Subway Has Abruptly Canceled the $6.99 Meal Deal — Here’s Why

By now you have most likely seen the Subway TV commercials promoting their $6.99 combo meal deal. It includes a 6-inch sub, a small fountain drink and a choice of either chips or two regular cookies for $6.99, and it was a steal in today's inflated market.

The $6.99 meal deal was slated to go all the way until the end of the year, but Subway has just pulled the plug early from the promotion.

Restaurant Business Magazine intercepted an internal memo that Subway sent out to all of their franchisees that states that Wednesday (Nov. 27) will now be the new end date to the promotion.

It seems that the major promotion fell kind of flat for Subway, as they openly and honestly state that it was not as popular as expected.

The thing that might have brought Subway to the forefront as of late might be the exact same thing that's hurting them. When Subway rolled out their famous five dollar foot-long subs in the 2000s, they kind of set the precedent that you can get all that sub for only five dollars.

Now, for two dollars more, you only get half of that sub. Granted, you get a small fountain drink and chips, but it still is not sitting right with consumers.

Here is where it gets a little testy for Subway. Their franchisees sometimes have issues with the promotions being offered. Some of the locations in bigger cities that have higher operating costs give pushback to the lower prices because it cuts into their profit.

That pushback over the years has turned into shutdowns in some cases. More than 7,000 Subway locations have closed in the U.S. since 2015. Some franchisees won’t cooperate with value deals, which can also influence their effectiveness.

What will Subway do to not only retain its existing customers, but to secure new ones?

While removing the $6.99 meal deal, they also added a new promotion that gives you a digital coupon for 20 percent off any sub. That offering will start on Nov. 27 and go until Jan. 5, 2025.