Subway veggie sandwich. Photo: mariecannabis, Flickr.
Three years ago, the first kosher Subway restaurant opened in Cleveland -- and even company pitchman Jared Fogle showed-up for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Since then, Subway has gone on a kosher franchise binge, opening nine restaurants (11 by the end of the year) in markets like Miami, Los Angeles and Brooklyn, N.Y. Now at least four of those franchises -- Los Angeles, Baltimore, Cleveland and Rockville, Md. -- are trying to convince local religious academies to bring the six-inch sub into school cafeterias.
So far it's been slow going. In Los Angeles, kosher Subway co-owner Jonathan Sedaghat is in negotiations with three area private schools to serve Subway sandwiches on a weekly basis for as many as 300 students. Most of his school business so far has come from Yeshivas ordering heroes for special occasions like field trips, sports events and orientations. The menu consists of turkey, roast beef, salami or bologna low-fat subs (290 calories, 30 calories from fat) with sliced apples and potato chips. The franchise charges between $5 and $7 a lunchbox, depending on the order.
Since then, Subway has gone on a kosher franchise binge, opening nine restaurants (11 by the end of the year) in markets like Miami, Los Angeles and Brooklyn, N.Y. Now at least four of those franchises -- Los Angeles, Baltimore, Cleveland and Rockville, Md. -- are trying to convince local religious academies to bring the six-inch sub into school cafeterias.
So far it's been slow going. In Los Angeles, kosher Subway co-owner Jonathan Sedaghat is in negotiations with three area private schools to serve Subway sandwiches on a weekly basis for as many as 300 students. Most of his school business so far has come from Yeshivas ordering heroes for special occasions like field trips, sports events and orientations. The menu consists of turkey, roast beef, salami or bologna low-fat subs (290 calories, 30 calories from fat) with sliced apples and potato chips. The franchise charges between $5 and $7 a lunchbox, depending on the order.
Harry Kozlovsky, the owner of the Subway franchises in Baltimore and Rockville, says that it's been difficult in this economic climate to find new customers. Kozlovsky adds that many Orthodox private schools buy from cheaper dairy restaurants or less expensive in-house caterers.
"We do advertise and ultimately we will get more play once the economy turns around," he says. "Jewish day-school tuition is $10,000 to $15,000 a year and most are not looking to spend extra money." Koslovsky's recently opened Rockville Subway did land its first religious-school client last week, and that school's rabbi expects to order Subway lunches every month.
"The kids thought it was amazing -- and we never hear that about a lunch," says Rabbi David Serkin of the Hebrew Day School in Silver Springs, Md. On Oct. 19, the school decided to put together a "festive meal" for its students by ordering turkey, bologna and salami subs with tomato, lettuce and pickles. Subway charged $4.80 per meal.
The Baltimore Subway frequently caters special lunches for Yeshiva students who have completed portions of Torah study. The rabbis bring their kids to Subway as a reward -- and as an alternative to daily dairy meals of macaroni and cheese or pizza.
Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, is not impressed with serving Subway sandwiches -- kosher or otherwise -- in school cafeterias. "The mind boggles," she says. "I put this in the same category as artificial meat products for vegans. We still aren't talking fruits and vegetables here. I leave it to the rabbis and Talmudic scholars to figure out whether this is an appropriate option."
