A sign at Subway in the Don Taft University Center food court advises customers that Subway does not accept outside coupons.
Robert Genser, district manager of Chartwells, the food service company contracted by the university, said the acceptance of coupons is dependent on the franchise.
“There are so many different things that go on with Subway that it would be too confusing for us to participate,” he said.
However, Genser said the UC has its own promotions. Every Thursday, students can participate in the “Word of the Day” promotion. By saying the “Word of the Day,” which is posted on www.twitter.com/SharkDining, customers receive a dollar off their order anywhere on campus.
Genser also said that Chartwells and the Office of Business Services compare their prices to nearby restaurants twice a year to keep their prices competitive with outside locations. Pricing adjustments are made during the summer semester if necessary.
“We went to the three closest Subways to us, and we looked at their prices,” Genser said. “You will find that we are less expensive on about 85 percent of the items and on the other 15, we’re the same.”
Genser said that Chartwells sometimes follows Subway’s other promotions. It has the $4.50 combo on Fridays for three sandwiches. Genser said outside Subways offer the combo for only one sandwich. The campus Subway also offers nine different foot-long sandwiches for $5.
Second-year medical student Ron Mathew said he usually buys the $5 foot-long Veggie Delite sandwich. He said current promotions should be advertised more.
“They should do better outreach with that ‘Word of the Day,’” he said. “I see the signs, but I didn’t know I had to go online to get it.”
Lucy Mawhinney, retail operations director of the UC food court, said the campus Subway’s pricing structure allows for prices to be maintained throughout the semester.
“The way they structure their pricing in general has changed a lot over the past year and a half — such as having $5 foot-longs, then eliminating them, and then bringing back some of them,” she said.
Mawhinney said the UC food court has so many of its own promotions that it does not always use national or local ones.
“We’ve maintained the original $5 foot-longs and kept that pricing, which [other Subways] don’t necessarily [do],” she said. “And with that, we have lower pricing on the six-inch sandwiches, so we offer the value in that way as opposed to some of those [outside] promotions.”
Janet Bencivenga, manager of Global Account Services in the chain’s world headquarters, said that Subway franchises are not required to follow national promotions or accept coupons. But the franchises can create their own promotions.
“As franchises, they make their own decisions as far as their price point and their promotions,” Bencivenga said. “We don’t dictate the prices. We recommend prices.”
Bencivenga said that if students have complaints about their Subway, they should consult the local manager and headquarters if the problem is not resolved.
