Subway
Flagged · AvoidStood by franchisees who stole tips, endangered teens, and discriminated against Black employees, and sells bread an Irish court deemed too sugary to be bread.
Last updated October 5, 2026
Reasons to avoid
Issues span:LaborConsumer
Franchisees stole tips, endangered teenage workers
Federal and state investigators have documented a multi-state pattern of wage theft at Subway franchises: 14 Bay Area locations were ordered by a federal court to pay nearly $1 million after directing children as young as 14–15 to use dangerous equipment (resulting in burns), issuing bad checks, and stealing tips; California's Labor Commissioner cited SF franchisees $1.7 million for wage manipulation targeting 81 immigrant workers; and 10 Washington state locations paid $218,000 after owners illegally pocketed employee tip pools and manipulated timesheets to avoid overtime.EEOC sued over anti-Black franchise discrimination
The EEOC sued Subway franchises in North Carolina for creating a hostile work environment for Black employees and instructing a manager not to hire Black workers, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The case settled for $25,000 with mandatory anti-discrimination training.Irish court ruled bread too sugary
Ireland's Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that Subway's bread contains so much sugar — 10% of flour weight, five times the legal limit — that it cannot legally be classified as bread and is instead closer to confectionery. That same year it became widely reported that Subway had only removed azodicarbonamide — a chemical used in yoga mat foam and dough conditioning — from its U.S. bread in 2014, after a public petition.
Ethical alternatives
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Common questions
- Is Subway ethical?
- Federal and state investigators found a multi-state pattern of wage theft at Subway franchises, including locations ordering children as young as 14 to use dangerous equipment, issuing bad checks, and stealing tip pools. California's Labor Commissioner cited Subway franchisees $1.7 million for wage manipulation targeting 81 immigrant workers at a single group of San Francisco locations.
- Why are people boycotting Subway?
- Wage theft, racial discrimination, and misleading food quality are the main reasons. The EEOC sued Subway franchises in North Carolina for instructing a manager not to hire Black workers. Ireland's Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that Subway's bread contains so much sugar it cannot legally be classified as bread and is closer to confectionery.
- What are the best ethical alternatives to Subway?
- Local deli and sandwich shops keep money in your community and are not shielded by the franchise liability structures that can leave workers without recourse.
Know of a documented reason we're missing?