Fast Casual: Subway Shares Lessons Learned When it Comes to Menu-Labeling Enforcement

Many in the restaurant industry are—for lack of a better term—"freaking out" about the regulations that take effect May 5, 2017, requiring chain restaurants to put specific nutritional information on their menus. Granted, it is going to require some work to complete the analyses, redesign and reprint menus and even educate employees. That holds particularly true for the largest chains, which just by sheer scale, have a fairly costly and detailed project on their hands in order to comply with the new standards.

However, Subway proved it was possible 20 years ago when the sandwich chain first began providing guests access to nutritional information on cups, tray liners, napkins and elsewhere. The initiative has continued and now includes its website and in-store labeling. The chain's transparency helped to make it one of the nation's favorite but also one of the most successful brand in the world. That fact was proven just recently when the annual Harris Poll EquiTrends Restaurant Brands of the Year Study put Subway at the top of the QSR heap for the sixth year in a row by naming the chain top Sandwich Shop Brand of the Year.

"Year after year, Subway has proven that it has equity staying power," said Lisa Recoussine, vice president of client solutions at Nielsen, which owns The Harris Poll. "Getting ahead of the fitness curve and being one of the first chains to use a celebrity fitness tie-in with 'The Biggest Loser' are some factors contributing to Subway's equity dominance."

In light of the coming regulations, Fast Casual bounced a few questions off Subway Global Dietitian Lanette Kovachi to give other brands the chance to learn from her experiences with menu item nutritional evaluation and labeling.