The Subway restaurant chain had a busy third quarter. From July 1 through Sept. 30, more than 500 new units opened up in 45 countries, 42 U.S. states, Washington D.C. and four Canadian provinces.
This growth pace boosted the chain's presence to more than 33,500 locations worldwide.
Regional milestones were achieved during the timeframe: The United Kingdom opened its 1,400th location; Ohio opened its 1,100th location; and the Caribbean island of St. Vincent opened its first Subway restaurant.
Additionally, McLean, Va.-based Subway Development Corporation of Washington opened its 1,100th restaurant. The company operates the chain's largest development territory.
New non-traditional locations also popped up frequently during 3Q, including at airports in Thailand, Bolivia and India, department stores, hospitals, a bus terminal in Brazil, schools in New York, California, Virginia and Washington, and parks and recreational facilities. Subway now exists at more than 7,700 nontraditional locations.
The 3Q expansion is consistent with the chain's first and second quarter growth, in which Subway added 1,000 new locations.
Another highlight during this period was Subway co-founder/president Fred DeLuca's participation in the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators conference (MUFSO), where he was honored with a Golden Chain award for guiding the brand to success.
