Skift Take
Will delivery "save" Subway? No. But since delivery is becoming a mission critical part of a restaurant's operational strategy, the chain is smart to roll it out in a big way.
After a rough year of declining sales and store closures, Subway has officially launched itself into the delivery business.
Today, the chain is unveiling its delivery push at 9,000 of its restaurants, partnering with the four major third-party delivery providers: Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub, and Postmates. Some locations have been offering delivery for months — around 2,000 U.S. stories offered delivery through third parties this summer. There are about 25,000 Subway locations in the U.S.
"We piloted the delivery programs in 2016 with national and regional providers and, while it is too early to call it conclusive, our test period showed that delivery drives business outside of our typical in-restaurant peak hours, so we are doing relatively more afternoon and dinner business – even evening snack opportunities – than our usual pattern of sales," Michael Lang, Subway's senior director of global convenience, said in an email.
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