1. Subway
Subway built its empire on the iconic five-dollar footlong promotion, but those days are long gone. Following its acquisition by private equity firm Roark Capital in 2024, the chain has continued to struggle with unit economics and customer perception. Subway closed a net 729 domestic stores in 2025 alone, marking its tenth consecutive year of net closures and reducing its domestic footprint below 19,000 locations from a peak of more than 27,000 stores in 2015. A standard footlong sandwich now routinely costs between $10 and $14, with specialty builds exceeding $16 in many metropolitan markets. Franchisees frequently opt out of national corporate coupons to protect their margins, leaving customers frustrated at the register. The combination of pre-sliced, mass-processed meats, thin vegetable toppings, and double-digit price tags makes Subway one of the primary sandwich chains not worth it anymore.
