14 Pros and Cons of Working for Subway

When you love Subway’s customizable sandwiches, you may wonder what it’s like to be on the other side of the counter.

Working for Subway can be fun and rewarding, but it comes with downsides like any employer.

Whether you’re looking for a part-time gig as a sandwich artist or you intend to climb the ranks in the company, our list of pros and cons for working for Subway should help you decide if it’s worth it for you.

Pros of Working for Subway

1. Fast-paced environment

If you’ve ever been to a Subway franchise during your lunch break, you’ve seen how long lines can get for these popular subs.

When you’re waiting in line for your turn to tell the Sandwich Artist which bread and sub toppings you want, it can feel like the minutes drag on.

Rest assured that the Sandwich Artist isn’t feeling the same way during these hectic moments! 

When you work for Subway, you will have peak dining hours, which can vary from location to location.

2. Subway has locations in most states and cities

When you live with a significant other or roommate who plans to relocate at some point, it can be helpful to have a job that can move with your household.

Even if you just want to move to a new city a few years down the road for your own enjoyment, having options for transferring can take a load off your shoulders during the moving process.

Since there can be multiple Subway restaurants in a city, it can also be great if you move within your area.

If there’s a Subway location that’s closer to your new home, you should be able to transfer for a better commute.

3. Subway offers customer-facing roles

For the true “people person” out there, a customer-facing role as a sandwich artist or manager can be ideal.

When you work at Subway, you’ll always be able to interact with customers and co-workers.

This adds a satisfying social aspect to the job for extroverts and social employees.

If you are working on brushing up on your people skills, working at Subway can give you the practice you need to feel confident talking to people, as well.

4.  Subway has great, consistent food

When you work for a restaurant, you probably want to enjoy the food that they offer.

If you’re a fan of Subway’s sandwiches, cookies, and more, working for them is like a dream come true.

Since they are a chain, Subway’s food is pretty consistent across different locations.

When you’ve worked at one Subway, you’ll know the menu for any other Subways.

For smaller restaurants or non-chain restaurants, this kind of consistency may not exist.

Working at Subway can make you proud of being a part of a company that’s so expansive and reliable.

5. Subway’s Sandwich Artist positions are relatively straightforward

Sometimes, a simple job that pays the bills is all you need in your job search.

As a Sandwich Artist at Subway, you’ll find that the tasks aren’t overly complicated.

As long as you can slice and prepare ingredients, place them on sandwiches, toast as needed, and use the cash register, you’re good to go.

Of course, every role will be different at Subway and some management or corporate positions may be much more complex.

Still, for Sandwich Artists, the job gets easier as you go through your training.

6. You can get tips from cash or card as a Sandwich Artist

On top of your base pay as a Sandwich Artist, you can make tips when customers pay with cash or card.

This can sweeten the deal and make the job more lucrative than it might initially seem.

While tips are dependent on whether customers want to give you tips, they can be a nice perk to the job.

If the opportunity to make a little extra money at work matters to you, this can make Subway a great fit.

7. Subway has been around for a long time

Since August of 1965, Subway has been a popular sandwich franchise that has only grown throughout the years.

What started out as a single sub shop in Connecticut has expanded to one of the most popular sub shops in the United States.

While franchises sometimes shutter their doors because of challenges to stay afloat, the company itself has remained strong even in tough times.

This can give you a sense of job security.

If one Subway location shuts down in your area, there’s probably another location nearby where you could try to transfer.

Not every company has that opportunity.

Cons of Working for Subway

1. Low pay

On average, Subway’s pay ranges from $8.07 to $15.54 an hour for Sandwich Artists, according to payscale.com.

Depending on the area, they may pay as low as the federal minimum wage.

This makes it hard to support oneself or a whole family on a single Subway income.

If you’re working at Subway and the pay is lower than what you need to pay your bills, you may end up needing to find another job or work other gigs on top of Subway.

This can get exhausting, so if high pay is a must for you, Subway might not be the right fit.

2. Hectic work day

If you love being kept on your toes all day with constant activity, Subway can be the perfect match.

However, if you like a slow, comfortable pace to your workday, Subway can feel jarring and downright stressful.

While some Subway locations might be less busy than others, most Subways get a lot of traffic during peak hours.

On top of taking care of customers and preparing sandwiches, you’ll also do prep work and cleaning activities.

These can make you even busier during the work day at Subway.

3. Understaffing is a common issue at Subway

Depending on your location, Subway’s corporate office might not approve enough payroll hours to comfortably staff the restaurant.

If this is the case, you may find that your team is constantly behind and struggling to keep up with cleaning.

In some cases, Subways only schedule one employee to tend to the restaurant at a time.

This means that if it gets busy or you have a bunch of dishes stacked in the sink, you won’t have anyone to jump in and help you work through the problem.

If you thrive on independence, this may be a pro but for most team players, it’s a clear disadvantage to working at Subway.

4. Uniform requirements

If you like expressing yourself with fashion, Subway’s uniform requirements may cramp your style–literally.

They usually require Sandwich Artists to wear the Subway t-shirt, a visor or hat, and jeans.

These clothes help with the brand’s image, but they certainly can feel stifling if you’re a fashionista.

When personal expression matters a lot to you, working at Subway can feel like it’s dampening your sparkle.

It’s a small con, but for the fashionably inclined, it can be a true dealbreaker.

5. No breaks

On Indeed, many reviewers who worked at Subway note that they didn’t get a break when they worked there.

After ten hours on their feet, short or nonexistent breaks wore on them over time.

If you like to stay busy at work and hate sitting down, this might be a benefit for you.

Still, for most people, taking some time to eat a meal when they’re working a full shift or simply relax for a moment can be an important part of maintaining work life balance.

This is why it’s completely reasonable if this steers you away from applying to Subway.

6. Lack of raises

For many employees, looking forward to raises keeps them committed to a company and focused on professional development.

At Subway, raises aren’t as frequent as many employees would like.

On Indeed, some employees reported less than a dollar difference between their starting wage after working for the company for years.

If the starting pay isn’t enough for you, you shouldn’t expect it to get much higher unless you go for a promotion.

Even then, promotions aren’t guaranteed so this wears on some employees at Subway.

7. No health insurance

If you work part-time at Subway, you might not be able to access health insurance through your employer.

This can be challenging for those who are trying to support themselves and their family through working at Subway.

If you already have health insurance through another employer, spouse, or other arrangement, this might not be too terrible.

If you know you need health insurance through an employer, then Subway might not be the right choice for your circumstances.

14 Pros and Cons of Working for Subway – Summary Table

Pros of Working for Subway	Cons of Working for Subway
1. Fast-paced environment	1. Low pay
2. Subway has locations in most states and cities	2. Hectic work day
3. Subway offers customer-facing roles	3. Understaffing is a common issue at Subway
4.  Subway has great, consistent food	4. Uniform requirements
5. Subway’s Sandwich Artist positions are relatively straightforward	5. No breaks
6. You can get tips from cash or card as a Sandwich Artist	6. Lack of raises
7. Subway has been around for a long time	7. No health insurance

Should You Work for Subway?

If you want a relatively easy first job that teaches you customer service skills, sandwich building, and teamwork, you should at least consider working for Subway.

If you need a high-paying job or you hate being on your feet for all or most of a shift, Subway might not be a good match.