""Don't fix what isn't broken" - that's the age-old adage Subway really should have listened to before installing deli slicers in its stores. Instead, the sandwich chain opted to solve a non-problem by installing them in 20,000 Subway locations nationwide. The company believed that, by quietly rolling out freshly sliced meat across all of its U.S. stores, they'd help draw in more customers. But, not long after the meat slicers were first implemented in 2023, reports started coming out about the inefficiency of the machines, resulting in a completely indifferent customer experience that put more burden on its employees."
"After implementing the machines, Subway employees reported that the meat slicers were hard to clean and took up space. The slicers disrupted the smooth workflow that employees were used to. The slicers only increased employees' overall work load, as they had to manually slice the meats - a task that took time, which the store owners inevitably had to pay for. Stores also have run into the problem of food waste, which inevitably happens when meat gets sliced in-store. One Redditor pointed out that Subway was just "pushing the work from the factories onto the employees.""
Subway rolled out deli meat slicers to 20,000 U.S. locations in a two-year, $80 million project intended to deliver freshly sliced meat and boost business. Employees reported the machines are hard to clean, take up space, disrupt established workflows, and increase labor because staff must manually slice meats. Stores experienced additional food waste from in-store slicing. Sandwich sales did not increase after the rollout, prompting the chain to shift focus toward digital deals. Management continues to support the investment while employees and some observers characterize the change as shifting factory work onto store staff.
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