Menu Options
When it comes to nutrition and diet, 67 percent of respondents reported that they are watching one or more things. Forty-two percent of those were watching calories, and another 34 percent were watching fat grams. These results are consistent with 2006, although there was an increase in the number of respondents who were not watching dietary concerns at all. Consumers are also monitoring their intake of sugar, sodium, proteins (and gluten/wheat). see chart 6
More than half (54 percent) of the consumers polled believe that Subway offers the healthiest menu options. Clearly the years of marketing invested to build Subway’s image as the healthy choice have paid off, as the next closest brands were Panera Bread and Wendy’s, each with 8 percent. see chart 7
While sodas led the beverage field, cheeseburgers topped subs as the preferred sandwich of quick-service customers in 2007, a shift from 2006 when sub sandwiches topped the most-likely-to-order list. Fries and onion rings held their top-five spot, though, as did the grilled chicken sandwich. Interestingly, the old stand-by status of the plain hamburgers appears to be waning. Last year 31 percent named the burger their top choice. This year less than half that number did. see charts 8, 9