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Subway
Discontinued: 2000s
In 1992, Subway made a bold statement: bigger isn’t always better.
While America was obsessed with supersizing everything, Subway’s franchise owner, John Giorgi, took a different approach. He believed there was a market for smaller appetites and tighter budgets.
The 4-inch Round Sandwich was small and cost just 79 cents. Finally, families could afford to feed their kids. Office workers could grab a quick bite without having to take an afternoon nap.
The sandwich was a perfectly portioned mini-sub that proved good things come in small packages.
For nearly a decade, these tiny subs remained a mainstay on Subway menus until they were discontinued.
Discontinued: 1995
The early ’90s were a time of culinary experimentation, and Subway stepped its toes into Mediterranean waters.
There was just one problem. The authentic Greek gyro requires a vertical rotisserie, and Subway didn’t have one.
So they found a workaround. They baked flat, frozen, pre-cut pieces that were microwaved in-store. For a 6-inch, two slices. For a footlong, double the portions. A squeeze bottle of tzatziki sauce completed the meal.
It wasn’t authentic, but it was ambitious. The gyro inspired other menu items decades later, with items like the Chicken Pizziola.
The gyro experiment lasted just two years. The closest it ever came to returning was the 2015 Mediterranean Collection, where feta and tzatziki topped more familiar proteins.
Discontinued: 2013
In 2003, Subway had a new vision. What if pizza and chicken parmesan had a baby?
The Chicken Pizziola was Subway’s answer. The pizza-like sandwich featured chicken breast, pepperoni, tomatoes, cheese, and marinara sauce. Ingredients that define great pizza.
Subway used familiar ingredients on familiar bread. But created something new.
For a decade, it held its own. Subway even positioned it as “zesty & delicious” and made it the centerpiece of their 2013 “Italian Collection.”
But trends change. By 2013, the pizza-sandwich hybrid had run its course everywhere except Lebanon, where it still exists today.
Discontinued: 2019
Some products have one shot at greatness. Others get four.
The Jalapeño Cheddar Bread was a serial returner. It appeared on Subway menus in 2003, 2007, 2014, and 2019. Each time, it generated buzz. Each time, it disappeared.
Its most recent appearance in 2019 was reintroduced with the Southwest Chipotle Chicken Club.
The bread had a devoted following, but also vocal critics that set this item up for doom.
Discontinued: 2015
2014 was the year Subway made its pizza ambitions loud and clear.
The name “Flatizza” beat out “Flatini,” “Cristada,” and “Crustini.” Marketing spent money on TV ads teaching customers how to say it: “flat-tee-zah.”
The Flatizza featured a square 6-inch flatbread with four flavors: cheese, pepperoni, spicy Italian, and veggie. Two for $5.
The marketing was aggressive. The product was decent. But customers had a choice. Visit Subway for pizza or visit Pizza Hut for pizza.
But the new pizza concept didn’t do very well. According to Subway, “The vast majority of our Subway customers continued to choose our delicious subs and salads, rather than Flatizza.”
Within a year, the newest pizza concept was discontinued. One customer remembered: “I can still remember how unbelievably heavenly the Subway in Walmart smelled when they had these.”
Discontinued: 2014
2014 was a year of bold moves. While Subway had just launched the Flatizza, they also created what would become one of their most beloved limited-time offerings.
The Fritos Chicken Enchilada Melt contained pulled chicken in enchilada sauce with actual Fritos corn chips. At $7.25 for a footlong, it was premium-priced. At 1,160 calories, you were getting your money’s worth.
But Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Taco was dominating the Mexican-American fast food mashup space.
The sandwich disappeared after its limited run, but the love never died. Rising Fritos prices and the complexity of managing a partnership with Frito-Lay made a return unlikely.
Discontinued: 2020
In 2019, plant-based meat was having a moment. Subway wanted in.
The Beyond Meat Meatball Marinara wasn’t just another vegetarian option. It was delicious. Available in over 600 locations across the US and Canada, it proved that plant-based could be mainstream.
The sub was beloved by vegetarians and omnivores alike. The marinara sauce and melty cheese made it out of this world.
It was always positioned as a limited-time offer, suggesting that Subway was testing the waters rather than making a permanent commitment.
North America said goodbye in 2020. The UK held on until 2022. And the partnership with Beyond Meat ended with not so much as a whimper.
Discontinued: 2019
Sometimes, partnerships create magic. Sometimes, they create limited-time regional exclusives that only a few people ever experience.
The Halo Top Milkshakes were the latter.
These shakes were launched in 1,000 locations across six markets. Colorado Springs, Hartford, Salt Lake City, Toledo, West Palm Beach, and Longview/Tyler, Texas.
But it was only available for eight weeks. July to September.
These were hand-spun milkshakes using low-calorie Halo Top ice cream.
If you weren’t in one of those six markets during that summer, you missed it entirely.
Discontinued: 2021
June 2020 was a dark date for Subway loyalists.
Without warning, roast beef and rotisserie chicken, two of the most popular proteins, vanished from menus nationwide.
The reason? Cost. They were “the two most expensive proteins on the menu,” and COVID-19 had made every penny matter.
People were outraged. One customer declared it “in the top 10 saddest days of my life.” A customer with Crohn’s disease wrote explaining their son could only eat rotisserie chicken during his medical treatments.
The beloved Subway Club, which relied on roast beef, also disappeared.
But customer pressure worked. Roast beef returned in November 2021 as “premium oven-roasted Choice Angus Beef.”Rotisserie chicken and the Subway Club followed in 2021.
2020
2020 was supposed to be the year Subway went upscale.
The Ciabatta Collection featured freshly baked ciabatta bread and three signature sandwiches. Italian with New Fresh Mozzarella, Chicken Pesto with New Fresh Mozzarella, and Garlic Steak & Provolone.
These premium sandwiches came with artisanal bread and fresher ingredients.
The reality? Higher prices for sandwiches that, according to one reviewer, “don’t fulfill their promise.”
The collection quietly disappeared as Subway refocused on its core strengths.
Discontinued: 2020
December 4, 2020, National Cookie Day, seemed like the perfect moment to launch the ultimate cookie.
The Caramel Brownie Cookie was everything a dessert should be. The cookie featured chocolate brownie dough, chocolate chunks, caramel chunks, and a caramel drizzle.
But it was only available for a limited time.
The cookie was gone before you could say Snickers. Never to return again.
Discontinued: 2023
March 14, 2023, or National Potato Chip Day, is a date that will go down in Subway history.
Subway launched a single footlong potato chip, bumpy and elongated, housed in a brown box.
The chip was available for one day. And one location. Frisco, Texas.
Only 50 chips were available.
The chip was free with any Subway Series footlong meal.
PepsiCo’s Scott Finlow called it part of their mission to create “meals that are as delicious as they are memorable.”
The Baked Lay’s Footlong Potato Chip is the rarest menu item in Subway history.
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