quiznos

There are over 3,600 shops located in the United States, over 300 in Canada, and 100 more scattered in 13 other countries including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Cayman Islands, Japan, Puerto Rico, Turkey, Guam and Panama. In 2002, Wendy's Supa Sundaes acquired the rights to the brand for franchises in Australia (and later, New Zealand).

All of Quiznos' sandwiches are served toasted, though they can still be sold cold at the customer's request. The most popular subs are the Classic Italian, the Mesquite Chicken with Bacon, the Black Angus, the Chicken Carbonara, and the Turkey, Ranch and Swiss sub.

While chains such as Potbelly's have offered toasted subs longer than Quiznos, Subway began offering toasted subs in 2004 partly due to Quiznos' success. Boston Market began toasting their sandwiches in 2005. Blimpie finally began offering toasted subs in 2006.

History

The first Quiznos Sub restaurant opened at 13th and Grant in Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood in 1981. In 1987, after overhearing a comment by a customer, Rick Schaden opened the first franchise in Boulder, Colorado. In 1991, Schaden and his father purchased the entire franchise operation.

In December 2001, Quiznos, which at the time was a lightly-traded public company 60%-owned by the Schadens, went private, at a $8-per-share price considered low by several of its shareholders. The disgruntled shareholders sued; their suits were settled in September 2004, with Quiznos paying them another $7.35 per share after fees.

In 2003, Quiznos began to expand in earnest in Canada, where it had established a small foothold a couple of years earlier. Quiznos has very aggressively pursued potential franchisees in Canada, and some cities (such as London, Ontario and Windsor, Ontario) have gained up to 10 franchises within a very short time.

Recently, it has been suggested that Quiznos had over-expanded and many of its stores closed. Several locations in Austin, Texas alone closed virtually over night and with little notice.

Advertising

Over the years, Quiznos has had varied success at advertising campaigns. The company's first major advertising splash came with a successful ad during the 2002 Super Bowl. Another ad that debuted in 2003 depicted a man "raised by wolves" suckling at a mother wolf's teat; this however was not so successful. A pair of ads in early 2004 featuring Spongmonkeys produced strongly mixed reactions by reviewers and were quickly canned.

Quiznos ads in Canada have featured hockey commentator Don Cherry.

In 2005, Quiznos launched a series of ads featuring Baby Bob; like the Spongmonkeys, Bob originated as an Internet blog phenomenon, but was also attached to a short-lived CBS TV series. In the new commercials, Bob is voiced by Ken Hudson Campbell.

Nationally the subs feature a Quiznos sub with digital steam emanating from it with the slogan, "Mmmmm, toasty," spoken as "Mm mm mm mm mm...toasty."

Quiznos has also been known to take advantage of underground advertising phenomena in localized areas. For example, they were one of the first advertisers to put ads on the back of famous San Francisco eccentric and alien protester Frank Chu's sign.

In June 2006, Quiznos revealed their new slogan: "Eat Up."

On September 18, 2006, Quiznos launched the most aggressive advertising campaign aimed at Subway. Dubbed the Prime Rib Cheesesteak Challenge, customers are challenged to compare the brand new Prime Rib Cheesesteak against Subway's Chesesteak sandwich. The claim is that the Prime Rib Cheesesteak has twice the meat then Subway's Cheesesteak. If the customers are not satisified, then they can fill out a form, mail the form along with their receipt, and they will receive a coupon for a free sandwich.

Unusual publicity

Quiznos received some unusual publicity beginning in February 2005 when the Seattle Times broke the story of Dawna Lentz, a manager of a shop located in a strip mall in North Seattle, Washington. A month after the shop opened, the managing partner left, leaving an absentee owner in charge. He stopped putting money into the shop, and soon severed contact with the shop's employees altogether. Lentz kept the place running for several months, paying employees out of the cash register and buying supplies at grocery stores when the suppliers stopped delivering. Quiznos at first did not pay attention to Lentz, and her requests for help were ignored. However, when the experience became the subject of a story of an episode of PRI's This American Life, Quiznos swiftly took over operations of the store, and the company praised Lentz for her handling of the situation.

More unusual publicity came the company's way in August 2006 when the Senior Vice President of Marketing was arrested for attempting to solicit a 13 year old girl in an Internet chat room. [1] He was subsequently fired due to the publicity surrounding his arrest.

Quiznos Menu

Sandwiches

House Specialties

• Prime Rib & Peppercorn

Double Portion of prime rib, with mozzarella, sautéed onions, Mild Peppercorn Sauce

• Prime Rib Cheesesteak

Double Portion of prime rib, with Swiss, sautéed onions, mayo, Garlic salt

• Black Angus Steak

On rosemary parmesan bread, with Black Angus Steak, mozzarella, cheddar, mushrooms, sautéed onions, Honey Bourbon Mustard & Zesty Grille Sauce

• Mesquite Chicken with Bacon

Mesquite Chicken, bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, red onion, Ranch Dressing

• Turkey Bacon Guacamole

Turkey, bacon, guacamole, mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, red onion, Ranch Dressing

• Double Stacked Pastrami

Double portion of thinly-sliced pastrami, with Swiss, sliced pickles, Smokey Mustard

• Smokehouse Beef Brisket

Double portion of sliced beef brisket, with cheddar, BBQ Sauce

Signature Subs

Classics

• Classic Italian

Salami, pepperoni, capicola, ham, mozzarella, black olives, lettuce, tomato, red onion, Red Wine Vinaigrette

• The Traditional

Roast beef, turkey, ham, cheddar, black olives, lettuce, tomato, red onion, Ranch Dressing

• Double Bacon BLT

Double portion of hickory-smoked bacon, with lettuce, tomato, mayo

Turkey

• Turkey Ranch & Swiss

Turkey, Swiss, lettuce, tomato, red onion, Ranch Dressing

• Smoked Turkey

On rosemary parmesan bread, with smoked turkey, Swiss, lettuce, tomato, red onion, Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Clubs

• Classic Club with Bacon

Turkey, bacon, ham, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, mayo

• Honey Bacon Club

Turkey, bacon, ham, Swiss, lettuce, tomato, red onion, Honey-French Dressing

Chicken

• Honey Mustard Chicken

Chicken, bacon, Swiss, lettuce, tomato, red onion, Honey Mustard Dressing

• Chicken Carbonara

Chicken, bacon, mozzarella, mushrooms, Creamy Bacon Alfredo Sauce

• Cabo Chicken™

Chicken, bacon, cheddar, guacamole, spring mix, tomato, red onion, Mild Chipotle Mayo

Lite Selection

• Honey Bourbon Chicken

On wheat bread, with chicken, lettuce, tomato, red onion, Honey Bourbon Mustard & Zesty Grille Sauce

• Turkey Lite

On wheat bread, with turkey, lettuce, tomato, red onion, Fat-Free Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing

• Sierra Smoked Turkey

Smoked turkey, lettuce, tomato, red onion, Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

Veggie & Cheese

• Veggie

Guacamole, black olives, lettuce, tomato, red onion, mushrooms, mozzarella, cheddar, Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing

• Double Cheese Melt

Mozzarella, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing

Real Deal™

Note: All of these sandwiches come on a Quiznos Deli Roll

• Steakhouse Beef Dip

Roast beef, Swiss, French Onion Sauce, Pan-Roasted Au Jus dipping sauce, Acclaimed as one of the Greatest French Dip sandwiches ever.^{citation needed]}

• Honey-Cured Ham

Ham, lettuce, tomato, mayo

• Roast Beef

Roast beef, lettuce, tomato, mayo

• Deli Tuna

Tuna salad, lettuce, tomato, mayo

• Meatball

Meatballs, mozzarella, Italian Cheese blend, Quiznos® Marinara Sauce

• Oven Roasted Turkey

Turkey, lettuce, tomato, mayo

Cravable Salads

Served on special recipe salad blend with dressings on the side

• Roadhouse Ranch

Roast beef, bacon, cheddar, BBQ sauce, Ranch dressing

• Honey Mustard Chicken

Chicken breast, bacon, cheddar, tomatoes, Honey Mustard dressing

• Black & Bleu

Black Angus steak strips, blue cheese crumbles, tomatoes, red onion, Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

• Roman Chicken

Chicken breast, Italian cheese blend, tomatoes, Peppercorn Caesar Dressing

• Side Garden

Tomatoes, red onion, & your choice of dressing

• Side Caesar

Italian cheese blend, tomatoes, Peppercorn Caesar Dressing

Flatbread Chopped Salads

Served on chopped romaine lettuce with dressings on the side

• Roasted Chicken with Honey Mustard

Chicken breast, bacon, cheddar, tomatoes, red onion, Honey Mustard Dressing

• Classic Cobb

Chicken breast, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, bleu cheese crumbles, tomatoes, red onion, Ranch Dressing

• Chicken Caesar

Chicken breast, Italian cheese blend, tomatoes, red onion, Peppercorn Caesar Dressing

• Antipasto

Genoa salami, pepperoni, capicola, ham, olives, tomatoes, red onion, Italian cheese blend, Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing

Toasted Gourmet Bread Bowls™

• Country French Chicken

Oven-roasted chicken topped with broccoli cheese soup & melted cheddar cheese

• Southwest Chicken

Roasted chicken topped with creamy southwestern chicken corn chowder & melted cheddar cheese

• Signature Steak 'N Chili

Tender steak topped with hearty chili & melted cheddar cheese

Signature Soups

Served with crackers

• Broccoli Cheese
• Chicken Noodle
• Chicken & Corn Chowder
• Chili

-Note: Although it has yet to be announced, Quiznos will soon be adding New England Clam Chowder soup.

Drinks and Sides

Drinks

• Fountain Drinks
• Bottled Water
• Premium Bottled Drinks

Desserts

• Chips
• Cookie
• Double Chocolate Chunk Brownie
• Bundt Cake (Chocolate or Carrot)

Quiz Kidz® Menu

Includes Quiz Kidz sub, drink, cookie, snack, & a surprise

• Pizza Cheesy™
• Pizza Pepperoni™
• Cheesy Toasted Cheese
• Toasty® Ham & Cheese
• Toasty® Turkey & Cheese

External links

• Official website
• Quiznos Franchises
• Official website for Quiznos in Canada
• Official website for Quiznos in Australia and New Zealand
• Website of a Quiznos area director, responsible for dozens of franchises in several states
• Franchising summary from Entrepreneur magazine
• Fact sheet for Quiznos, from Hoover's
• Articles from American City Business Journals:
  • Quiznos votes to go private, from December 2001
  • Judge orders Quiznos settlement, from September 2004
• Interview with CEO Rick Schaden, a January 2004 article from QSR Magazine
• Story of a Quiznos from The Seattle Times:
  • Fast-food shop owner takes off, employees take over
  • Quiznos manager gets a boost from the top
  • Manager who never quit sees Quiznos store shut
• Backed into a Corner, an April 2005 story about the Seattle shop (with RealAudio) from This American Life
• Official website for Toasted Subs Franchisee Association (TSFA) for Quiznos Franchisees