Comments on: Quiznos: What Not To Do If You Are a Challenger Brand

By: Sandwich Survivor: 5 Reasons Why Sandwich Franchises Sell And Succeed – Forbes (blog) | TrendsNews

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:56:10 +0000

[...] to be outdone, Quiznos piped up with a $4 sub deal as a challenge to the brand. Blog Marketing Front argues that the Quiznos plan was only half-baked at best and reinforced that, “Quiznos is a price [...]

By: bloodyfranchise

bloodyfranchise — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:12:03 +0000

What do you expect from a telecommunications person?

http://bloodyfranchise.wordpress.com/2009/03/29/quiznos-torpedoes-its-franchisees/

By: Brendan Miller

Brendan Miller — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:24:46 +0000

Thanks Jim. I think the big loser in all of this is the Franchise Owners. Food costs are going up while their parent company is cutting prices and giving away subs for free at the owner’s expense.

By: Jim Doman

Jim Doman — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:24:56 +0000

Brendan, you’re right on target. I was a Subway franchisee for 12 years and we knew they would never be able to compete with us on price, speed of service or number of stores. What they did have going for themselves was a perception of higher quality. (Truth be told, my wife has always preferred their product.) They have definitely lost their way and now their franchisees’ tenuous hold on profitability will surely suffer. I think it’s telling that a friend who owns about 30 Subway stores in the Denver area is opening another in a defunct Quizno’s space.

By: CreativeNewman

CreativeNewman — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:23:09 +0000

I should also add that in the photo that you’ve posted, I feel that Quiznos is playing fast and loose with the scale of the sandwiches – in reality, the Torpedos may be 13″ (or so), but they’re substantially skinnier than either Quiznos’ or Subway’s regular sandwiches. However, because there’s no point-of-reference in the ad, you’d never know it — but this sort of deception will lead to customer disappointment in the end.

By: Gregory Barrington

Gregory Barrington — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:23:09 +0000

Brendan I think you nailed it with this post. Subway may be the 800lb Gorilla but it silly to have a 200lb monkey put on a gorilla suit to compete. They need to be who they are. Every sub sandwich is toasted at quiznos – subway it’s an option. while it would be easy to view that as a Quiznos weakness I actually think there would be many ways that to exploit that to enhance and strengthen the quiznos brand. I also agree with the decor. In the quiznos I have been in they seem to be the subway 1.0 version hard contrast colors and not a comfortable environment. Subway had yellow black and white – Quizonos has white black red and green. Unless they have a new interior design for newer stores – I can’t say it’s the most comfortable place either. As noted money is well spent in maintaining product and environment quality. Most importantly there’s nothing wrong with being #2 on the block – assuming you’re something different. Because if you’re trying to be the same as #1, you’ll eventually go unnoticed.

By: CreativeNewman

CreativeNewman — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:14:53 +0000

I agree with you, Brendan. I think that the competitor who has it right is Potbelly’s – They compete, in my mind, on a whole different playing field than Quizno’s and Subway, because they’ve developed A. an innovative brand experience, with engaged staff and unique stores, and B. a differentiated product (even though it’s still a toasted sub, they’re using different combos, different ingredients, etc.). I also think it’s interesting that they rarely, if ever, do any sort of price-based promotions. For them, it’s all about quality, consistency, and customer experience… and it works!

By: Brendan Miller

Brendan Miller — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:34:11 +0000

Thanks Peter. Toasty was used as a quality/taste differentiator. Consumer equated toasty with “better quality and taste”. You are right, toasty became less of a differentiator when competitors added toasters, but Quiznos did build their units around their toaster oven. The root of the problem is they are walking away from “better quality” in my mind. They can’t be profitable making $4 subs, and still be known for “better quality.” The margins just are not there.

By: Peter V Cook

Peter V Cook — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 02:15:08 +0000

I’d have to disagree. Their stores are very well kept, and offer a much better dining experience than Subways. I would bet that in a survey Quiznos is ranked as more upscale than their competitors. They lost their differentiators, of Mmmm Toasty, not because they are offering a $4 sub, but because Subway now has toasters.

March 23rd 2010, come back and check and see if Quiznos is doing better than they are today.

Their ads have been all over the place, and nearly offensive at times. It is too bad that their revolving agency door didn’t provide enough continuity so that the Million Sub giveaway actually gave away their new sandwiches.