Subway accused of shorting customers for sandwich meat: lawsuit

Subway was hit with a lawsuit Monday alleging the restaurant chain “materially overstates” the amount of meat in visual ads for the sandwiches.

The lawsuit targeted photos in Subway ads, alleging the chain “falsely advertises” how much meat the steak and cheese sandwich has.

This is especially troubling, the complaint says, because of inflation and high food prices and because many lower-income consumers are struggling financially.

It was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on behalf of a woman who bought a steak and cheese sandwich from a New York City Subway location in August and asked the court to certify it as a class action.

Anna Tollison of Queens, New York said she paid $7.61 for a steak and cheese sandwich at a local Subway, not realizing that Subway ads showed a sandwich that contained at least 200% more meat than she would get. and other consumers.

The lawsuit accused the chain of engaging in similar tactics for “many other sandwiches,” such as the garlic steak.

Other Subway customers have found the amount of meat they got in their steak and cheese sandwiches to be “misleading” compared to what was described in the ads, the lawsuit said, citing several social media posts.

Subway’s ads for the steak and cheese sandwich “are unfair and financially harmful to consumers as they are receiving a product that is materially less valuable than what is represented,” the lawsuit alleges.

He argued that the plaintiff and members of the proposed class would not have purchased Subway sandwiches if not for the advertising.

The sandwich chain “is unfairly competing with restaurants that fairly advertise the size of their menu items,” the suit says.

Her lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for New Yorkers who bought the sandwiches in the past three years, for Subway’s alleged violations of state consumer protection laws.

While the chain is best known for its foot-long sandwiches, it also has bowls, salads and other items on its menu.

Subway’s restaurant footprint includes almost 37,000 locations across the US and other countries.

FOX Business reached out to Subway for comment on the lawsuit.