

Every business, no matter how big it is now, starts with humble beginnings. What makes a business successful can come down to any variety of factors, from catering to untapped market to how you actually market the product/service itself. Above all, however, your business must know how to satisify customers, inspire loyalty, and grow with the times. For the month of March, I will be taking a look at Subway, the famed sandwhich shop/restaurant, which has grown to become the largest single restaurant chain in the world.

1965

Subway is the brainchild of Fred DeLuca and Peter Buck. It all started when DeLuca was looking for a way to earn money so he could afford the tuition costs for medical school. His friend, Buck, suggested that DeLuca start a submarine sandwich shop. DeLuca liked the sound of this idea, and the two of them partnered in the endeavour. Buck loaned $1,000 as start-up money and, together, named the first ever shop after Buck, earning the name "Pete's Super Submarines". It officially opened 28 August, 1965, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA.

The first year proved challenging for both of them, an issue which DeLuca would eventually attribute to the first store's "crummy location". This led to the two key lessons DeLuca and Buck would take into account for future stores - visibility and how the business was marketed. From the very beginning, Subway (or Pete's Super Submarines) was meant to be the healthier alternative to other fast food joints and diners that populated America at the time.

The following year, a second store opened in a more ideal location. DeLuca and Buck then formed Doctor's Associates to oversee the operation of the restaurants. The name came from DeLuca's intentions of becoming a doctor and the fact that Buck had a doctorate in physics. Soon after, a third location was opened in an area that proved so successful that that particular Subway store is still there to this day.

The change to Subway - the birth of an iconic brand name

When marketing the business on the radio, Pete's Super Submarines was promoted as "Pete's Submarines". However, this promotional name proved to sound too much like Pizza Marines, so they changed the name of the business to "Pete's Subway" to avoid confusion. By 1968, it was once again renamed to the "Subway" we know today.

As you can see from the above image, the iconic arrows pointing from the S and W in Subway date all the way back to when DeLuca and Buck introduced "Subway" as part of the name. You'll also note that it's where the iconic yellow branding started. In 1968, when "Pete's" was dropped, this familiar logo emerged and would endure for the next 32 years:

The logo with a green background was a variation of the initial Subway logo introduced in 1968, but it played a role in informing the modern-day logo, which has green edging.

Be sure to keep an eye out for part 2 next week, where I'll look at the continued expansion of Subway in the US and how it eventually turned into a franchise.

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