Quiznos Vs. Subway

And the winner is Subway.

I used to make a regular habit of going to Subway at lunch alone. I'd bring a book with me, and order one of the 6-inch sub combos, and be content with that. I'd get one of the 6 grams of fat or less subs, some baked chips or sun chips, eat slowly, then read for the remainder of my lunch hour. I eventually got adjusted to the lighter portion, and came to enjoy my little ritual, until my life got derailed and I had to quit that.

Now, I'm trying to get back into that groove, and I decided to start again today. However, I recalled the Quizno's commercials, and their assault on Subway, and decided to give it a try. The commercials pointed out two things:

1) Quizno's subs are toasted.

Then Subway offered to toast there subs, and the commercials turned into:

2) Subway doesn't give you any meat. If you compare the two side by side, Quizno's meat overflows the sub. Subway does not

I felt a little guilty for "betraying" my local Subway guys by testing out the competition, but I believe that any opinion, be it culinary, political, or video game, is more worth having if you try to see what's good about the other side before blindly choosing one.

So, I went today and got a medium Italian sub, and came to the following conclusions:

1) Quizno's give you more meat.

Perhaps too much meat - they certainly don't have any spokespeople advocating the health benefits of eating Quizno's every day.

The problem is, you pay for all that extra meat. My combo cost me nearly $10. Subway has always offered to double your meat for a nominal charge for as long as I can remember ($1 for a 6" and $2 for a footlong), and the price works out the same. As far as I can see, Quizno's isn't making me a better offer; they're just not giving me an option for normal meat.

2) Subway's bread is magical.

The first thing I smell coming into Subway is that bread. Part of the reason I don't get my sub toasted very often is that the bread is just so tasty. It's got just the right amount of gluten for that texture that's soft, yet firm, without being spongy like everything I've ever tried to make subs with at home.

3) I like variety of vegetable toppings.

What they show in the Quizno's commercials is a Subway sub with lettuce on it. No wonder it looks pathetic. If you're going for a meat-only sub, then you don't go to Subway. You go to Subway for that delicious variety of fresh vegetables. I always get everything but mayo when I go - wonderful. Every bite has it's own combination of flavors - sometimes you get some pickles and tomatoes, sometimes it's olives and banana peppers, and every now and then a jalapeno. I always announce "everything but mayo" right away so the sandwich artist has the opportunity to put together the sub without overstuffing it, but it still barely closes by the time they're done.

4) The yellow theme really works

For some reason, the yellow colors of the benches and walls really soothe me. I think there's some science behind colors that explains it all. I know red is supposed to make you hungry, but I think yellow makes you happy.

OK, I'm done. I know I sound like a Subway spokesman - I'm not. I'm pissed that my local Subway stopped the Subway club, and raised the prices on the 3 subs after 5 promotion. Still, I think they're the best sandwich out there, and probably my favorite guilt-free meal anywhere.