The One With the Subway Addiction

…I told you I don’t like counting (read previous blogs). Anyway, that was three truths and a lie, but the sentiment remains the same—my grade school teachers must have been awful. Who lets a kid say “quest-in” for their entire life?! But I digress…

As Rebecca alluded to, I don’t really cook. By which I mean, I can’t cook (not due to my mom’s lack of trying). This leaves me with quite the dilemma—namely, hunger. So when I can’t find some friends to mooch some noms off of, I have to resort to some good ol’ fast food. Now, don’t get me wrong—I would more than willingly go to Taco Bell every meal of every day of every week if only it weren’t two miles away (I wouldn’t so much mind walking there, but the walk back after consuming a Mexican pizza, a couple of bean burritos, a chicken chalupa, and a caramel empanada or cinnamon twists? No thank you).

This leaves me with a variety of other options, but I really only utilize one of them. I have a problem, and it’s name is Subway. I am powerless over its not-exactly-divine buffalo chicken and its lacking-in-size cookies, but those things don’t prevent me from making the trek and dropping $8.22 on a meal. With all my experience (trust me, I have a lot of it. Since finding out they have a rewards card less than three weeks ago, I have garnered 75 points. That’s $75 worth of Subway… in less than three weeks. The first step is acknowledging you have a problem, right?), I will tell you how to get the most out of your Subway experience:

• Go big and don’t go home. If you’re spending money on a sub, go all out—make it a footlong, and make it a meal. Not only is the footlong cheaper than two six inches, it’s basically two meals in one! If you’re the hungry type, it’ll fill you up. If you’re not, you’ve got both lunch and dinner! Or the perfect thing for a fourth meal. Talk about cost effective. Moreover, a meal comes with a larger drink AND two cookies (or a bag of chips if that’s more your jam). You can get dessert and COKE (this is how you know Subway is a restaurant that puts a premium on taste) for a mere $2.20 extra.
• Get a rewards card. Seriously. Two trips will get you enough points for a free cookie (1o points) or a bag of chips (15 points). You can get a fountain drink (20 points) for three visits. If you choose to wait it out, 75 points will get you a footlong sub. Each point is worth a dollar, so it may seem excessive ($75 for a free sub?!), but if you’re spending the money anyway, you might as well make it worth your while, right? Right.Things to note about the reward card: It doesn’t round up. For example, if you buy $7.92 worth of Subway, you only get seven points. The solution? Chalk on another cookie! $8.22, and you’re good to go!
•  Take advantage of their featured subs. Why pay $8 for a footlong sub when you can get one for $5? For the month of July (I think this is Subway’s way of wishing me a very happy birthday month), their $5 special is the buffalo chicken—you get your meat, you get it cheap, and you get it delicious. You can’t ask for more.
• Now, what should you actually put on the sub? You don’t have to take my advice, but I strongly suggest the following: wheat bread (healthy option!), pepper jack cheese (adds the perfect amount of kick and flavor to your sub once you get it toasted… so get it toasted), green peppers, black olives, pickles, shredded lettuce, and “a couple of jalapenos.” It’s a great balance of sweet, spicy, and healthy. Then, add ranch and mayonnaise so that it’s not too healthy (you can go with the lite mayonnaise if you are so inclined). Also make sure you specify the number of jalapenos you want – I have found that the majority of Subway “sandwich artists” tend to grab a handful and throw them on the sub as if they are merely another topping and not some circles of spicy tear-inducing, tongue-burning addition to your sub. Five is usually the perfect number, but as long as there are no more than seven, your sub (and your mouth) won’t be overwhelmed by the spice.

So that’s what I have for you. Also, if you’re at W&M, Subway takes W&M Express, so you can just upload money to your ID card and not even have to worry about carrying around your wallet (unless your rewards card is in there)! Happy nomming!