Remember when you could find a Quiznos on every other corner? Those days are long gone. Some of the biggest names in the sandwich business are shutting down stores left and right, and the numbers are pretty shocking. From chains that used to have thousands of locations to bakery-cafes that were once packed during lunch rush, many spots where people grabbed their favorite subs are disappearing. What happened to these places that seemed unstoppable just a few years ago? The reasons range from bad business decisions to mounting debts, and understanding why these chains are struggling might make you want to visit your local sandwich shop before it’s too late.
Quiznos went from 4,700 stores to barely 148
Quiznos was everywhere in the 2000s, with those toasted subs that seemed like the perfect answer to boring cold sandwiches. The chain hit its peak with a massive 4,700 locations across America, making it look like a serious threat to Subway’s dominance. But then everything fell apart faster than anyone expected. By 2017, fewer than 400 stores remained open, and by the end of 2024, only 148 Quiznos restaurants were still serving customers. That’s a drop so dramatic that people call it one of the biggest restaurant failures in history.
What killed Quiznos wasn’t competition alone. The company made some really bad choices that pushed franchisees to the breaking point. High supply costs meant franchise owners couldn’t make enough money, and by 2007, Quiznos was getting sued by angry franchisees who formed their own groups to fight back. A private equity firm bought into the company in 2006, loading it with hundreds of millions in debt. When the 2008 recession hit, Quiznos closed 700 locations in 2009 and another 800 in 2010. By the time bankruptcy came in 2014, the company owed a staggering $875 million.
Subway is actually closing hundreds of restaurants
This one might surprise you because Subway is still the biggest restaurant chain in America, with more locations than Starbucks or McDonald’s. But bigger doesn’t always mean better, and Subway has been quietly closing stores for years now. The chain peaked around 2015 with roughly 27,000 locations, but that number has been dropping steadily. In 2024 alone, Subway shut down 631 restaurants. By May 2025, Subway had fallen below 20,000 domestic locations for the first time in two decades.
Part of the problem is how Subway treats its franchise owners. The company collects an 8% royalty fee plus a 4% advertising fee on all sales, which really cuts into profits. Even worse, Subway has a habit of putting stores way too close together, forcing franchisees to compete with each other for the same customers. The chain sold to private equity firm Roark Capital in 2023 for $9.6 billion after staying family-owned since 1965. High executive turnover suggests things aren’t exactly stable behind the scenes, and franchise owners have been vocal about their unhappiness with the steep fees and strict rules they have to follow.
Così filed for bankruptcy twice in four years
Così started in Paris back in 1989 and came to New York City in 1996 with its signature flatbread made in open-flame stone-hearth ovens. The chain grew pretty impressively, reaching more than 100 locations spread across 16 states plus Washington D.C., Costa Rica, and even the United Arab Emirates. In 1999, Così merged with Xando, a coffeehouse and bar concept, trying to attract customers beyond the lunch crowd. But that expansion didn’t last, and now Così has shrunk down to just 14 locations in the entire United States.
The company’s biggest mistake was opening too many stores too fast without making sure they’d actually be profitable. Così filed for bankruptcy protection for the first time in 2016, closing 29 company-run locations as part of restructuring efforts. Just four years later in early 2020, Così went bankrupt again. This time the company decided to switch from running traditional restaurants to focusing mainly on catering instead. Those delicious flatbreads are still around, but you’ll have a much harder time finding a Così location these days unless you happen to live near one of the few remaining spots.
Panera Bread is abandoning its fresh-baked bread roots
Panera Bread seems like it should be doing fine, but some troubling signs suggest otherwise. The bakery-cafe chain started as St. Louis Bread Company in 1987 with a special sourdough starter from San Francisco that they still use today. Panera has been known for baking its own bread fresh at each location, which has been central to the brand since day one. But in 2024, the chain launched its biggest menu overhaul ever, which might sound exciting until you learn what else is changing behind the scenes.
Panera is closing all of its fresh dough facilities between 2025 and 2027, completely abandoning the practice of baking bread from scratch at each location. Instead, they’re switching to par-baked bread, which means products will be half-baked and frozen by third-party contractors, then finished at Panera stores. This move is supposed to streamline operations, but it means giving up what made Panera special in the first place. The chain is also closing several underperforming franchise locations around the country. When a restaurant known for fresh-baked goods stops baking its own products, you have to wonder what’s really going on.
Au Bon Pain closed its last Boston location
The name Au Bon Pain translates to “where the good bread’s at” in French, and the chain started out in 1976 trying to showcase bread-baking ovens at Boston’s Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Two years later in 1978, Louis Kane bought the company and shifted the focus to actually selling baked goods instead of just equipment. The chain grew from French bakery items to include sandwiches, soups, salads, and gourmet coffee. Au Bon Pain expanded to more than 200 locations around 2012, bouncing back after suffering millions in losses during the mid-1990s, including a $4.36 million loss in 1996.
But that recovery didn’t stick. Au Bon Pain is now down to just 30 locations across 12 states, and in 2024 the chain closed its last location in Boston, the city where it all started. Most remaining stores are in airports where people don’t have many other options. The reasons for Au Bon Pain’s decline include weak sales and lasting damage from COVID-19 shutdowns. When you can’t even keep a location open in your hometown, that’s a pretty clear sign that things aren’t going well. The chain’s struggle shows how hard it is to maintain a bakery-cafe concept when faster, cheaper options keep popping up everywhere.
Which Wich lost more than half its stores
Which Wich Superior Sandwiches opened in 2003 in Dallas, Texas, inside what used to be a Subway location. The chain offered tons of customization options and signature sandwiches like the Wicked, loaded with turkey, ham, roast beef, pepperoni, bacon, and cheese. That variety and focus on letting customers build their perfect sandwich helped Which Wich grow fast. By 2018, the chain had reached its peak with more than 430 locations across the country. People loved the customization aspect and the red Sharpie markers used to mark sandwich orders on bags.
Then COVID-19 hit, and dine-in traffic basically disappeared. Which Wich locations that depended on lunch crowds and office workers suddenly had nobody coming through their doors. The chain shrank to about 220 locations by 2023, with many stores closing because of reduced foot traffic, franchisee exits, and expired leases. As of now, Which Wich has just over 130 outlets left in the United States. That’s a loss of more than 300 stores in just a few years. The chain is still hanging on, but losing two-thirds of your locations shows just how brutal the restaurant business can be when circumstances change quickly.
Blimpie collapsed from 2,000 stores to around 200
Blimpie started in Hoboken, New Jersey, back in 1964 when three partners borrowed $2,500 to open their first sandwich shop. They modeled it after Mike’s Submarines, which later became Jersey Mike’s, selling a similar lineup of subs. The concept worked so well that they sold their first franchise within a year. Blimpie built its business on franchising and grew to 150 locations by 1983. By 2002, the chain had expanded to around 2,000 locations across the United States and internationally, looking like a real success story.
But then everything went wrong. Blimpie got sold to a private investor group in 2002 and closed around 200 outlets before getting sold again to Kahala Brands in 2006. Poor management decisions and overexpansion into bad locations killed the chain’s momentum. One of the biggest mistakes was trying to operate in unconventional spaces like convenience stores, kiosks, and carts. These nontraditional locations didn’t make enough money, and Blimpie closed 155 underperforming stores between mid-2000 and mid-2001, with about 70% of those being the experimental locations. Today, estimates suggest Blimpie might have as few as 200 locations left, a massive fall from its peak of 2,000 stores.
Eegee’s filed for bankruptcy after expansion failed
Eegee’s is an Arizona-based chain famous for its frozen fruit drinks, but it also serves toasted sandwiches called toastees, cold subs, chicken tenders, and salads. The company started in 1971 as a vending truck selling those signature frozen Eegee drinks at high schools, sports events, and college campuses. After moving into actual restaurants, Eegee’s expanded to 24 locations by 2018 when private equity firm 39 North Capital bought the company. The new owners focused on growth and pushed the chain to 35 locations by 2022.
That expansion backfired badly. By September 2023, 39 North Capital closed three Eegee’s locations. In 2024, the chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, blaming pandemic-related financial problems, rising inflation, labor shortages, and high maintenance costs. When bankruptcy proceedings started, Eegee’s owed roughly $3.1 million in unsecured debts and was fighting with its distributor Sysco. The brand’s footprint is now down to 25 locations. Eegee’s story shows how private equity ownership and aggressive expansion can actually hurt a regional chain that was doing fine before outside investors got involved.
Le Pain Quotidien sold everything during bankruptcy
Le Pain Quotidien means “the daily bread” in French, and this bakery-restaurant combo started in Brussels in 1990. Chef Alain Coumont wanted to recreate the high-quality bread he remembered from childhood, and the concept caught on internationally. The chain specialized in fresh pastries, open-face sandwiches, and breakfast and lunch dishes. Le Pain Quotidien expanded globally and had 98 locations in the United States when COVID-19 shutdowns hammered the restaurant industry in 2020. The chain couldn’t survive the loss of dine-in customers.
Le Pain Quotidien filed for bankruptcy in 2020 and sold all its assets to New York-based firm Aurify. The chain that once seemed like an upscale alternative to regular sandwich shops couldn’t make it through the pandemic. While some locations reopened after the bankruptcy sale, many never came back. The closure of Le Pain Quotidien locations hit cities hard where the chain had become a neighborhood staple for morning coffee and pastries. The company’s struggle shows how even restaurants with loyal followings can collapse when circumstances change dramatically and quickly.
The sandwich chains that are closing down share some common problems: bad management choices, too much debt, overexpansion, and the lasting impact of COVID-19 shutdowns. Some tried to grow too fast without making sure new locations would actually work. Others loaded up on debt through private equity deals that looked good at first but became impossible to manage. What seemed like unstoppable growth in the 2000s and 2010s turned into rapid collapse when economic conditions changed. These closures mean fewer options when you’re looking for a quick lunch, and it’s worth appreciating the sandwich shops that are still around.
