Subway UK’s vegan meatball marinara sandwich is here to stay.
The fast-food chain trialed the new menu option at select Birmingham and Manchester locations last October. The sandwich features vegan meatballs smothered in marinara sauce and topped with dairy-free cheese.
Following the successful trial, Subway added the meatless meatball marinara to the menu nationwide. According to Colin Hughes, Country Director Subway UK & Ireland, the sandwich is here to stay: “Our guests have told us how much they love our Meatless Meatball Marinara. Now they can get their hands on our delicious plant-based Sub whenever they want, made however they want, whenever they want. All in the knowledge that at Subway, they now have even more delicious vegan options than ever!”
Subway restaurants in the UK also recently launched the Vegan Signature Loaded Wrap, featuring two plant-based patties, guacamole, vegetables, and egg-free aioli on a tomato-basil wrap. The nationwide roll-out followed the successful test run of the vegan patty at select UK locations.
Vegan at Subway
The UK move comes after Subway began trialing a similar sandwich at select locations in North America last September. The Beyond Meat meatball marinara subs rolled out to more than 600 Subway locations in the U.S. and Canada. Subway is the biggest fast-food chain in North America.
The Beyond Meatball Marinara featured the Subway-exclusive Beyond Meatball on a toasted six-inch sub, topped with marinara sauce and grated parmesan cheese.
Ethan Brown –founder and CEO of Beyond Meat—noted that the trial marked the start of a “long-term partnership” with Subway. Last January, Subway Canada launched the Beyond Meatball sub nationwide, which can be made vegan by omitting the cheese. American businesswoman and television personality Martha Stewart kicked off the launch with a promotional video.
Subway has more than 42,000 locations worldwide, more than half of which are located in the U.S.
Subway Finland also offers an egg-free veggie patty option and locations in Australia and New Zealand launched falafel in July 2018.
“We know Australian palates and preferences have changed over time, and we’re excited to hear directly from our guests so we can end up with a great balance between the classic Subway favorites, and on-trend, innovative flavors,” Subway’s Director of Marketing Kate Brody said at the time.
