After finding itself in the middle of an 11-inch controversy, Subway has responded to claims that its "Footlong" subway sandwich is one inch too short by saying that "Footlong" is only a name and not a measurement.
The Subway Footlong debate began on Tuesday, when teenager Matt Corby ordered a supposed 12-inch sub from a Subway in Perth, Australia. Before eating, he pulled out a tape measure to see if the sandwich really measured up, only to discover that his Footlong was a measly 11 inches.
He posted the photo to Subway Australia's Facebook page with the simple message "subway pls respond" and the image quickly got over 100,000 "Likes," according to Gawker.
On Wednesday, Subway Australia posted a response to the Footlong controversy on its Facebook page, alleging that "Footlong" is merely creative license and does not designate measurement.
Via BuzzFeed:
With regards to the size of the bread and calling it a footlong, 'SUBWAY FOOTLONG' is a registered trademark as a descriptive name for the sub sold in Subway® Restaurants and not intended to be a measurement of length. The length of the bread baked in the restaurant cannot be assured each time as the proofing process may vary slightly each time in the restaurant.
The Subway Australia Facebook post has since been deleted.
BuzzFeed Copyranter notes that Subway has, in fact, marketed its Footlong sub as being, well, a foot long. A 2008 Subway commercial features a series of one-foot measurements which seemingly reference the measurement of the sub.
When ABC News contacted the company, Subway stated that it strives for 12 inches every time. “Most countries, such as Australia, follow the metric system so the term Footlong can only be used as part of a trademark,” a spokesman told ABC News. “Our global standard for a Subway Footlong sandwich is 12 inches regardless of the restaurant’s location.”
After Corby's Footlong photo went viral, Subway customers around the world shared more photos to prove that their sandwiches also came up short. Four out of seven Footlongs purchased by the New York Post in the NYC region measured only 11 or 11.5 inches.
A Manhattan franchise owner told the Post that Subway's bread is not the only thing shrinking. The cold-cut sizes have been cut by 25 percent. “The distributor has increased the food cost on the individual owners by 4 to 5 percent every year and provided the owners with less food," he told the Post.
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