The Subway Without Bread – A Business Horror Story

Ah, the great college tour adventure continues. After a solid morning of walking around UNC Wilmington, Emma and I decided it was time for some lunch. Nothing fancy, just something quick and easy. Subway seemed like a safe bet—you know, a place literally built on bread.

But as we approached the door, a scraggly employee, mid-cigarette, exhaled a cloud of nicotine-infused indifference and grumbled, “We’re outta bread. It’s gonna be 20 minutes.”

Now, to give you a proper visual, this guy’s voice had the unmistakable charm of someone who’s been chain-smoking since the Nixon administration. It was like a cross between a malfunctioning garbage disposal and the sound of gravel being poured onto pavement.

Subway. Out of Bread. Let That Sink In.

Out of bread? At Subway? That’s like:

• Santa running out of presents on Christmas Eve.
• The Easter Bunny showing up empty-pawed.
• A lifeguard forgetting how to swim.
• A Starbucks running out of coffee at 7 AM.

It’s not just an inconvenience—it’s a full-scale business identity crisis.

What’s This Got to Do With YOUR Business?

Imagine if your business suddenly ran out of the one thing that makes it function. If my carpet cleaning company sent a team to a client’s house and said, “Uh, we’re here to clean your carpets… but we forgot the cleaning solution.” How long do you think we’d stay in business?

Or what if an attorney said, “Sure, I’ll take your case. One problem—I don’t have a law license.”

How does this even happen? Who’s in charge? Does the owner of this Subway have any idea their store is turning people away at high noon because of a complete lack of sandwiches?

Do You Have a System to Catch These Problems?

This is why every business must have a system to ensure smooth, uninterrupted service. And—here’s the key—a built-in alert system that tells you when something’s wrong before your customers find out.

A few examples of how this could be done:

• A restaurant POS that triggers an alert when an essential ingredient is running low.
• A service business dashboard that flags a team that hasn't made a sale in 30 minutes during peak hours.
• An automated inventory tracker that sends a notification when stock reaches a critical level.

If you don’t have a system like this, you’re playing Russian roulette with your customers’ trust.

This Was No High Point University Moment

Contrast this disaster with High Point University, where a security guard—yes, the guy at the front gate—knew Emma’s name before we even rolled down the window. They cared about the details. They had systems in place. And they sure as hell weren’t out of education.

Subway, Get Your Act Together

If Subway can’t figure out how to keep bread in stock at lunchtime, they might as well just lock the doors and call it a day. Because if a customer has to stand in line and wonder if they’ll actually get a sandwich, that’s the beginning of the end.

Don’t be like Subway. Get your systems in place. Know what’s happening in your business before it turns into a disaster. And for the love of all things sacred—make sure you’re never out of the thing your customers actually came for.

Subway #subway