Whatever you call them – gyros, grinders, subs, po’ boy, hero, or hoagie – I’m here to talk about them. This is not a “top 5 list”, simply a discussion of the type of sandwich by which I will be referring to as a “sub”.
Subway – these guys have built their reputation on subs. If you’ve ever been to their place, the walls are plastered with early blueprints for the New York Subway system. Kind of a play on words. The basic premise here is that you tell them how long a sub you want (6 inch or foot long), what kind of bread you want, the type of cheese (if any), whether or not you want it toasted and then the type of “fixin’s” you want. A little of this and a little of that and pretty soon your sub is done. They wrap a piece of paper around it, shove it in a clear-plastic bag and it’s all yours.
Generally speaking, Subway makes a good sub. By default I don’t get my subs toasted because I think their bread is good. If anything, there’s probably too MUCH bread. The meat is always tasty and I feel like the vegetables they use are fresh. I don’t think I’ve had a bad sub at Subway.
Quiznos – In my book, these guys are fairly new to the game but I don’t know why I feel this way. You order a sub and they add some stuff to it. Then they toast the sucker. When it comes out the other end of the toaster, they ask whether you want more stuff. Didn’t I already answer that?
My chief complaint is that I feel Quiznos is on the expensive size. $13 is too much for one person for lunch. Maybe it’s just me. The toasting of the sub neither adds nor hinders the sub, in my estimation. I do like the little Q-shaped plates they use when you order-in.
Wawa – I have to admit I was skeptical about Wawa subs. I thought, “Made to order food at the same place they sell gas? Weird”. They have the ordering system that all fast food places should have – electronic touch-screen. I had this idea years ago when I first saw a touch screen. I thought about McDonald’s using them for both in-store and drive-through orders. Wawa got that part right.
I tap out my order, I grab the receipt and I pick out a drink and some chips. By the time I’m done paying for the food it’s ready to be picked up. Perfect!
The subs are so good and don’t have a lot of bread. If I had to pick a complaint I’d have to say the powder on the rolls. It’s almost like sand on the top and bottom of the sub. When you take a bite, a whole pile of this stuff ends up in your lap. Another thing would be the little piece of plastic that they put into the contents of your sub. By the time I get mine home I have to make an exploratory search of the sandwich just to dig out the thin piece of plastic. Good subs, though.
Firehouse – My sister first told me about this place and, at first, I thought “meh” but then one opened down the street from where I work so I had to try it. The subs there are AWESOME… so good. The whole premise of the store is that they were started by firemen – and all the workers look like they’re dressed as firemen in t-shirts. The sub I usually get is a “hook and ladder” and where most places would call it “the works” these guys use the term “fully involved”.
Okay, so you place your order and you give them your name. Then – hold on to your hats – they actually bring it to you. The bread is awesome. They’re not toasted but the whole sub is warm. Pickle on the side and really good iced tea. It’s very filling. Unless I’m supremely hungry (haven’t eaten all day) I get the medium because the large is just too big.
Blimpies – I went here once and just didn’t like the place. It seemed very “New Jersey” when maybe I was looking for “New York”… you know? The sub rolls they used were terrible and it just seemed like the people making the subs did not care. They made me wait and then called out the entire order of the sub. When I had forgotten EVERYTHING I got on the sub they yelled it out again. You take one bite into it and the whole thing falls apart. They lost major points in my book so I’ve not been back since. I have no reason to go back now.
Zero's – Again, I was not overly impressed with Zero's. The meat had a greasy quality and they toast every sub by default. I guess they’re hoping they can toast the grease away. The best thing about them are their drinks. They use HUGE white cups with ice the size of peas – and they offer free refills. The sub was not so great (a couple that I’ve ordered had too much mayo on them) but I’d go in just for a soda.
Man, am I hungry now.
Subway – these guys have built their reputation on subs. If you’ve ever been to their place, the walls are plastered with early blueprints for the New York Subway system. Kind of a play on words. The basic premise here is that you tell them how long a sub you want (6 inch or foot long), what kind of bread you want, the type of cheese (if any), whether or not you want it toasted and then the type of “fixin’s” you want. A little of this and a little of that and pretty soon your sub is done. They wrap a piece of paper around it, shove it in a clear-plastic bag and it’s all yours.Generally speaking, Subway makes a good sub. By default I don’t get my subs toasted because I think their bread is good. If anything, there’s probably too MUCH bread. The meat is always tasty and I feel like the vegetables they use are fresh. I don’t think I’ve had a bad sub at Subway.
Quiznos – In my book, these guys are fairly new to the game but I don’t know why I feel this way. You order a sub and they add some stuff to it. Then they toast the sucker. When it comes out the other end of the toaster, they ask whether you want more stuff. Didn’t I already answer that?My chief complaint is that I feel Quiznos is on the expensive size. $13 is too much for one person for lunch. Maybe it’s just me. The toasting of the sub neither adds nor hinders the sub, in my estimation. I do like the little Q-shaped plates they use when you order-in.
Wawa – I have to admit I was skeptical about Wawa subs. I thought, “Made to order food at the same place they sell gas? Weird”. They have the ordering system that all fast food places should have – electronic touch-screen. I had this idea years ago when I first saw a touch screen. I thought about McDonald’s using them for both in-store and drive-through orders. Wawa got that part right.I tap out my order, I grab the receipt and I pick out a drink and some chips. By the time I’m done paying for the food it’s ready to be picked up. Perfect!
The subs are so good and don’t have a lot of bread. If I had to pick a complaint I’d have to say the powder on the rolls. It’s almost like sand on the top and bottom of the sub. When you take a bite, a whole pile of this stuff ends up in your lap. Another thing would be the little piece of plastic that they put into the contents of your sub. By the time I get mine home I have to make an exploratory search of the sandwich just to dig out the thin piece of plastic. Good subs, though.
Firehouse – My sister first told me about this place and, at first, I thought “meh” but then one opened down the street from where I work so I had to try it. The subs there are AWESOME… so good. The whole premise of the store is that they were started by firemen – and all the workers look like they’re dressed as firemen in t-shirts. The sub I usually get is a “hook and ladder” and where most places would call it “the works” these guys use the term “fully involved”.Okay, so you place your order and you give them your name. Then – hold on to your hats – they actually bring it to you. The bread is awesome. They’re not toasted but the whole sub is warm. Pickle on the side and really good iced tea. It’s very filling. Unless I’m supremely hungry (haven’t eaten all day) I get the medium because the large is just too big.
Blimpies – I went here once and just didn’t like the place. It seemed very “New Jersey” when maybe I was looking for “New York”… you know? The sub rolls they used were terrible and it just seemed like the people making the subs did not care. They made me wait and then called out the entire order of the sub. When I had forgotten EVERYTHING I got on the sub they yelled it out again. You take one bite into it and the whole thing falls apart. They lost major points in my book so I’ve not been back since. I have no reason to go back now.
Zero's – Again, I was not overly impressed with Zero's. The meat had a greasy quality and they toast every sub by default. I guess they’re hoping they can toast the grease away. The best thing about them are their drinks. They use HUGE white cups with ice the size of peas – and they offer free refills. The sub was not so great (a couple that I’ve ordered had too much mayo on them) but I’d go in just for a soda.Man, am I hungry now.