Subway Is Traveling in Wrong Direction in US

The restaurant closed 359 locations in 2016
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 21, 2017 2:20 PM CDT
Subway Closes 359 US Restaurants, Its Most Ever
Subway closed 359 locations in the US last year.   (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Last year, for the first time ever, Subway closed more US restaurants than it opened, shuttering 359 locations in 2016, Bloomberg reports. While that still left Subway with 26,744 locations in the US—more than any other restaurant in the country—it also came along with a 1.7% dip in sales, according to Reuters. The reasons for the closures are myriad: Subway is dealing with more competition from fast-casual competitors, it isn't seen as healthy an option as it once was, and cheaper groceries mean more people have been cooking at home recently.

The company also says it's been focusing more on the international market. Subway has more than 40,000 locations worldwide—more than anyone else and about 4,000 more than McDonald's, CNN reports. And Subway sales were actually up internationally in 2016. To turn things around in the US in 2017, Subway is trying out delivery service, along with an updated logo and plans to introduce "new and improved products." (More Subway stories.)

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