Subway Is Suddenly Closing Locations. How Many in Arizona?

As prices rise and quality drops, no segment of the economy feels more impact than the people who run fast-food restaurants.

Once touted as an alternative to the fast food burger, Subway restaurants stood out as a healthier choice.

One of the ingredients in the dough was questioned by food advocates, but later removed by Subway. // Canva

When food safety advocate and blogger Vani Hari, "The Food Babe," sounded the warning in 2014 that the chain used a dough conditioner in their bread called azodicarbonamide (ADA), an ingredient industry watchdogs called the “yoga mat chemical," consumers started to question how healthy the chain really is.

Subway removed the chemical in 2014, but the perception, combined with the current state of the economy, is making it hard to overcome the challenge of doing business.

Get our free mobile app

Canva

Subway Restaurants Closing Across the United States

At one time, you could find a Subway on any corner in just about any city or town. In Sierra Vista, where I live, we have two Subways, one on each side of town. That may not sound impressive, but in a place where we have only one Walmart and one Target, two of any single business is a lot for our town.

READ: Red Lobsters Abruptly Closing. How Many in Arizona?

Since 2016, Subway has closed over 6,500 locations. They cite reasons like rapid over-expansion, outdated operations, and the rising cost of food and labor.

"Baked Fresh Daily" | Photo by Canva

The Arizona Subway Restaurants Affected

Arizona has felt the impact of the sudden restaurant closures. A location in Quartzite, a busy town on the border between Arizona and California, has permanently closed, along with a second store closure in Apache Junction.

Canva

The ripple effect of the closures is part of the significant challenges facing the fast-food industry. Not only are consumer preferences shifting as more competitors enter the marketplace, but the escalating cost of eating out is also causing Arizona customers to be more prudent with their cash, looking for the best value for their dollar.

Sources: Restaurant Business Online | Subway.com | Fox Business | Market Realist

LOOK: How Many of These Discontinued Millennial Munchies Do You Remember?

You'll have better luck paying off your student loans than finding these discontinued snacks in stores.

Gallery Credit: Meg Dowdy

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

Gallery Credit: Sophia Crisafulli

Source: Subway Suddenly Closed Locations. How Many in Arizona?