The sandwich chain remains the largest U.S. restaurant brand by location count but has lost thousands of stores since its peak.
MIAMI — Subway closed a net 729 U.S. restaurants in 2025, extending a long domestic slide for one of the country’s best-known fast-food chains as it tries to rebuild sales, support franchisees and compete for budget-minded customers.
The closures brought Subway’s U.S. restaurant count to 18,773 at the end of 2025, according to recent franchise disclosure data cited by industry reports. The drop marked the chain’s 10th straight year of domestic contraction. Subway still has more U.S. locations than McDonald’s, Starbucks and other major restaurant brands, but its shrinking footprint shows the pressure on a company that once grew faster than almost any chain in America.
Subway’s U.S. decline has been steady since the middle of the last decade. The company had more than 27,000 domestic restaurants at its peak in 2015. Since then, it has closed more than 8,000 net locations in the U.S., a drop larger than the full store count of many national fast-food brands. The 2025 decline was deeper than the 631 net closures reported for 2024 and brought Subway below the 19,000 mark. Industry reports tied the latest numbers to Subway’s 2026 franchise disclosure document, which was released April 30. Subway has said its strategy is not simply to add restaurants, but to place stores where franchise owners can perform better over time.
The company’s U.S. restaurants are franchised, meaning local operators run stores under the Subway name while paying fees and following brand rules. That model helped Subway spread into strip malls, gas stations, airports, college campuses and Walmart stores across the country. It also left the chain with many restaurants close to one another, a setup that could split sales between nearby franchisees. The latest closure total reflects net change, so it includes openings as well as shutdowns. Public reports said Subway projects 100 new U.S. openings in 2026, while also expecting more closures during the year. The company has not released a public list of every restaurant that closed in 2025.
Subway is trying to answer the domestic slide with new leadership, new prices and a sharper focus on store quality. Roark Capital completed its purchase of Subway on April 30, 2024, ending decades of family ownership. The company named Jonathan Fitzpatrick as chief executive officer in July 2025. Fitzpatrick previously led Driven Brands and held senior roles at Burger King, including work tied to brand and restaurant operations. Subway also has named regional leaders to guide North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean. Company leaders have said the next stage is meant to improve operations, strengthen franchisee results and support growth in stronger markets.
The contraction comes as fast-food chains fight over value after years of inflation changed how many customers spend. Subway introduced its first value menu on April 28, with 15 entrees under $5 at participating restaurants. The Fresh Value Menu includes $3.99 six-inch Deli Faves, $3.99 Protein Pockets and a $4.99 Sub of the Day. Dave Skena, Subway’s chief marketing officer for North America, said the menu was built around customers who want lower prices without giving up freshly baked bread, protein and vegetables. The value push puts Subway in the same pricing fight as McDonald’s and other chains that have leaned into lower-cost meals to bring back traffic.
Subway’s U.S. store losses do not tell the full story of the brand’s global plan. The chain still operates in more than 100 countries and territories, and company materials have described a worldwide system of nearly 37,000 restaurants. While Subway has been closing stores at home, it has continued to pursue international growth through master franchise agreements and other development deals. Industry reports said the chain opened more than 1,000 international locations in 2025 and has agreements for thousands more. That split has become a key part of Subway’s position: smaller and more selective in the U.S., but still looking for expansion abroad.
The company’s challenge is rooted in both competition and the changing shape of fast food. Jersey Mike’s, Firehouse Subs and other sandwich chains have grown stronger in recent years, while burger, chicken and coffee brands have used mobile ordering, loyalty programs and limited-time deals to keep customers returning. Subway has updated menus, added chef-developed sandwich lines, changed beverage partnerships and tried new promotions to bring attention back to the brand. But the location count keeps showing that the company is still pruning its U.S. system. For franchisees, fewer stores can mean less nearby competition and better sales at surviving restaurants, but closures also show how hard it can be to make older stores work.
Subway has not described the 729 net closures as a collapse. The company and industry analysts have framed the reduction as a rightsizing effort meant to move away from weak stores and toward stronger units. Still, the size of the decline is notable because Subway once defined the idea of fast, low-cost franchise growth. Its footprint helped make the chain a regular part of daily life in many U.S. communities. The latest numbers show that the company is now giving up some of that reach as it tries to rebuild the business under new private-equity ownership.
The next benchmark will come in Subway’s 2026 disclosure cycle, when the company’s newest U.S. opening and closure totals become clearer. For now, the chain remains a giant in American fast food, but one with a smaller domestic map than it had a decade ago.
Author note: Last updated May 6, 2026.