Subway's $5 footlong may soon disappear from restaurant menus with paninis set to potentially make an appearance, according to a report by USA Today's Zlati Meyer.
In the report, Subway's CEO Trevor Haynes said beginning in September, restaurant franchises will no longer be required to offer the $5 footlong promotion, which became popular during the recession.
That does not mean the $5 footlong promotion is dead. It means it will be up to the individual locations to decided whether or not to offer it.
Franchisees reportedly complained that the $5 promotion cut into already slim margins, according to USA Today's report.
"How do we help our franchisees with more of a regional value message, so they're able to (have) a value proposition that fits with their economic model," Haynes told USA Today. "If you look at California, there's a very different cost of business than in Arkansas.
He also said the sandwich chain is testing new sandwich combinations and paninis at restaurants in California. The report did not specify if -- or when -- those would be rolled out nationwide.
