Subway celebrates 25 years in Athlone

Subway at the Kilmartin Centre, Dublin Road, Athlone, has just completed a refurbishment to coincide with its landmark 25th anniversary.

Store owner Tony Pettit has been reflecting on the last quarter of a century running the store: “It doesn't feel like 25 years," he says. “More like five years. I don't know if that is a good or a bad thing!

“I bought the franchise 25 years ago but didn't actually get to open the door of our original store for a few months which then ran into 2002. The original store was beside the town bridge across from the AIB. Then in 2005 we opened a second store at the Kilmartin centre where we currently trade," he said.

The town store was closed in 2012, ten years after it opened. Tony cites the big economic downturn at the time as the contributing factor.

So how did Tony get involved in Subway?

“I was manager of a SuperValu store in 2000. At that stage I was looking to move on and set up my own business, but I didn’t know what type of business. One day a flyer came in with the post advertising Subway products."

He continued: “I remembered the 'Subs' sandwiches from the States when I was there on a J1 student visa in 1989. I rang Subway assuming they wanted our SuperValu store to sell Subway products in the store but that wasn't the case. They were setting up stores around the country and were looking for new franchisees to do so. I knew then that’s what I wanted to do.”

At that stage there were six Subway outlets in Ireland. Today, there are over 250 on the island.

Over the years, Tony says the Subway 'product' hasn't changed a whole lot: the big sellers 25 years ago are still the big sellers today, the meatball sub, the steak and cheese sub and of course their famous Italian BMT.

Subway have tweaked the menu over time but by and large it’s the core products that customers still really want, he explained.

What has changed has been the delivery system. “The biggest gamechanger in the last 25 years has been the emergence of third-party delivery, with such companies as Just Eat and Uber Eats now operating in Athlone.”

Tony explained: “Subway didn't do deliveries 25 years ago. Hot food deliveries were typically only done by Chinese takeaways and pizza takeaways. I never envisaged so many different food businesses delivering so much food on the scale they do today. People love convenience and they're willing to pay the extra premium on saving time traveling and saving time cooking.”

Tony is hugely grateful for the support of customers over the years.

“It’s great to be still trading away. I don't take it for granted,” he said, “I've been blessed to have great staff and am very grateful to all our customers over the years who have helped to keep our doors open.”

It was fitting therefore that Tony invited the stores first ever customer 25 years ago Monica Keane back to be the first customer in the newly designed store. “Monica has been a loyal customer ever since day one and I was delighted to invite her to the store on our opening day and for her to be our first customer again,” he said.

Monica said she used to like going to Subway as a treat to herself and husband, and now their kids are also customers. “It’s the meatball sub and the cookies that keep bringing our kids back,” she says. Will Tony be in Subway in another 25 years?

“In business I only take it one day at a time and don't look beyond that. What I do know is that I feel as excited about Subway today as I did when I first opened the doors 25 years ago!”

Subway is hosting a celebration day this Friday, September 18 in the store. All cookies will be 25 cent to mark the 25-year anniversary.