Walking into Subway seems simple enough. The smell of fresh bread hits you, and suddenly you’re deciding between footlongs and six-inch subs. But here’s something most people don’t know: the employees making your sandwich have strong opinions about what you shouldn’t order. Reddit threads filled with Subway workers reveal some pretty gross truths about certain menu items. From mystery meat swimming in slime to sandwiches that take forever to make, these insider secrets might change what you order next time.
The Cold Cut Combo comes with mystery meat
That Cold Cut Combo might seem like a good deal, but workers say it’s probably the grossest thing on the menu. The sandwich contains three types of meat that all share one strange secret: they’re all made from turkey. Yes, the bologna is turkey bologna, the salami is turkey salami, and even the ham is somehow turkey-based. Employees on Reddit admitted they won’t even try it themselves, calling it straight-up mystery meat that nobody should eat.
The preparation process makes it even worse. Workers describe opening packages of this meat and finding it sitting in some kind of liquid that makes them want to gag. Multiple employees confirmed the meat feels incredibly slimy to handle, with one saying their manager almost threw up while prepping it. Some locations apparently need drain trays underneath the Cold Cut station because of how much liquid comes off this stuff. When the people making your food won’t eat it themselves, that’s probably a sign to order something else.
Meatball subs sit in warming trays for way too long
The meatballs at Subway start their life frozen, which isn’t necessarily a problem. The issue comes with how long they sit around after thawing. Company policy supposedly says meatballs should only stay in the warming tray for four hours before getting tossed. But according to Reddit threads filled with worker confessions, most locations completely ignore this rule. Some employees admitted working at multiple stores where managers told them to keep reusing the same meatballs day after day.
One worker asked their district manager if they should throw out meatballs at night, and apparently got told to save them for the next morning. Not every location does this, though. Some stores bring out fresh meatballs each day, but it really depends on who owns and manages that particular franchise. A former employee shared a helpful tip: if the sauce looks bright red, the meatballs are probably fresh. But if the sauce turns dark red or brownish and the meatballs look broken up and mushy, you should definitely order something else. That’s your visual clue that those meatballs have been sitting there way too long.
Making meatball subs is an absolute nightmare
Even if the meatballs were perfectly fresh, employees still hate making these sandwiches. The meatballs take up so much space that they barely fit on the bread, and they roll around everywhere while workers try to add toppings. One employee described making a flatbread meatball sub with all the vegetables and three different sauces. The whole thing turned into a complete disaster that wouldn’t stay together. The mess factor alone makes workers dread hearing someone order this sandwich.
Things get even worse when customers order double meatballs or put them on flatbread instead of regular sub rolls. Workers talk about regular customers who order footlong flatbreads with double meat and multiple sauces. These sandwiches become so overstuffed that employees struggle to keep everything wrapped together. One worker mentioned a customer who needed over an hour to finish eating their meatball monstrosity. The sandwich was so packed with stuff that it kept falling apart in the wrapper. During busy lunch rushes, making even one meatball sub can slow down the entire line.
The melt sandwiches make employees miserable
Subway introduced melt sandwiches in 2021, and customers loved getting that melted cheese experience. Workers, however, absolutely hate making them. The process involves way more steps than a regular sandwich. First, they have to slice the bread completely in half instead of leaving it hinged. Then comes triple cheese, plus whatever vegetables and sauce you want. After putting the top back on and cutting the footlong in half, everything goes into a special bag.
The bag then goes into the toaster oven, where workers pray it doesn’t burn to a crisp. Then they have to carefully remove it without dropping the whole thing, which happens more often than you’d think. Reddit threads show dozens of employees agreeing that whoever invented the melt sandwich clearly never worked at Subway. One worker said that out of all the difficult jobs they’ve had, making these melts was genuinely the worst. The extra steps and constant risk of burning or dropping the sandwich makes these a huge pain during busy times.
Chopped salads take forever to prepare
Ordering a salad at Subway seems simple enough, but employees despise making them, especially the chopped variety. When you order a salad, workers can’t just scoop ingredients from their usual spots behind the counter. They have to go to the back room to grab a bowl and chopper, ask what you want, and then spend at least 30 seconds chopping everything up. After that, they spend another 20 seconds trying to fit everything into the small plastic container without making a mess all over the counter.
Then they need to return to the back to put away the dirty equipment. That chopping bowl and tool both need washing, scrubbing with bleach, rinsing, sanitizing, and drying before the next use. One employee pointed out that salad orders also use up a ton of lettuce, which means someone has to prep more lettuce during their downtime. During a lunch rush, taking someone off the sandwich line to make a chopped salad can really slow things down for everyone waiting. If you really want a Subway salad, at least skip asking for it to be finely chopped. The workers will thank you for saving them all those extra steps.
The tuna has faced some serious questions
Subway’s tuna became the center of a major controversy when a lawsuit claimed the tuna blend contained ingredients that weren’t actually tuna. The case got dismissed in 2023, but the whole situation left people wondering what exactly they were eating. Combined with employees saying certain meats are mystery blends of turkey, the tuna situation didn’t help Subway’s reputation. Even though the lawsuit went away, plenty of people still feel unsure about ordering it.
The tuna melt became one of Subway’s new melt options, combining two controversial elements: questionable tuna and a sandwich format that workers hate making. Whether the tuna is legit or not, it remains one of those menu items that raises eyebrows. Some employees have no problem with the tuna itself, but when combined with the melt preparation method, it becomes another sandwich that workers would rather not make. The controversy surrounding the tuna might have officially ended in court, but it continues to live on in people’s minds whenever they look at that menu option.
Complicated custom orders drive workers crazy
Subway markets itself on customization, letting you build exactly the sandwich you want. But some customers take this way too far. Workers complain about people who want every single vegetable, multiple sauces dripping everywhere, and specific arrangements that make the sandwich impossible to wrap. These complicated orders take forever to make and usually fall apart before the customer even leaves the store. During busy times, one person ordering an overly complicated sandwich can back up the whole line.
The worst custom orders combine problematic ingredients like meatballs or multiple meats with every topping imaginable. Flatbread makes everything even harder because it’s smaller and less flexible than regular sub rolls. When someone orders a flatbread footlong with double meat, all the vegetables, and three different sauces, employees know they’re in for a rough time. The sandwich becomes nearly impossible to fold and wrap properly. Most of these extreme custom orders end up being messy for both the worker making it and the person trying to eat it. A little customization is fine, but going overboard just makes everyone’s life harder.
Some locations don’t follow proper food safety rules
Multiple Reddit threads reveal that food safety practices vary wildly between different Subway locations. Some stores follow all the rules about how long food can sit out and when to prep fresh ingredients. Other locations cut corners to save money or because managers don’t care enough. Workers have shared stories about being told to ignore expiration guidelines, reuse food that should be thrown out, and skip proper cleaning procedures. The franchise model means each location operates somewhat independently.
This explains why some employees say their store always uses fresh meatballs while others admit to reusing them for days. The same inconsistency applies to how often vegetables get prepped, whether expired ingredients get tossed, and how thoroughly equipment gets cleaned. Without visiting the back room of your local Subway, you can’t really know which camp they fall into. Some locations maintain high standards while others do the bare minimum. This inconsistency makes it even harder to know what’s safe to order. The visual trick about checking meatball sauce color helps, but it would be better if all locations followed the same strict rules.
Better sandwich options exist at Subway
Not everything at Subway deserves to be avoided. Employees and reviewers point to several menu items that are actually pretty good. The rotisserie-style chicken sub gets praise for having generous portions of decent-quality chicken. One reviewer mentioned the chicken was practically overflowing from the bread, making it feel like good value. Combined with crunchy vegetables and ranch sauce, it makes a filling sandwich without the grossness factor of the Cold Cut Combo or the staleness risk of the meatballs.
Sticking to simpler sandwiches with standard meats like turkey, ham, or roast beef also reduces the chance of problems. These meats don’t sit in weird liquid or require special preparation that workers hate. They’re straightforward to make, which means they get made correctly even during busy times. Other chains like Firehouse Subs, Potbelly, and Capriotti’s also offer better alternatives if you want to avoid Subway entirely. These places tend to have more consistent quality control and don’t cut as many corners. But if you’re stuck with Subway as your only option, at least now you know which items to skip and which ones are safer bets.
Next time you’re standing at that Subway counter, remember what the workers themselves avoid eating. The Cold Cut Combo with its mystery turkey meats swimming in slime, the meatballs that might be days old, and those complicated melts that nobody wants to make are all better left alone. Stick with simpler options like the chicken sub, ask about freshness if you’re unsure, and maybe skip the chopped salad during lunch rush. The employees dealing with these sandwiches every day have seen behind the curtain, and their warnings are worth listening to.
