Every day, the men and women of our military put themselves on the front lines defending the nation. One way restaurants and other businesses express their gratitude for the selfless service of the men and women of our armed forces is to offer them discounts at their establishments.
On Veterans Day and Memorial Day, several restaurants offer complimentary meals or special deals. Some food franchises offer special military discounts all year round. One of those restaurants that often provides daily discounts is Subway.
Note: With all Subways being individually owned and operated, daily discounts may not be guaranteed at all locations. Discounts are at the discretion of the owner. Please call ahead to verify participation.
The renowned sandwich shop not only offers discounts on its subs, but also on its franchising fees, giving veterans an opportunity to flourish professionally in the Subway family.
Read on to see how you can take advantage of Subway’s daily savings and entrepreneurial opportunities today.
About Subway
The first Subway was opened in 1965 in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
It was started by Fred DeLuca, who was looking for a way to earn some money for college, and Peter Buck, a physicist and family friend of DeLuca.
In fact, it was Buck who lent DeLuca $1,000 to start the first Subway restaurant, though at that point it wasn’t known as Subway. It was in 1974 that the company first adopted the franchise business model, which has now become their sole business model.
Currently, there are Subway franchises in over 44,000 locations across 111 countries in the world.
In the United States, there are 24,954 Subway outlets. Next in line is Canada with 3,196 outlets, followed by the UK with 2,426 outlets, Brazil with 2,023 outlets and Australia with 1,366 outlets. You can locate the Subway nearest to you here.
Subway’s Military Discount
Retired and active duty military personnel could potentially get a 10% discount on their orders at participating Subway outlets.
The term participating is important in the context of Subway because, as stated earlier, Subway doesn’t own any of the individual outlets. Every single one of them is a franchise outlet owned and operated by individuals.
Hence, the availability of the discount is at the discretion of the individual owner, and the Subway brand itself has no control over it.
This is what Subway had to say to a customer inquiring about Subway’s military discount on their Facebook page, so you should check with individual stores to make sure they’re offering a military discount before placing an order.
What You Need to Take with You
In order to receive Subway’s military discount, you need to bring in an appropriate proof of service. Below are a few commonly accepted forms of identification, linked to more information about acquiring them.
- Military ID Card
- Veterans ID Card
- Drivers License with Veterans Designation
- DD 214
- Veterans Service Organization Membership Card
Who Is Eligible for Subway’s Military Discount
Again, this will vary by location. Many franchises will offer the discount (if available) to current servicemembers. Some franchises may extend the offer to retired personnel or veterans.
When you call ahead to your local Subway to inquire about their discount, you can also double check on your access to it.
Again, please note that each Subway franchise determines whether or not they will offer a military discount.
Franchise Incentives for Veterans
While Subway doesn’t have control over the discount offered to veterans at individual outlets, they do have control over who gets to be a Subway franchisee and what the requirements for that are.
If an honorably discharged veteran wants to open a Subway restaurant, either on a government or a military installation, then the entire franchise fee is waived off.
If a veteran wants to open a Subway restaurant in a non-government or non-military location, then they get a 50% discount on the franchise fee. Subway’s franchise fee is $15,000 in the United States and Canada.
The investment to set up the actual restaurant is between $116,000 and $263,000 in the United States, while in Canada the investment is between $102,000 and $234,000.
This is an estimate provided by Subway based on their experience of franchising over the years.
The entire process of signing a franchise agreement, get the location approved and finally opening the restaurant can take anywhere between two months and twelve months. The first step is to fill up the franchise application form.
You can learn more about veterans who’ve opened their own Subway franchises here.
A whole section of Subway’s website is dedicated to honoring the veterans who have pursued their dreams with the company by opening a restaurant.
Enjoy Subway’s Military Discounts
Whether you are looking to graciously accept the military discounts offered as thanks to you or start a business in an established franchise, Subway has something for you.
Subway has spent years partnering with veterans to help them build businesses, find financial success, and share their stories of optimism.
The restaurant never shies away from highlighting its veterans achievements across platforms and encouraging people with their testimonies on their website.
Subway also looks to honor veterans on a smaller scale. While we can’t speak for all Subway locations and the type of deal mentioned is not advertised by the company, many locations offer Veterans Day promotions.
In previous years, some Subways locations have offered free 6-inch subs on Veterans Day, joining a long list of restaurants with complimentary Veterans Day meals.
At The Military Wallet, we try to keep you updated on military discounts, updating our posts on Veterans Day retail discounts as well as events and attractions. Take a look around and find the best discounts for you.
