Subsisting

Fred and Pete did …

Fred worked in a hardware store trying to earn money for college. At 17, he knew he wanted to be a medical doctor and help people be healthy. But first he needed to earn enough to pay for his education.

A family friend, Dr. Pete, suggested Fred could earn more by opening a sandwich shop. He even loaned Fred $1,000 and offered to help out.

Together they called their new company Doctor’s Associates … but they called their new sandwich shop Pete’s Submarines. It didn’t do well. The location was out of the way and the name sounded in radio ads like Pizza Marine.

After a year of hard work they opened a second location … with much higher visibility, this one worked well but still not great. They also changed the name. By the time they found the third location they’d figured out everything they needed to do.

The original goal was to open 32 locations … Today, Fred & Pete’s Doctor Associates have a few more sandwich shops … 37,000 or so … as Pete’s Submarines became Pete’s Subway and finally just Subway.

Subway is a Great Idea because fresh thinking and the right location are often the keys to a tasty success.