Little-known Subway feature continues rollout across the country
Subway Australia is continuing its rollout of drive-thru locations across the country.
Opening this month, the new store in Smithfield, north Queensland, marks the chain’s 38th drive-thru location – yet many a Subway customer have remained blissfully unaware it has been operating the service in Australia in the first place.
Subway’s 38th Aussie drive thru location will soon open in Queensland. Subway Australia
“Convenience continues to be a key driver for our guests, and drive-thru restaurants provide a fast and seamless way to enjoy their Subway favourites,” Kerrie Hockless, Head of Brand Marketing at Subway, told nine.com.au.
“Where location and space permit, we actively explore drive-thru opportunities as part of our commitment to making Subway more accessible for customers across Australia.”
This comes days after prominent Aussie food blogger Nectorious Papi called for more Subway drive-thrus following a recent visit to his nearest location in Craigeburn, Melbourne.
“I feel like more people would have Subway more often if we had the option of a drive thru,” he said in a TikTok video.
The blogger told nine.com.au his go-to Subway order remains unchanged: “Chicken schnitzel with lettuce, pickles, olives and Cheddar cheese, and then some Southwest sauce and a bit of salt and pepper.
“They say people never really change their order at Subway,” he added.
Drive-thru domination
Drive-thrus in Australia have been more strongly associated with the likes of McDonald’s, Hungry Jacks and KFC, whereas Subway has almost universally operated an in-store model.
Of more than 1,200 Subway locations across Australia, there are only 35-40 drive-thrus. Jo Abi
The brand’s ordering process is an iconic assembly line, beginning with the customer’s choice of bread, meat, vegetables, pickles, cheese and other condiments.
The only friction point is usually whether to add a cookie to your order – the answer to this is always yes.
Out of more than 1,200 Subway locations across Australia, there are only around 35 to 40 drive-thru locations nationwide.
They have existed in select regional or suburban pockets across Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania for a few years, but didn’t expand to Western Australia until early 2024 (opening in Falcon, south of Perth).
It’s drive-thru models feature integrated digital ordering displays and allow customers to pick up orders made via the Subway app through the window.
Subway has been optimising its operations since earlier this year when it ended its Subcard Loyalty and Gift program as of July 31, in favour of in-app offerings.
The drive-thru models feature integrated digital ordering displays. @nectoriouspapi
Subway has been optimising its operations since earlier this year TikTok @nectoriouspapi
While there have been unconfirmed reports Subway had briefly considered transitioning its in-store experiences to ordering screens and moving sandwich assembly to the back of the store, these plans appear to have been abandoned.
Considering the resurgence of sandwiches in Australia, particularly those assembled in front of customers using fresh ingredients, this can be easily understood.
Recent additions to the country’s sandwich store lineup include Italy’s most famous sandwich shop All’Antico Vinaio in Sydney, the latest in a series of boutique offerings which also feature sandwich assembly in front of waiting customers.
