Quiznos Is In A Vicious Downward Spiral

[FarCenter]

Once booming sandwich chain Quiznos started running into trouble during the recession, and things have only gotten worse.

In 2012, the company restructured its debt in order to avoid bankruptcy and fund a turnaround, but the plan hasn't worked. Now it has missed a loan payment, is attempting to restructure its debt again, and has franchisees worried and angry, according to The Wall Street Journal.

In this time, Quiznos has gone from nearly 5,000 stores to around 2,100, and hundreds more US stores are underperforming and may close, according to the Journal.

Meanwhile similar chains have done just fine. Chicago-based Potbelly is rapidly expanding and recently had a very successful initial public offering. Jimmy John's is expanding too, and Subway continues to be a growing and highly profitable behemoth.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/quiznos-financial-difficulties-2013-12

[KamaAina]

1. Quizno's success prompted Subway to install toasting ovens

that took away Quizno's advantage, and forced me to answer yet another annoying question every time I get Subway.

[tammywammy]

2. I like Quiznos more than Subway

Unfortunately, there's not a Quiznos near where I work or live. There's a Jimmy John's that opened close to my house, but I haven't eaten there yet.

[RC]

5. I ate at Jimmy John's once.

I wasn't impressed. Not planing on going back.
I do like both Quiznos and Subway.

[tammywammy]

8. since there's a subway near work I eat there a one or twice a week.

I would prefer a Quiznos though, they have a better chipotle sauce. Heh

[doc03]

33. Me too, I can't hardly stand Subway anymore. their

bread is horrible. Their bread is like pumped full of air, it compresses down to nothing. I love
the smell of fresh baked bread but somehow Subway just smells bad it practically turns my stomach. They make a good chopped salad but if you order one their employees act like it is
a pain for them to make one.

[Springslips]

36. I love Quiznos

I couldn't get enough of and still hunger for their chicken and bacon sub. But every Quiznos in town went down the toilet a few years ago. I knew a franchise owner and he told me why; it isn't just the recession that is to blame; it is corporate incompetence. They demanded higher food cost beyond anything a decent shop could make a margin on, and outlawed the use of third party vendors. He said their food cost were hugely higher than competitors. Once the downturn came, there was no room to adjust.

Chalk it down to another victim of the Peter Principle. Maybe someone with ability will buy the chain. I yearn for that flipping sub!

[davidpdx]

38. I love Quiznos too

There are a few here in South Korea, mainly in the business districts. I'm not sure if they are still there. They have Subway here too, but none around here.

[Viking12]

42. The founder of Jimmy John's is a teabagger douche

[Lars39]

3. Love Potbelly sandwiches and service.

[JHB]

4. I go to "deli up the street"

Beats any of those hands down

[FarCenter]

6. "Chain" and "deli" never seemed to go together

Nor do we have many national chain pizza outlets around here.

[SomethingFishy]

7. Plenty of better sub shops these days..

Jersey Mikes, Firehouse, Which Wich.. all make good subs..

[TexasTowelie]

9. Their prices are too expensive.

A similar sandwich from Subway is usually about a $1 less than at Quiznos. The prices at Potbelly and Jimmy John's are usually about $2 less than Quiznos and they offer fewer specialty sandwiches.

I've also noticed that the people working at Quiznos have a sketchier appearance. I contacted the manager of one of the franchises once because both of the men were wearing low riders and looking at their underwear turned off my appetite.

In my area the Quiznos shuts down earlier at night during the week, is closed at 5 p.m. on Saturday and is closed on Sunday.

[davidn3600]

10. More expensive, sandwiches are smaller, and they have no real niche in the market

[doc03]

11. All the Quiznos stores around here are closed. They came in at night

emptied their stores and left a sign in the window they were closed, never even notified their employees. Quiznos was more expensive than Subway but well worth it to me. I can barely stand to eat Subway anymore, their bread is horrible, somehow they inject it with air to make it go further. Right now my favorite subs around here are Sub Express at Convenient and other carry-outs. When down in Florida I found great subs at Publix grocery stores.

[Eleanors38]

27. In Gainesville, try Hogan's Heros. Get 'em hot pressed.

[Initech]

12. Another business that expanded too exponentially too quickly.

At one point there were six of them within a five block radius of where I work and now most if not all are gone. Used to love their Baja chicken sandwich too.

[seveneyes]

13. Quiznos is on my boycott list

They fired someone I know for failing a urine test for MaryJane. As if that is any metric for hiring someone in that line of work.

[Warren DeMontague]

39. Everyone knows stoners can't make sandwiches!

[sendero]

14. I haven't eaten at Quizno's ..

... in many many years because I don't like their sandwiches (especially the bread, you cannot make a good sandwich using fluffy cloud bread).

Potbelly's is great, Jimmie Johns just fine and Which Wich fine also. Will eat at Subway if I have to

I think for businesses like these it really comes down to the food. People think it is worth the price or they don't. If they don't, they don't return.

I don't expect Quizno's to survive.

[K.O. Stradivarius]

15. Do they still have a pepper bar?

[pa28]

16. They got a pepper bar. 'NUFF SAID.

[Retrograde]

34. The singing dead mice were the best thing about Quiznos

although many people probably don't like having rodents associated with their food.

I had one of their sandwiches once, back when they first opened: a place I worked at the time brought lunch in for everyone once a week and it was that week's offing. It was OK, but not good enough to seek out.

[Major Nikon]

17. My neighbor owned two Quiznos at one time

His stores were of those 3,000 or so that tanked. He said Quiznos basically made it impossible for him to make a profit.

[Liberal_in_LA]

24. Most of the LA ones have closed. I don't think they could compete with Subway's cheap prices

[Ikonoklast]

31. Quiznos corporate screwed all of the franchisees, right into the ground.

Instead of wanting to run things as an ongoing enterprise, they chose to rob the very people that were making them money.


Idiots.

[Vashta Nerada]

18. Jimmy John's and Subway are overrated.

I liked Quiznos.

For all my deli sandwich needs, I go to Erbert & Gerbert's.

[CFLDem]

19. I found Quiznos to be overrated.

This news doesn't surprise me at all.

[Logical]

20. Waiting for a "low grade dogfood" comment from a DU food snob. n-t

[Warren DeMontague]

40. ***

[Logical]

41. LOL, good one, the most quotable movie ever! n-t

[Arcanetrance]

21. For a chain sub place Quiznos is pretty good but I prefer Jersey Mike's or Lennys if I'm gonna get a

sub from a chain

[Populist_Prole]

43. My exact findings as well

JM's or Lenny's is the closest I've had to a "mom & pop" NY deli sandwich I've ever had, quality-wise.

[underpants]

22. The only one I know about around here is tucked away almost invisible

and the staff appear to be all family - I was not confident of the product I got there the one time I went

[The Midway Rebel]

23. Shop local!

Screw the corporate chains.

[Incitatus]

25. I still find it hard to believe they found it wise to use rats in their commercials. nt

[GP6971]

26. We have one

in my town. It never looks busy. I'll have to check tomorrow if it's still open

[Egalitarian Thug]

28. What a shock. Classic made-to-make-it-on-Wall-Street-model goes tits up.

It's really too bad because they made better sandwiches, but they decided to go for the big Wall Street executive payout at the franchisees' expense, instead.

[DeschutesRiver]

29. Two Quiznos stores just abruptly closed here in Central Oregon, guess the OP explains that. nt

[Blue Owl]

30. Those roadkill commercials a few years back didn't help

n/t

[xmas74]

32. I prefer Quiznos over Subway and Jimmy John's

but my favorite is Planet Sub. Smallish chain, tries to buy local organic produce, products from scratch, etc. Always a cool environment at the local shop.

[stopbush]

35. That's too bad. I try to support our local Quizno's as I've gotten to know the owner.

It's a family business.

It's never busy, and I'm afraid that in these parts it's because Mohammed - the owner - doesn't fit in with the mostly white local crowd.

I hope he doesn't get screwed.

[JI7]

37. they are too expensive and sandwiches are small and not that good

they aren't bad but they better be REALLY REALLY good if you are going to pay a lot for little.