Subway

Subway lives on made-to-order sandwiches, flatbread, salads and a menu that can be assembled quickly, which is exactly why people use it for lunch on the move. By our assessment, its real strength is the sheer amount of choice inside a simple fast-service format: bread, fillings and toppings can be mixed without much fuss. The trade-off is that this kind of chain rarely gives the same character as a smaller sandwich shop, and the experience depends on how well a given outlet is run. In practice it is counter service, visible ingredients and a routine that rewards speed over ceremony. Subway sits in the fast-food sandwich lane rather than the burger lane, and that still makes it one of the most recognisable names in that category. It is a straightforward chain, not a place that tries to be precious about its food.