard to get off after a shift. The very thought of it makes my eye twicth. Thu Jun 28 16:25:58 -0700 2007 2703834 24575 lebelage 2 2704745 Ew. Thanks for solving the mystery though. Why doesn't Quiznos have this same *aroma*? Thu Jun 28 17:23:58 -0700 2007 2704555 16602 lisaf 3 2704873 Quizno's uses higher quality meats. I've always found Sunway's meats to be rather slimy, while Quizno's seems to be at least super market deli quality. Thu Jun 28 18:16:45 -0700 2007 2704745 76025 mojoeater 4 2704902 I agree Quiznos is better but there prices are a rip.I get there coupons from there site and the only time I eat there is when I get the 2$ off a footlong coupon.Even then it's expensive.But they got a pepper bar and a few hot peppers makes you forget the price. Thu Jun 28 18:31:38 -0700 2007 2704873 98401 widehomehi 5 2735539 I travel a lot for work to places that people never go to for vacation. I am always grateful to see Quizno's. I throw in about 25 jalepenos in my sandwich and the heat makes me forget that I'm in a podunk town. Tue Jul 10 08:40:47 -0700 2007 2704902 16853 yehfromthebay 6 2741754 lol Wed Jul 11 19:51:21 -0700 2007 2735539 98401 widehomehi 3 2705395 can't say about Quiznos, but the Togos near my office has the VERY SAME SMELL!!! No, I dont eat there but I can smell it even walking by! Thu Jun 28 22:08:39 -0700 2007 2704745 10158 susancinsf 2 2705381 yikes! why couldn't you just let me go on thinking it's the bread. i think i will never eat there again after hearing this! i feel light headed... Thu Jun 28 22:01:38 -0700 2007 2704555 50942 don giovanni 2 2707553 I hate the smell too, and thought it was some kind of preservative for the vegetables they use. So it's the meat, huh? Or do they preserve the veggies, too??? YUM - NOT Fri Jun 29 14:35:13 -0700 2007 2704555 78611 aurora50 2 2726221 so much for "eat fresh"... ugh...thanks for sharing - i knew I didn't like subway, now I know why! Fri Jul 06 19:50:42 -0700 2007 2704555 57890 KaimukiMan 1 2704783 Really weird. The Sub-Way that I have to pass coming and going from the office I work in when in Washington, DC, stinks and can't be avoided because the restaurant is on the ground floor of the building. I don't think its the bread--something worse. Thu Jun 28 17:40:24 -0700 2007 2703834 36661 Sam Fujisaka 2 2704788 I think it's the meat they keep warm, like the 'grilled chicken.' Smells really bad. Thu Jun 28 17:44:00 -0700 2007 2704783 11995 pikawicca 1 2704789 I think its Jared on a treadmill sweating off the pounds in the back of the restaurant. Thu Jun 28 17:44:01 -0700 2007 2703834 14573 Scott M 2 2706223 LOL. My cousin used to work at a Subway when she was around 18 or 19 and I'd drive her crazy by walking in and yelling "I want to talk to Jared!". :) Fri Jun 29 08:30:29 -0700 2007 2704789 76226 Oh Robin 1 2704800 I went there today and smelled bread cooking smelled good just wish they could tell be which meats had pork in them cause I don't eat pork the lady there didn't know and started asking the customers.So I left and went home to cook a Michaelangelo's Lasagna. Thu Jun 28 17:48:12 -0700 2007 2703834 98401 widehomehi 2 2706359 widehome; Generally as far as cold cuts go if it isn't roast beef, turkey, chicken, or tuna it has pork.. although some do carry "turkey ham". Fri Jun 29 09:04:44 -0700 2007 2704800 24575 lebelage 1 2705414 I must confess, that's what I had for "dinner" tonight after working from 6am-8:30pm...thank goodness the one by my house dose NOT have the smell but I have smelled that stank in others and lost my appetite...there are two that do not have the funk-stank-one in Studio City, CA where the SAG/AFTRA Credit Union used to be and one in Glendale CA in a Ralphs parking lot on North Verdugo...these two also have very nice people working in them which is almost shocking like you're gonna be on some hidden camera show since most Subways usually have some sullen, bitter, greasy people working in them. Thu Jun 28 22:18:52 -0700 2007 2703834 93485 tatertotsrock 1 2706334 A friend of mine that worked at a Subway told me that if a customer came in just prior to closing time and requested all of the items on their sandwich they were treated to the "agregados" or what was left in the catch trays from all the other subs made earlier. That little nugget was enough for me! Fri Jun 29 08:56:40 -0700 2007 2703834 107837 GDub 1 2706444 Well I'm glad to know I"m not the only one! My husband thinks I'm crazy...I made him read this to prove I'm not! I wouldn't be surprised it were the preservatives. That would also explain why both the turkey and the roast beef sandwiches taste identical to me! Fri Jun 29 09:29:59 -0700 2007 2703834 16406 ziggylu 1 2706578 I don't think that its the bread. I think its the raw onions sitting around. I can't STAND the smell. And its not just Subway...its any sub shop. There is a Port of Subs (local chain) near my office...and sometimes its the only place for a quick bite. But I ALWAYS get it to go. There is a local Pho place that shares quarters with a sub shop here in Reno (sort of a mini-food court. I wouldn't even THINK of eating there because of the smell....even though I like Pho. And the worst is the Baskin Robbins near my house that shares quarters with a sub shop. Fri Jun 29 10:07:53 -0700 2007 2703834 10290 janetofreno 1 2706678 There are a number of smells common to Subway. Unfortunately, the kids on my daughter's softball team are often condemned to eat Subway versus the fast food of the greasy variety when we are on the road, so I get to try a new Subway every weekend (lucky me). First, there is the overpowering yeasty odor from the bread that is constantly proofing in the place prior to baking. I think that is one of the strongest odors. The meats are allegedly not held in preservatives, so let's give them the benefit of the doubt here. They just seem to taste like supermarket sale-quality deli meats to me. I think the most notorious smells are in the dressings -- it's the familiar "hoagie" smell of onions, vinegar and garlic that seems to permeate the restaurant at times and all those who eat the stuff dressed to the max. Anyone who has ever lived near Philly will recognize it. If you eat a fully dressed hoagie, you need to take a shower afterward because the smell ends up in your hair, on your face and on your clothes. I think that is the funky "BO" aroma everyone is complaining about, but it could be a combination of the hoagie dressing, onions and the yeast causing the bread to rise. Fri Jun 29 10:40:34 -0700 2007 2703834 87837 RGC1982 2 2708967 "The meats are allegedly not held in preservatives, so let's give them the benefit of the doubt here" I can't give them the benefit of the doubt on that. I worked there. Each "log" of processed meat came in a thick layer of preservative slime. Now maybe they've changed since then (although I doubt it) but I will always remember the year that I lived and worked with that terrible smell. Sat Jun 30 08:21:56 -0700 2007 2706678 24575 lebelage 1 2706713 Oh my goodness-Have never eatern at a subway, and this thread has me convinces not to!! But- a small part of me wants to find a local subway and pop my head just to understand! Fri Jun 29 10:48:19 -0700 2007 2703834 11057 macca 2 2707492 Ive never eaten at one either; and in my experience, you don't need to pop in--the rancid smell is clearly present outside! Fri Jun 29 14:15:04 -0700 2007 2706713 36661 Sam Fujisaka 3 2707906 Exactly. The creature survives several meters outside the door. I'm seriously never eating there again, now that so many people have validated this. Fri Jun 29 16:30:20 -0700 2007 2707492 50942 don giovanni 3 2708718 Oh- that is awful. In my area, I guess i can be grateful that there are not a lot of Subways near by. I think the closest one to me is abnout 12 miles away- but I do pass it on my way to work everyday, so I will try to make a point to go by!! This thread has really made me curious- a terrible compulsion , almost! Kind of like a car crash- awful, but hard to stop looking. Sat Jun 30 05:49:37 -0700 2007 2707492 11057 macca 1 2708724 I too know what you mean. Figured that it was something to to with the bread. meandmyfork.blogspot.com Sat Jun 30 05:55:04 -0700 2007 2703834 23758 Withnail42 1 2708838 I also think that it's the bread. If you read the ingredient lists for their breads on their websites, they're unlike any self-respecting bakery that you'll ever come across; I wouldn't stoop to call the end result "bread". Some of them even have high MSG ingredients like autolyzed yeast extract and hydrolyzed proteins in them. Who uses those in simple baked goods unless they contain meat? Abysmal. Sat Jun 30 07:12:18 -0700 2007 2703834 75881 vorpal 1 2709071 I guess Fred DeLuca the Subway founder would call it the smell of money - it made him a billionaire! Sat Jun 30 09:10:21 -0700 2007 2703834 57170 Veggo 1 2709877 It's the bread baking. Nothing more. I mean "bread" and "baking," of course. Sat Jun 30 17:25:03 -0700 2007 2703834 12135 John Manzo 2 2709939 Bread baking smells wonderful. There's something else going on at Subway. Sat Jun 30 18:01:40 -0700 2007 2709877 11995 pikawicca 2 2710135 Bread baking? Since when does bread baking smell like a warm fermentation of a blend of 65% food waste, 10% used cooking oil, 15% floor mop rinse, and 10% water from the pot scubbing station? Sat Jun 30 19:56:53 -0700 2007 2709877 36661 Sam Fujisaka 3 2710171 Actually, Sam, Subway uses no cooking oil or pots, so you are down to 80%. Your 15% floor mop rinse implies that floors are really being mopped, so dissection of your math reveals that you are giving credit for roach-free hygiene at Subway. The remainging 65% -food waste - sounds like we need a will Rogers Quotation. "I never met a turd I didn't like?" Sat Jun 30 20:14:47 -0700 2007 2710135 57170 Veggo 4 2710237 God, these replies are hilarious! especially since I thought I suffered alone. As someone else mentioned, I'm never eating there again after this thread. They somehow become popular in student unions, somehow wormed their way onto many campuses. One year of my life I ate many buffalo "chicken" wraps. There was nothing else, so it became a habit. I don't remember the smell there, but I used to cross the street to avoid the one near where I worked in Manhattan. What I wonder is, how can they stay in business with such a gross smell emanating from the place? Is not everyone aware of it? Perhaps subway has the market cornered on heavy smokers who have lost their sense of smell? but then there is still the mouth feel of cheap meat - There are actually subways overseas. this i could not believe. i was in amman recently, and I can understand the perception of McD's as fun for kids, but why in a city with the best schwarma and falafel sandwiches for $.30 a piece would anyone go near a subway? my conclusion was that they must be different, every time we drove past (multiple locations!). there's no way people would eat there otherwise. though I don't understand why people would eat there here, barring lack of any other food source. - it smells like vomit, let's go inside and eat whatever is giving off that smell!!!! Sat Jun 30 21:05:02 -0700 2007 2710171 11190 fara 5 2710311 I'll never forget the first time I went to a Subway, approximately 1989. I was traveling and the rest of the occupants of the vehicle I was in suggested Subway. I protested but was overruled. I went for a simple type of sub, like an "Italian". The saltiness and overprocessed taste of the meats astounded me. There wasn't much meat on the sub, either. And that smell... I am pretty sure it is the yeast in their "fresh baked bread". Yeah, the bread might have been baked today but how old is the dough and what is it made out of? This was in Buffalo, NY. Buffalo is a town with pizza joints every few blocks that have subs that blow these out of the water. Eight years later, my finace (now wife) who I had recently met dragged me to another Subway, this one in Gainesville, FL. That same smell... My strategy that day was to go as simple as possible, a turkey sub. Thin, chemically, salty, and not much turkey on that bread. It would be hard to get that down without mayo on it, much to Jared's chagrin. Fast forward to last year. There was some new spicy chicken or Buffalo Chicken sub that they were promoting in TV commercials and it actually looked enticing - and I love spicy food. I was driving down the road and there was a Subway up ahead. I actually pulled in on my own accord - I was alone, and suddenly found myself in a Subway, this one in Seminole, FL. This was a pretty new Subway and surprisingly that smell wasn't so strong. It was lunchtime and I was about the fifth person in line. I stood in the line anxiously awaiting my spicy chicken sub for about one minute when the voice inside me remarked, "Rob, do you realize you are actually standing in line at Subway???!!!". I immediately left. It is good to listen to that little voice inside you... Sat Jun 30 22:02:04 -0700 2007 2710237 58994 Robert R 6 2710730 > Yeah, the bread might have been baked today but how old is the dough and what is it made out of? Grab yourself a pot of tea, get comfortable, and load up their website. They have an ingredient list for their "bread", but a warning: there are far better novellas out there than that one and they don't require a degree in chemistry to understand. > This was a pretty new Subway and surprisingly that smell wasn't so strong. *grins* It's like a fine wine that seems only to improve with age! Sun Jul 01 07:59:56 -0700 2007 2710311 75881 vorpal 4 2710535 Fool, that was, "Ya caint shine a turd". Sun Jul 01 04:34:58 -0700 2007 2710171 36661 Sam Fujisaka 5 2711046 Por favor, keep watchin' out for me, Sam, especially when I next make my Oaxacan chicken with the velvety, chocalatey, chili-laden sauce replete with small rodents. Sun Jul 01 11:04:49 -0700 2007 2710535 57170 Veggo 3 2710469 Sam, I think the idea is that it's not the actual baking that smells bad. It's the raw, *cheapy*, yeasty dough sitting around. Really, if you ate there, you wouldn't believe how bad their bread is. But I think lebelage is right, that it has at least something to do with the cheap meat, as well. Grease, waste, sterilizers and dishwater are all present in the smell at, say, McDonalds, but the subway smell is unique. If you pay attention (and for your sanity, don't!) you can taste that smell in your sandwich. I know because I took one to go about a month ago, when some friends wanted to eat there, thinking it would be okay outside the store, but the sandwich carries the smell/flavor with it. I need a drink. Sun Jul 01 01:20:33 -0700 2007 2710135 50942 don giovanni 1 2710332 I heard that at all Subways there is a time capsule with Jareds first burp from the first sub he ate on a commercial concealed in an airtight container within the capsule with a few drops of the meat preservative there was a reaction and the burp gas was released and has permeated the walls and perimeter of Subways all over the world for an area of 1 city block.Now come on people get real!!!!!!!!!!! Sat Jun 30 22:24:22 -0700 2007 2703834 98401 widehomehi 2 2713248 Has anyone tried Blimpie's? Are Blimpie's subs better? Mon Jul 02 10:33:38 -0700 2007 2710332 78611 aurora50 3 2715055 erm... no. Mon Jul 02 20:33:19 -0700 2007 2713248 12135 John Manzo 4 2716004 I suppose it's all relative, but the Blimpie Best Italian sub beats anything Subway peddles. And there's no yeasty/butt smell at Blimpie. Then again, saying Blimpie is better than Subway is like saying colon cancer is better than lymphatic cancer. Tue Jul 03 08:25:54 -0700 2007 2715055 12359 monkeyrotica 1 2715181 OMG, this might be one of the funniest threads ever...I was CRYING I was laughing so hard. No one understands why I cannot stand subway...I actually have almost shunned all sandwiches because of some bad experiences at subway. I also heard a TERRIBLE story about what a kid in my high school did to the tuna salad one day in the walk-in, and I have never felt the same about subway since. I do recall some broke/vegetarian-ish years where the (at the time) $1.99 veggie sub got me through some tough times. I think people who care little about food and taste/quality but just are hungry and are really trying to be healthy eat there because it's a no-brainer. But I can't see actively seeking it out! Mon Jul 02 21:30:31 -0700 2007 2703834 52195 HomeCookKirsten 1 2718206 I thought it was just me too! Re-visiting a childhood memory of that great tourist-trap, the Shell Factory in Ft Myers Fl a few years ago was completely destroyed by THAT smell! Why oh why they put a Subway in there, I'll never understand. To me it smelled like they were heating frozen pizzas with the plastic wrap still on them. Icky, bread, plastic & cheese. I was so nauseous from THAT SMELL I had to wait outside! Tue Jul 03 20:23:19 -0700 2007 2703834 15882 PrincessBakesALot 1 2718374 Thinking about this, I feel very sorry for the poor folks who work there. They could easily end up like the man in that dmb song Big Eyed Fish (if you know the song, you know what I'm talking about). Tue Jul 03 22:15:25 -0700 2007 2703834 50942 don giovanni 1 2719143 Yeah, I've always wondered about that smell . . . Wed Jul 04 10:25:19 -0700 2007 2703834 56871 dinnerbell 1 2722909 I went into a cell phone store today and the whole room smelled exactly like Subway. I went back in a few hours later and the smell was still there, so I finally asked, and sure enough, one of the employees had a sandwich for lunch earlier. I can't believe it. One sandwich made the entire room smell for hours! Thu Jul 05 19:11:48 -0700 2007 2703834 50942 don giovanni 2 2722940 Actually, that "baking bread" smell from Subway might actually be coming from am electronic scent box (I kid you not!) If you've ever seen an aromatherapy diffuser, these things operate in a similar manner, but on a larger scale. I used to work at a restaurant and one day a marketing company came in to pitch these things. They are actually commonly used in many retail stores and the scent is customized for the store (aka Subway's baking bread). They can also used like aromatherapy. For example, some stores pipe in the subtle scent of peppermint to energize, other use lavender to make the shopper feel calm. This company thought that since we were a restaurant, using one that had an enticing food smell and having it released to people walking by on the street would entice them to come in. I really wish I was making this up but I'm serious. So, everyone is right on the mark when they complain about all the artificial ingredients and preservatives at Subway - even the smell is fake! Thu Jul 05 19:23:02 -0700 2007 2722909 67415 vinogirl212 3 2724953 So you're saying there's actually a company that sells a machine that will make a store smell like butt? And people pay for this? I'm in the wrong business. Fri Jul 06 12:32:54 -0700 2007 2722940 12359 monkeyrotica 4 2726887 While I don't know whether Subway uses them, the "smell machines" really do exist. Sat Jul 07 07:15:58 -0700 2007 2724953 23411 embee 3 3875717 How else do you think that Cinnabon makes the entire mall smell like cinnamon? Evil bastards. Wed Jul 16 19:27:40 -0700 2008 2722940 67610 Suzy Q 4 3876581 Disney has been doing this for years too. People walk down Main Street in the Magic Kingdom and are enticed into the 'bakery' by the scent of fresh baked cookies. Only the cookies are baked in a food processing facility away from the park. Thu Jul 17 06:53:59 -0700 2008 3875717 152667 Ralphie_in_Boston 1 2725752 There's alot I'm embarrassed about here, but anyway, on the morning on the Fourth of July, my BF and I were shopping at Walmart and from the time we walked in we were enveloped in this quasi yummy smell of pizza, you know, the yeast, tomatoey sauce, cheese. Even though we had just finished brekkie at Mitzel's (The Chain That Doesn't Suck, Usually), after our shopping we followed our noses to the Subway outlet in the WM. They had big signs advertising their new pizzas. Having heard about them on CH, I told my BF we needed to take one for the team. After all, if it was disgusting after one bite, we didn't need to finish it. We never even got that far. After being ignored by the two employees, we gained their attention by asking if we could order a cheese pizza. I kid you not, she reached into a freezer and pulled out a cellophane entombed frozen pie. We cancelled and left. Fri Jul 06 16:30:08 -0700 2007 2703834 109819 dothepuyallup 1 2726273 I used to own a Subway. I can tell you it's the smell of the dough rising in the proofer....plus the evaporated olive oil and vinegar used on the sandwiches. Although it was a money-printing machine, glad those days were over. Fri Jul 06 20:23:43 -0700 2007 2703834 15633 fdb 2 2745488 I worked in a bakery for three years, and good, fresh bread does not smell like that in the proofer. What the heck is in that Subway bread? Thu Jul 12 21:21:23 -0700 2007 2726273 76025 mojoeater 3 2745648 bread doughs at Subway came frozen....could that be the reason? Thu Jul 12 23:33:54 -0700 2007 2745488 15633 fdb 1 2735519 Ziggylu, I am so happy to read your post cause a lot of ppl never understand what I mean on "I do not want to go cause ill have the smell stuck to my clotsh and hair all day". The only times I actually go into a subway is on the weekends when I can change my cloths or stay outside for a long time! My hsuband loves it and dont get me wrong I like their sandwiches. But geeeeeez the smell that you get from walking into the establishment is something extremely annoying. Tue Jul 10 08:35:57 -0700 2007 2703834 104564 SarahOM 1 2735553 Hmm ...I guess it depends if I'm really hungry or not because sometimes I think it smells kinda yummy. However on hot humid days when NYC already stinks, walking by a Subway can be overwhelming. Tue Jul 10 08:43:59 -0700 2007 2703834 28055 clim212 1 2741764 It's the smell of mediocrity. Wed Jul 11 19:55:27 -0700 2007 2703834 21400 mattesq 2 2741859 hah Wed Jul 11 20:31:26 -0700 2007 2741764 98401 widehomehi 3 2745243 Hysterical thread! Guess it must be a money printing machine. I live in a town of <10,000 and we have 3 of the places! But we have a Quiznos opening very soon. Bye bye Subway! Thu Jul 12 19:51:22 -0700 2007 2741859 83659 randyjl 1 2792643 SMELL is the strongest of the senses, strong in that it is the sense most likely to trigger memory, and to be remembered. This is SO true about subway--- I used to go there all the time during my Freshman year of college---there was one right next door, and being a college student, it was one of many depressing options. I usually stuck to a turkey sandwich, but on "special occasions" would treat myself to a meatball sub. I dont even want to think what was in any of that meat! Recently I was sick and lost my appetite, which would lead me to pretty much satisfy any random craving i'd have, because at least it would indicate that I was hungry. All of a sudden, i WANTED subway, a turkey sandwich with that honey mustard. Upon entering, it was amazing, i was TRANSPORTED by that smell back to freshman year of college. It was actually a pleasant experience remembering all the fun, unhealthy times I had had. But I was shocked at how quickly it brought me back, it truly is a powerful aroma! Sat Jul 28 19:02:09 -0700 2007 2703834 58083 CatalinaCupcake 1 3871763 This post seems to be about a year too late but... We love Subway but the smell has been horrible. It used to smell good like fresh bread. I believe it all started when they began toasting the sandwhiches, or it could be one of their newer specialty breads. Anyways, they need to fix it. We do not eat in the stores anymore! Tue Jul 15 16:29:37 -0700 2008 2703834 210138 microtube 2 3873734 I haven't even considered eating at a Subway since I moved to Boston (where Mom & Pop pizza/sub shops are on almost every corner of many residential neighborhoods). I don't remember them smelling bad. I do remember them tasting bad. It must be something they've done more recently. Hey, maybe they want it to really smell like....A SUBWAY (in Boston, Park Street Station...in New York, Times Square....eeewwww).. Wed Jul 16 09:19:27 -0700 2008 3871763 152667 Ralphie_in_Boston