The Fast-Food Chain Customers Say Isn’t Worth the Price Anymore
Fast food is no longer the cheap option it used to be, but many chains are making a real effort to lure customers back with deals and special discounts, especially by using dedicated apps. Even with these efforts to bring prices down, certain chains are still struggling to change customer perception of fast food being too expensive for what it is. Other diners are exasperated by portion sizes shrinking while prices stay the same or even go up.
One chain frequently mentioned in online discourse is Subway, the once ubiquitous sandwich chain customers are convinced has gone downhill to the point where the prices are not worth it any more. According to Fox Business, the chain closed a net 729 U.S. locations in 2025, leaving fewer than 19,000 locations across the country, down from more than 22,000 just a few years ago. Many customers believe the quality of ingredients isn’t the same as it used to be. “They started to go downhill loooong before Covid. Not just with the prices but the ingredient quality in particular took a huge nosedive,” one Redditor said.
Another critic said they’ve noticed a steep decline in not just ingredient quality, but portion sizes. “I’ve always been a fan of Subway but the last time I went, the portions seemed to be smaller and the food wasn’t as good as it used to be. There was hardly any meat and the bread was extremely dry and crumbly,” they said. “At that point, I was thinking that maybe it was just a fluke. I went back a couple weeks later to see if it was any better. Nope, the food was still bad.”
Other customers made it clear a lot of these issues are location-dependent. “It completely depends on location. The one near me is great, good portions, orders through the app are always accurate. Hard to beat a $6.99 sub these days with how expensive other fast food restaurants have gotten,” one Redditor shared.
One way for Subway fans to avoid paying too much is to use coupons. “I get coupons in the mail sometimes that have decent subway deals. The one I use most often is 2 footlongs for 14 dollars. Outside of those coupons though, you’ll never see me in Subway,” one customer shared. On the plus side, the outlet reports that Subway has signed 93 franchise agreements and expects about 100 new locations to open in the coming year, hopefully a sign of things improving over the long run.