MIAMI — Subway announced on July 5 that the quick-service sandwich chain would start offering freshly sliced meats at US restaurants. 

The company said it spent two years equipping 20,000 locations with deli meat slicers. Subway stated in its announcement that it invested $80 million into the slicers and gifted them to all US franchisees.  

Before this change, Subway meats were supplied to restaurants by processors that pre-sliced millions of pounds of products for the company’s restaurants. 

“Over the past two years, we overhauled our expansive pantry of ingredients and debuted a whole new way to Subway with chef-crafted signature sandwiches,” said Trevor Haynes, president of North America at Subway. “These major changes led to rave reviews from our guests and record-breaking sales. This year’s changes are even bigger and more transformational.”

Along with the slice announcement, Subway rolled out four new subs that it’s calling its “Deli Heroes.” The items will feature more meat than the traditional subs and emphasize turkey, ham, roast beef, pepperoni and salami.

A promotion will also come with the new slicers. Subway plans to offer up to one million free six-inch Deli Heroes subs at participating locations in the US on July 11 between 10 a.m. and noon local time. 

In recent months reports surfaced that Subway continues to explore selling the brand. The company also made a shift last year saying it wanted to expand its product outside its traditional outlets in convenience stores, casinos, hospitals and airports, through its Grab & Go platform launched in 2020.

Around the world, Subway operates approximately 37,000 restaurants in over 100 countries.