Backlash as Popular Sandwich Chain Cancels Franchise Locations

[Bday Prang]

45 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Pizza Hut did not "change to The Pizza Company", they are two different businesses and they are both still here.  I'd guess that the confused are confused by your confusion.   Perhaps the emoji was awarded to you by Minor International or PH Capital, the respective owners of The Pizza Co and Pizza Hut?.

                It would appear I have been misinformed,  although unsurprisingly ,and to be honest, I was never that interested that I  bothered "fact checking"  I'll take your word for it as I still feel the same way. 

               I doubt the emoji was awarded by a representative of either of the two corporate entities you referred to though,   Just somebody like yourself who is better informed, but, unlike yourself,  just too lazy to offer a polite explanation.  

[Bday Prang]

3 minutes ago, treetops said:

 

"Math" is an Americanism.  "Maths" - short for Mathematics - is the original term.  It is confusing as "Arith" is used correctly as shorthand  for Arithmetic in English, whereas following the maths rule it would be "Ariths" which just isn't right.

      I thought there may have been some American influence to be honest but I don't consider  American English to be "real" English more a variation or even a dialect . but that's just my opinion

      I have never heard either Arith or Ariths used in the UK   the word "arithmetic" even was not widely used where I went to school  its use was pretty much restricted to its rather  bizarre presence in the phrase "the three "r"s  as in" reading writing and arithmetic" or in the titles of textbooks

We just considered arithmetic to mean "standard" mathematics and referred to it as maths and only used other descriptives for algebra, trigonometry, geometry , calculus and the like

I do however accept that languages are continually evolving, I just can't keep up anymore  lol

[Keeps]

24 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

                It would appear I have been misinformed,  although unsurprisingly ,and to be honest, I was never that interested that I  bothered "fact checking"  I'll take your word for it as I still feel the same way. 

               I doubt the emoji was awarded by a representative of either of the two corporate entities you referred to though,   Just somebody like yourself who is better informed, but, unlike yourself,  just too lazy to offer a polite explanation.  

The green one is pizza company that is really crap. The red one is pizza hut that is marginally less crap. Or is it the other way round on crapness? I get confused.

 

 

[Bday Prang]

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Subway as a brand has not gone cashless, you may have tried one franchise that has...but I  doubt it, why would they do that?  

I cannot understand why any retail outlet would go cashless.  Some might say it would make sense for the likes of high end jewellers or luxury car dealerships however I'm sure they too have some  customers  who prefer to or can only pay in cash. 

[Bday Prang]

1 minute ago, Keeps said:

The green one is pizza company that is really crap. The red one is pizza hut that is marginally less crap. Or is it the other way round on crapness? I get confused.

 

 

The Pizza company is the worst, I should really say "was" the worst as its years since I have been in either.

  No doubt somebody will come along and correct me shortly,  Its been one of those days

[Keeps]

2 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

The Pizza company is the worst, I should really say "was" the worst as its years since I have been in either.

  No doubt somebody will come along and correct me shortly,  Its been one of those days

I did get one from pizza company years ago under order of the Mrs. It was a seafood monstrosity where the sauce appeared to be mainly jizz. I ate the box and let her have the rest.

[scorecard]

11 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   Not desperate enough to travel all the way to America just to get a sandwich .

   Subway is often the only place to get a baguette from in Thailand , theres no other option 

 

Best Subway I've used was in Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam. Right in the heart of the city and 3 minutes walk to the 4 star hotel my uni always used.

 

Great friendly / focused / fast service, bread and fillings always fresh and tasty. All staff spoke English. On a day off I always called and ordered and picked up my order 15 / 20 minutes later. 

 

Some afternoons I went to Subway on my way to the campus and ordered and paid. When I got back to my hotel (about 9.30 pm) sandwich waiting in the lobby. 

 

Much better than any Subway I tried in Bkk / Pattaya. 

[Keeps]

Getting back to Subway. I was always suspicious of their claims on the foot long sub. I had my own quality control method in the shop by lobbing out my knob and making sure the sub was exactly 4 times the size...

[lordgrinz]

2 hours ago, jayboy said:

 

Sadly that is not the case.Of course decent bread can be purchased mainly in the larger cities where European influence can be traced.I have myself have brought excellent bread in Boston.But it's the exception.Most Americans eat rubbish bread,

 

https://www.greenlifephilosophy.com/what-is-wrong-with-bread-in-america/

 

Of course sophisticated Americans in NY and LA often don't eat bread at all being allergic to carbs, unlike the generously built patrons at Subway.

 

I like getting handmade breads from local bakeries, I have one favorite breakfast joint (It's actually a farm) close to my home in the US, love their food and they do great homemade breads too. Gawd, I miss their breakfast menu, which is good until 2pm 😋

[alien365]

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Subway as a brand has not gone cashless, you may have tried one franchise that has...but I  doubt it, why would they do that?  

I honestly can't remember but both near me west of Bangkok and the one on Rama 2 are definitely cashless only. They say you can pay with a credit card instead, but that doesn't exactly help. I used to enjoy their meatball sandwiches, but it's not worth the hassle now.

[blaze master]

Jared is not going to be happy about this. No more commissary.

[Evil Penevil]

 

17 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

The Americans are good at selling their junk to the world with clever marketing. 
But unlike the Japanese they are so far up themselves that they are too stupid to realize things are different in Thailand and you have to train and manage workers differently. 

  Subway uses the master franchise system in Thailand, which means U.S. management is not directly involved in daily operations.  In describing its plans for international expansion, Subway stated:  "The master franchisees will have exclusive rights to manage and develop Subway locations in their respective countries and have committed to remodeling existing locations as well as opening new restaurants in the brand's current, contemporary image." https://newsroom.subway.com/2023-06-29-Subway-R-Celebrates-15-New-Master-Franchise-Agreements-Since-2021

 

The master franchisor for the country is expected to find local franchisees, train staff and enforce whatever terms were agreed with Subway regarding logo, decor, ingredients, products, etc.  

 

Subway signed a master franchise agreement with a Thai company in 2022, but a different company took over the master franchise on April 1, 2024. 

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/general/2777329/ptg-set-to-popularise-subway-in-thailand     It's possible the hassles over declining quality and failure to live up to the terms of the master franchise depended on the inability of the first company to handle the situation.

 

6 hours ago, jayboy said:

Of course decent bread can be purchased mainly in the larger cities where European influence can be traced.I have myself have brought excellent bread in Boston.But it's the exception.Most Americans eat rubbish bread,

 

It's possible many Americans eat rubbish bread, but not because better isn't available everywhere.   I live in  city with 70,000 people.  It's not a village but it ain't t LA or NYC.  My local supermarket offers 50 varieties of freshly baked bread and rolls and about 100 types of packaged bread.  On the fresh baked side, there's everything from U.S. favorites like sourdough, cornbread,  raisin swirl, ten types of multi-grain and whole wheat, etc.; a full range of French, Italian and rye breads (German and Jewish); rolls of every size and description; and even Irish soda bread, Middle Eastern pita and Indian naan. Plus you can get bagels, croissants, brioche, muffins, American biscuits, etc.  

 

It's true families probably go for whatever packaged sliced white bread is on sale, but for those who want quality and variety, it's there.  Moreover,  I have a relative who lives in a village of 5,000 people and she can get freshly baked bread in her local grocey store.  It's delivered daily from a bakery in a town about 30 miles away.  She can order just about any kind of bread.

 

A lot of Americans eat inferior food because that's what they are used to.  But for anyone in the U.S., wherever they live, better options are always available.

 

Edited November 4 by Evil Penevil

[digbeth]

6 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Pizza Hut did not "change to The Pizza Company", they are two different businesses and they are both still here.  I'd guess that the confused are confused by your confusion.   Perhaps the emoji was awarded to you by Minor International or PH Capital, the respective owners of The Pizza Co and Pizza Hut?.

Minor Group or whatever they were called in the 80s had the franchise of Pizza Hut back then though and once they lost that franchise they rebranded all their location to 'Pizza Company'

 

It'd be pedantic to not call that a 'change' what was a Pizza hut before in the same location is now Pizza Company 

[fredwiggy]

10 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

Personally i would go with "speciality bread"    or "loaves"    The bakery is known for its specialty bread  ( or loaves) 

although as I mentioned earlier as the different types of bread have specific names the use of the word "loaf / loaves would not normally be used when quantifying      IE  One would order 3 baguettes not 3 loaves of baguette

 

 It would never be "Loaves of breads"   it would  one loaf of bread  or three loaves of bread

 I looked on google as I was genuinely surprised,  I have never heard the word "breads"    used before  there are several conflicting links as to whether it is a real word or not,   but I can't argue with the link you found either   so I guess I'll stand corrected.     maybe its a recent linguistic development, similar to how   I've noticed people nowadays do the "Math" as opposed to the "maths"

Breads still sounds weird to me though, and in a grating sort of way, 

Like I mentioned, breads is a correct term, and has been used as long as I've been alive , and got my start on the east coast, NYC area.

[Stargeezr]

If you go hungry in Thailand, you are either too broke, or fussy. 

I have never had to miss a meal or pay too much in most places where I eat.

   Of course Roti, and Kanome Krok are considerred a meal. I do pike

Padt Thai though, and many rice dishes.

[Mr Meeseeks]

18 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

I like Starbucks and buy their coffee and tea, but rarely here, as the closest one is 1 1/2 hours away. I'm thinking the same as when I go, I don't see too many patrons inside. Amazon and a thousands other coffee places are cheaper, so that's where most locals go.

 

Amazon is a lot less consistent than Starbucks especially for the hot coffees such as Lattes and Cappos. Get a good one at one location then a terrible one at another. Starbucks product is consistent and standardised across all branches.

 

That is a hard thing to do when you rely on a worker (in this case a barista) to ensure the quality is consistent. 

 

In a Maccas burger the worker is not as crucial to the process as all the ingredients are pre-prepared and only assembled by the worker. 

 

14 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I guess it's just something different.

Every couple of months I like to eat KFC, and every couple of months I like a Big Mac. It just happens. And I think if we don't eat it all the time then it's not a big deal. 

 

Absolutely correct.

[fredwiggy]

Just now, Mr Meeseeks said:

 

Amazon is a lot less consistent than Starbucks especially for the hot coffees such as Lattes and Cappos. Get a good one at one location then a terrible one at another. Starbucks product is consistent and standardised across all branches.

 

That is a hard thing to do when you rely on a worker (in this case a barista) to ensure the quality is consistent. 

 

In a Maccas burger the worker is not as crucial to the process as all the ingredients are pre-prepared and only assembled by the worker. 

 

 

Absolutely correct.

I absolutely prefer Starbucks. The problem is it's far away. Starbucks training I'm positive is a lot stricter than others here. I will be visiting them daily when I'm back to the states next week for a month.

[MalcolmB]

14 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

Agreed, And  It always amazes me how they will walk past some delicious Thai style barbequed chicken and go and stuff themselves with KFC rubbish    guess its the power of advertising

KFC wins sometimes because of seating, aircon and they serve fries.

“Street”  KFC ไก่ทอด tastes better, but they should serve fries as well I think.

[Mr Meeseeks]

6 hours ago, digbeth said:

Minor Group or whatever they were called in the 80s had the franchise of Pizza Hut back then though and once they lost that franchise they rebranded all their location to 'Pizza Company'

 

It'd be pedantic to not call that a 'change' what was a Pizza hut before in the same location is now Pizza Company 

 

Good article on Bill Heinecke from 1990:

 

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-08-21-wr-1112-story.html

 

There was some disagreement with Pizza Hut, I remember reading about it at the time. Then he founded Pizza Company which in effect was a similar business but just their own brand. 

 

Don't be surprised if something similar happens here with the Subway franchises. 

[Evil Penevil]

1 hour ago, Stargeezr said:

I do pike Padt Thai though, and many rice dishes.

 

How do you pike Pad Thai or rice dishes?  

Is it with a    or   a  ?

[Bday Prang]

15 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

There used to be "pizza hut" which sold relatively decent pizzas,  but it changed to The Pizza Co.  and was never the same afterwards

 

seems to have confused somebody   can't think why

 

14 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Pizza Hut did not "change to The Pizza Company", they are two different businesses and they are both still here.  I'd guess that the confused are confused by your confusion.   Perhaps the emoji was awarded to you by Minor International or PH Capital, the respective owners of The Pizza Co and Pizza Hut?.

 

7 hours ago, digbeth said:

Minor Group or whatever they were called in the 80s had the franchise of Pizza Hut back then though and once they lost that franchise they rebranded all their location to 'Pizza Company'

 

It'd be pedantic to not call that a 'change' what was a Pizza hut before in the same location is now Pizza Company 

 

maybe I was a little hasty in accepting that I was wrong ?    It would appear further research is necessary, but to be honest I can't be bothered

[Bday Prang]

1 hour ago, fredwiggy said:

I absolutely prefer Starbucks. The problem is it's far away. Starbucks training I'm positive is a lot stricter than others here. I will be visiting them daily when I'm back to the states next week for a month.

In all honesty how much "training" can possibly be required to operate a coffee machine?   There are only two basic ingredients in a cup of coffee and one of them is hot water the temperature and quantity of which would be controlled by the machine.

The other is of course the coffee itself, the quantity required is the only variable and again that would be measured by the machine,

Its not really rocket science.

And I'm not sure where or why  the over glorified  term "barista" was dreamed up ,  I reckon its just to help those who work in such a mundane occupation (generally students) feel better about themselves.  along with their customers who need to justify themselves paying a ridiculous amount of money for a what is just a cup of coffee. 

[Bday Prang]

1 hour ago, MalcolmB said:

KFC wins sometimes because of seating, aircon and they serve fries.

“Street”  KFC ไก่ทอด tastes better, but they should serve fries as well I think.

"Street KFC"  would actually be referred to not as gai tort but as Gai yang  It does indeed taste much better     Traditionally eaten by Thais with sticky rice ( khao neeow) 

  If it was worth their while offering french fries they would by doing so already  as Thai street vendors are pretty clued up.   But as you say,  they  do not  normally offer fries, even in tourist areas as far as I am aware,  

Have you thought of setting a stall  up ? you might be onto a winner

[Bday Prang]

13 hours ago, Keeps said:

I did get one from pizza company years ago under order of the Mrs. It was a seafood monstrosity where the sauce appeared to be mainly jizz. I ate the box and let her have the rest.

Can't say I blame you,  out of interest, how did the mrs rate the "jizz"

[marin]

13 hours ago, scorecard said:

Best Subway I've used was in Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam. Right in the heart of the city and 3 minutes walk to the 4 star hotel my uni always used.

You are in Viet Nam and chose Subway over a BahnMi? Wow that sure as heck would never cross my mind. Processed food vs a genuine delight in a crusty baguette. 

[fredwiggy]

17 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

In all honesty how much "training" can possibly be required to operate a coffee machine?   There are only two basic ingredients in a cup of coffee and one of them is hot water the temperature and quantity of which would be controlled by the machine.

The other is of course the coffee itself, the quantity required is the only variable and again that would be measured by the machine,

Its not really rocket science.

And I'm not sure where or why  the over glorified  term "barista" was dreamed up ,  I reckon its just to help those who work in such a mundane occupation (generally students) feel better about themselves.  along with their customers who need to justify themselves paying a ridiculous amount of money for a what is just a cup of coffee. 

True but customer service also is involved. How you treat them has them either coming back or not. Barista comes from Italy, meaning  bartender or coffee server. Starbucks carries some real good coffee, and you can order others from them to make at home.

[Bday Prang]

8 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

True but customer service also is involved. How you treat them has them either coming back or not. Barista comes from Italy, meaning  bartender or coffee server. Starbucks carries some real good coffee, and you can order others from them to make at home.

Agreed but again exactly how much training is actually required to ensure staff do  not pi$$ a customer off to the extent that they never return ?   none I would say, in fact common courtesy and manners should suffice  and whether a prospective employee is in possession of those basic qualities could and should be easily established when they are interviewed,    

"what can I get you sir"

"A  large cappuccino please"

" certainly sir that will be 150 baht"   "i'll tell you when its ready"     Not much training required for that in my opinion, in fact one would have to go out of one's way to cause offence to a customer

 

I have bought and made Starbucks coffee at home (despite a lack of formal training)  as I said before back in the UK starbucks coffee is sold in supermarkets at around the same price as any other coffee

 

Out of interest is Amazon coffee available for sale to be brewed at at home ?  The amazon stores here only seem to offer instant coffee for that

 

 

 

[fredwiggy]

2 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

Agreed but again exactly how much training is actually required to ensure staff do  not pi$$ a customer off to the extent that they never return ?   none I would say, in fact common courtesy and manners should suffice  and whether a prospective employee is in possession of those basic qualities could and should be easily established when they are interviewed,    

"what can I get you sir"

"A  large cappuccino please"

" certainly sir that will be 150 baht"   "i'll tell you when its ready"     Not much training required for that in my opinion, in fact one would have to go out of one's way to cause offence to a customer

 

I have bought and made Starbucks coffee at home (despite a lack of formal training)  as I said before back in the UK starbucks coffee is sold in supermarkets at around the same price as any other coffee

 

Out of interest is Amazon coffee available for sale to be brewed at at home ?  The amazon stores here only seem to offer instant coffee for that

 

 

 

Problem here is many don't speak English so can only smile, which works for me as long as they get the order right...............https://www.tops.co.th/en/search/amazon coffee

Edited November 5 by fredwiggy

[Bday Prang]

29 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Problem here is many don't speak English so can only smile, which works for me as long as they get the order right...............https://www.tops.co.th/en/search/amazon coffee

Indeed although the lack of language skills is hardly unique to coffee outlets, just the extortionate prices they charge,   Thanks for the link I never considered trying Tops  I'll give it a go next time I'm shopping

[MalcolmB]

1 hour ago, Bday Prang said:

Have you thought of setting a stall  up ? you might be onto a winner

Nah, it is so cheap already I can’t see much profit in it.

personally I preferred the taste of the fried chicken over the grilled chicken, both are sold with sticky rice.