Subway is again targeting the health crowd with a new Fresh Fit Menu. | Photo courtesy of Subway.
Subway is looking to regain some favor with health-conscious consumers.
The fast-food sandwich giant plans to reintroduce its Fresh Fit Menu, six years after it last appeared in the chain’s restaurants.
But much like consumers’ views over what is considered “healthy,” the look of that menu is changing. The menu will focus let on reduced fat and more on boosting protein, without overdoing the calorie count.
The new Fresh Fit menu will feature four subs with at least 20 grams of protein apiece, and as much as 35, a full serving of vegetables and fewer than 500 calories on a 6-inch sub.
The menu will feature a Grilled Chicken & Avocado sandwich with lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, red onions and a Baja Chipotle sauce; a Ham and Turkey Stacker with lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions and yellow mustard; a Seasoned Steak & Avocado sandwich with lettuce, spinach, tomatoes and red onions and a Turkey & Ranch Delite with lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, red onions and a Peppercorn Ranch sauce.
“We’re going back to some of what’s made us great over the years,” Travis Lowe, VP of consumer product insights, said in an interview with Restaurant Business. “Guests have told us that they look to us as one of those better-for-you brands. This is about us seizing that back and taking control of that.”
Subway has had an on-and-off relationship with the health crowd for much of the past quarter-century.
The Miami-based chain started marketing its subs as healthy in the early 2000s, thanks to former spokesman Jared Fogle, who started appearing in ads for the chain in 2000 after he lost 245 pounds while eating a diet largely consisting of Subway sandwiches.
Subway introduced a Fresh Fit Menu in 2007 with a selection of lower-calorie and lower-fat sandwiches. The combination proved remarkably successful for the chain, giving Subway a health halo so strong that for a time even its competitors said the campaign made their sandwiches seem healthier. It also helped fuel sales at the chain, particularly as the company marketed its $5 Footlong.
But consumers’ views on health changed as Americans cut out carbohydrates and gluten, thus frowning upon large sandwiches as a health food. And then in 2015, Fogle was arrested on child pornography charges, which largely ended what had for the most part been a successful relationship.
Subway struggled to regain that health halo. It pushed its Fresh Fit Menu again before the pandemic, but with limited success.
Now, however, consumers’ views on health have shifted again. Consumers are now more focused on protein, which is providing a marketing opportunity for a broader array of companies. And Subway sees an opportunity to reintroduce an updated version of the Fresh Fit Menu.
For the past year, the company has worked to develop a line of sandwiches that give customers more protein without getting too caloric. Executives also believe this provides customers with more value in the process.
“It’s almost like a portion and a half of either turkey or the steak or the chicken to get that high protein,” Paul Fabre, SVP of global culinary and innovation at Subway, said in an interview. “That’s really where the value comes in.”
Subway leaned on its pantry of leaner meats to provide a balance between higher protein and lower calories.
“The chicken and the turkey does help with that,” Fabre said. “Even our steak, it’s high in protein and it’s not high in fat. So it really helps with creating those items.”
For Subway, which has struggled with weak sales and closing units, regaining those customers could be key in a turnaround. Subway’s sales were strongest in 2012 when it still boasted strong value coupled with a health-focused message around its subs.
“We’ve been known for fresh veggies and high-quality protein and having better-for-you choices,” Fabre said. “But we’ve not really spent a lot of time highlighting those. And we think this was the right time to bring this back to life under a new umbrella that focuses on the benefits that the guests are looking for.”
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