The SUBWAY® restaurant chain has once again been named the Number One Franchise opportunity for 2009 by Entrepreneur magazine in it’s Annual “Franchise 500” rankings. The brand was also named the Number One Global Franchise opportunity.

This is the 16th time in 22 years of rating franchises that the SUBWAY® chain has been recognized with the overall top honor. When the chain was first named the number one franchise by Entrepreneur in 1988, it had about 4,000 locations, mostly in the U.S. This year, the chain passed the 30,000 location mark, spanning 87 countries and territories around the globe, putting it only about 3,000 locations away from becoming the single largest fast food chain in the world.

The “Franchise 500” rankings are the most comprehensive franchise rankings in the world and considers many factors, including financial strength and stability, growth rate, size of the system and start-up costs.

John Musco, who has been with the brand as a developer working with franchisees for the past 32 years, said the success of the SUBWAY® system is linked to the amount of support available to franchisees.

“The amount of franchisee support provided throughout the whole system – and the fact that someone can pick-up a phone and talk to a person – makes us more personable and that kind of support is a big deal to people. Our system is designed to help, but we also give the franchisees the freedom to be their own boss; the freedom to be an entrepreneur,” said John, who, along with his business partner Paul Landino, started out as franchisees in 1976.

Zagat Survey®, the world's leading provider of consumer survey-based information on where to Eat, Drink, Stay and Play worldwide, has rated the SUBWAY® brand as the number one overall provider of “Healthy Options” in its 2009 Zagat Fast-Food Survey.

The SUBWAY® brand also received number one rankings in the "Best Service" and "Most Popular" categories for restaurant chains with 5,000 or more locations. In addition, the world's largest submarine sandwich franchise ranked in the top five in the "Top Overall" category as well as the "Best Food," "Best Facilities," and "Best Value" categories for mega-chains with 5,000 or more locations.

With ratings and reviews based on the opinions of participants from around the globe, Zagat Survey has become the world's most trusted source to help consumers make informed decisions about restaurants, nightspots, hotels, attractions and other leisure activities.

"To be ranked so highly in the Zagat Fast-Food Survey is an affirmation that we are making a difference and connecting with consumers around the world by providing them with the flavors, options, values and service that they expect and deserve," says Chris Martone, Executive Chef for the Subway restaurant chain. "We cannot rest on our laurels though, and must constantly strive to improve and be the best that we can be."

The Zagat rankings come to the Subway brand on the heels of receiving top honors from Entrepreneur magazine, which rated the sandwich purveyor as the number one Franchise Opportunity and the number one Global Franchise in the 2009 edition of it Franchise 500 rankings, an honor that the Subway chain has received 16 times in the past 22 years.

For the Subway chain, 2009 continues to be a stellar year. In the first quarter of 2009, the chain opened nearly 500 new locations, spanning 42 countries, 39 U.S. states and six Canadian provinces. This translates to providing about 5,000 jobs worldwide. This is especially significant during these tumultuous economic times when many well known brands are struggling. Read More... SUBWAY® Nutrition Criteria For Children's Meals and the SUBWAY® Marketing Policy For Children.

At SUBWAY® restaurants, we believe the best way to assist consumers looking to live healthy lifestyles is to provide the information and choices necessary so they can make informed meal choices. Along with providing nutritional information here on our website, we also provide this information on nutritional brochures available in our restaurants, on cups and on napkins. Our SUBWAY FRESH Fit™ and FRESH Fit for Kids™ meals were developed to fit into the American Heart Association's approach to a healthy lifestyle. In addition, 100% of Subway® kid’s meals meet nutritional criteria that are consistent with USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

SUBWAY® Nutrition Criteria For Children's Meals
Subway® recognizes the importance of providing children with a well-balanced meal that includes a variety of food groups. Our goal is to provide a meal that can fit into a daily menu that is consistent with the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Subway® kid’s pak meal includes grains, vegetables, fruits, lean protein (with the exception of the Veggie Delite®) and dairy when milk is ordered.

All the kids’ meals also meet the specific nutrition criteria:

• Less than 500 calories
• Low Fat/ <30% calories from fat
• Low Saturated Fat <10% calories from saturated fat
• Low Cholesterol
• Trans Fat Free, meals contain absolutely no partially-hydrogenated oil
• Contain at least 1 serving of fruit
• Less than 5% calories from added sugar

SUBWAY® Marketing Policy For Children
Any advertising on children’s programming features the FRESH Fit for Kids™ meals, which meets the above listed nutrition criteria. FRESH Fit for Kids™ meals compliment an active lifestyle and are shown in advertising with a mini low-fat sandwich, apple slices and low fat milk. The kid’s meal automatically comes with 100% juice or low fat milk (not soda). 30,000 Locations Now Open Around the World

The SUBWAY® brand recently hit the milestone of 30,000 locations worldwide with nine stores opening within the same 24-hour period.

The stores and their franchisees represent many of the diversified aspects of the Subway chain that have enabled it to grow so successfully over the years. They are a mixture of domestic, international, traditional and non-traditional locations (the store in Windsor, Ontario is inside a Home Depot), milestones within milestones (the store in Sweden is that country's 50th Subway restaurant), big stores and small stores (the Hong Kong store has seats for only 10 and the store in Germany is only 140 square feet while the North Carolina location weighs in at 1,500 square feet), single and multi-unit franchisees and franchisees who have been in the system for as many as 20 years and others that are brand new to the system and are opening their first stores this year. From Desperate of Dandridge, Weight-loss hero takes it to the streets

"Have you ever been fat, fed up and desperate?” Well, according to author and weigh-loss inspiration, Debra Flinn, that statement, which appears on her website, used to describe her.

According to Debra, “I was fat—really overweight since seven years old and I continued to eat wrong.”

At 170 pounds in high school and nearly 200 pounds during college, she got caught up in yo-yo diet plans, but just couldn’t keep those excess pounds away.

But in June 2007, Debra decided to take back her life and hit the road. She walked from Cape Coral, Florida all the way to Dandridge, Tennessee—874 miles, and it only took 66 days! By the time she reached her destination, she had slimmed down from 216 pounds and a dress size of 22, to a size 16.

Her book, “From Desperate to Dandridge” documents every step of her amazing journey. She hopes that the wisdom she’s gained by working through the pains of the past, the struggles, obstacles and victories along with the weight she’s lost, will serve as inspiration to others.

SUBWAY® franchisees from three states helped sponsor her walk and provided lunches and dinners and t-shirts along the route.

Since then Debra’s been walking across a dozen states, eating SUBWAY® sandwiches and lending a hand to others along the way.

This past summer, she returned to Dandridge, and headed north to Chicago, making 15 to 20 miles a day. Her trek was capped off by a meeting with Oprah Winfrey and a taped interview. En route, Debra handed out SUBWAY® Cash Cards, donated by family and friends, to people in need.

“Next I’d like to go from Harpo Studios in Chicago to New York City, walking, eating right, and helping people.”

“Why so much walking?” Debra says, “It’s free, it gets you out of the house…I know the struggle and Jared’s diet plan really worked for me, especially when combined with walking!”