Subway Franchise opens 100th area franchise in New York

May 4, 2010 - PRLog -- Subway opens 100th area franchise

By Samantha Maziarz Christmann
NEWS BUSINESS REPORTER
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If it seems Subway submarine sandwich franchises have popped up everywhere, it’s because they have.

The chain cut the ribbon on its 100th Western New York location Monday at 410 Main St. in the city.

The very first Western New York Subway shop opened here in 1988. By 1995, the region had 20 stores. But the franchise has really heated up within the past 15 years, with 80 more restaurants setting up shop and several others in the works. The company expects to open an additional 35 stores by 2014. Subway franchises employ roughly 1,000 people throughout Western New York.

The new Main Street location’s owners, Mike and Patty Colletti of Orchard Park, are not newcomers to the Subway scene. They bought their first Subway franchise in 1990, just two years after the company first entered the Buffalo Niagara market.

Mike Colletti had just been downsized out of a job at Ames department stores, and heard good things from a friend in North Carolina who operated a thriving franchise.

Learn all about owning a Subway franchise in your area.

http://www.franchiseexpo.com/Subway-Franchise.cfm

“A lot of our growth in Western New York has come from people who were working but lost a job. The economy here is challenging to say the least,” said Stephen Stewart, Subway regional development agent. “When you lose a job, a lot of people don’t want to go back to being at the mercy of someone else. Subway franchises present a nice opportunity.”

Today, the Collettis have five Subway locations; at 1 HSBC Center, Erie County Medical Center, Mercy Hospital and two on Main Street. In that time, Subway has gone from a small, obscure chain to a nationally recognized, multibillion-dollar powerhouse.

“Just to give you an idea, when I opened up my first shop, customers would come in and ask where they could buy their subway tokens, because we were on Main Street near the Metro Rail,” said Mike Colletti. “Subway is such a recognizable brand today.”

The chain saw tremendous success with its occasional $5 foot-long promotion, which led to a permanent menu of foot-long sandwich selections priced at $5 every day. Last month, the company stepped up its presence in the crowded breakfast market, launching a menu of egg and cheese sandwiches.

Learn all about owning a Subway franchise in your area.

http://www.franchiseexpo.com/Subway-Franchise.cfm



Worldwide, the Connecticut-based chain has more than 32,000 locations

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