by Christopher Waide

Oct. 15, 2019

Much to the chagrin of many among the student and faculty population, the on-campus Subway location has closed its doors. The cafeteria has been updated to soften the blow, but many students find the changes unsatisfactory. Not everyone is sad to see Subway go, and some are content with the services currently offered in the cafeteria.
Students seem to disagree on the reasons behind the closure. Some say Subway was struggling to get sales, while many others insist that Subway was always busy, and many students claim to have eaten there daily.
Nakita Doxey is a third-year student who was working at the campus bookstore at the time this article was written. Nakita claimed Subway was not getting sales. “It was crap,” Nakita said. “They did not give you what you paid for and they were really stingy with the meat and toppings.”
Chelsea Hutchings is a second-year student and a former EMT. When asked about Subway, Chelsea said “I heard they were making more money than the cafeteria. I went there every day that I was here.” Chelsea also felt that Subway had been stingy with the supplies, but says it was still better than the cafeteria.
But not all the students agree that Subway was not giving ample toppings. Ben Lenox is a second-year student who ate at Subway a couple of times a week. “I think the toppings were the same as (other) Subway’s. I’m kind of sad to see them gone.”
American Dining Creations is set up in the cafeteria with a wide variety of food available for students to purchase. Devon Fassanella, the general manager, believes that the perceived lack of sales was related to a trend of decreased student enrollment. Following the close of Subway, ADC renovated to include a signature deli featuring local produce and gluten/preservative-free bread. The potato chips, fries, and pickles are all made in-house.
William T. Emm is the Executive Vice President of Finance and Operations and says the college did not make the decision to close Subway. “American Food and Vending, which is the dining company that we use, made that decision.”
“Their cost to operate is not just the Subway site”, he explains. “But it’s the service area as well, so they’re dealing with the whole picture, not just Subway. And so, as they explained it to me, their cost to run that operation in conjunction with the whole operation, was cost prohibitive, so in other words, they’re not making any money while running that Subway operation.”
“Some of that has to do with declining enrollment,” Emm says. “There aren’t as many students coming in and buying lunches, dinners, breakfast, whatever. And that’s a part of it, and when you own a Subway franchise, or any type of franchise, they’re obligated to pay that franchise a certain percentage just to have the right to that name. So that’s all part of the cost, and I think that’s probably the main factor that drove their decision.”
Financial restrictions seem to have been the main factor in the decision to close the Subway on campus. Mr. Emm wanted to ensure that students would still have access to subs and sandwiches, which are now available in the cafeteria, and they even set up a salad bar. Though many students will mourn the loss of our Subway, there is still a variety of nutritious food available, and students can still use financial aid.