In TikTok’s most recent viral sandwich video, a customer was thrown a curveball when she ordered your standard $5 footlong sandwich from a Subway store in Canada.
The video, which was uploaded on June 15th, now has more than 100,000 views.
In the video, Brianne, better known as @brmorx, notes that she went into the store inquiring about the $5 foot long they had for the day. The employee behind the counter gave her a confused look and asked, “ $5 what?”
Yep, it seems that long gone are the days of a sandwich the size of your arm for only five big ones.
Brianne also noted that she asked again, and the workers behind the counter told her that the store actually hadn’t run that promotion for many years.
So, what do we know about the $5 footlong deal?
Well, we know that the campaign started back in 2008, and the commercials, along with the catchy slogan, caught on like wildfire. However, according to several major news outlets, the campaign started to fade out around 2012, as franchise costs were raising and owners couldn’t afford to let their sandwiches go for such a budget-friendly deal.
After a small bout of financial struggle and a good deal of bad press, the company tried to revive the sandwich deal in 2017. However, this time, they decided to take the price down to $4.99.
Not as catchy of a slogan, eh?
If you’ve never heard of the $4.99 Subway sandwich deal, it’s because it was a total flop. The company stripped the campaign in 2018 and waited two years to release another campaign in a similar form. The verdict? Two foot-long sandwiches for $10.
Brianne noted that one of the main appeals of the $5 foot-long sandwich deal was essentially getting two meals for the price of one. She said that she always had trouble finishing a full sandwich anyway, so the iconic deal worked out in her favor.
https://www.tiktok.com/@brmorx/video/7244950501832363269?embed_source=121352282%2C121351166%2C121331973%2C120811592%2C120810756%3Bnull%3Bembed_masking&refer=embed&referer_url=www.msn.com%2Fen-us%2Flifestyle%2Flifestyle-buzz%2Fwtf-do-you-mean-it-s-16-for-a-footlong-now-subway-customer-tries-to-order-5-footlong%2Far-AA1cO0P7%3Focid%3Dhpmsn%26cvid%3D1b15ea66fb114e0cba9deb9591a90061%26ei%3D16%23comments&referer_video_id=7244950501832363269
In a DM interview with the Daily Dot, Brianne said that she loved being able to roll into her local Subway and get a cheap sandwich that she could eat half of and save the other half for later. To her, it felt like she was purchasing a single six-inch sandwich and getting another six-incher for free.
However, during her recent Subway stint, she decided to order her favorite — the veggie sandwich.
Unfortunately, instead of the $5 she was expecting to pay, the cashier finished ringing her up with a total of $16 CAD.
“It’s nearly impossible to go out to lunch and not pay around $15 or more at this point,” said Brianne. “Fast food used to be the cheap and convenient option, though that’s simply not the case any longer. I’d much rather save some cash and eat out at a restaurant that has fresh food instead.”
One TikTok user commented on the video, remembering a time when they were able to get a six-inch Subway sandwich for only $2.99, long before the company issued the $5 special. According to this nostalgic Subway fan, the Tuesday deals were for the meatball subs.
Of course, prices have changed quite drastically, and many users say they had similar experiences going to Subway.
One person noted that they got a foot-long sandwich with turkey bacon and paid just over $17. Apparently, that $17 didn’t even include a cookie or a drink. Another user mentioned that they paid around $15 for a chicken wrap without anything else on the side and that they would never be taking their money to Subway again.
If you thought that was crazy, one commenter said that they spent a whopping $32 on a foot-long sub and a wrap, neither of which were part of the meal deal. They noted that at one point, they used to get the wraps for $5 almost every day.
Times are changing, and food is more expensive than it has ever been. Hopefully, these same TikTokers can use the platform to learn how to make delicious meals at home instead of spending half their paychecks on bland, overpriced sandwiches.
