Subway Restaurants Outnumber McDonald's in Global Fast Food Market
While vacationing in Paris this past summer, I was struck by the slew of Subway Restaurants that appeared--just as many as McDonald's it seemed--all around the city.
But apparently Subway intends on becoming the global fast food leader; the major sandwich chain recently beat out McDonald's in the total number of restaurants, according to a recent article published in The Wall Street Journal.
Although the ubiquitous burger chain still commands a higher revenue (last year they pulled in $24 billion compared to Subway's $15.2 billion), the sandwich chain reigns king when it comes to total number of stores: globally Subway boasts over 33,749 stores while McDonald's lags a little behind at 32,737.
By 2020, Subway hopes to have more international than domestic restaurants, with plans to expand in the Asian market. (On the company's website they claim to currently have franchises in 95 countries.)
In The Wall Street Journal article, a Subway executive credits the company's global success by its ability to push sandwich selling in "non-traditional" places such as high schools, churches and even on a riverboat. "The non-traditional is becoming traditional'" he claims.
It seems difficult to believe though, why any customer in France would pass over the more traditional Parisian baguette sandwich, loaded with jambon and brie, freshly made from a patisserie, in favor of a bland American ham and cheese sub.
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