In 18th-century England, Edward Gibbon coined the term “sandwich” after John Montague, 4th Earl of Sandwich, popularized the food because of its ease to eat while playing cards. Ever since then the sandwich has been popularized and improved. And today we see, perhaps, the pinnacle of sandwich innovation: the submarine sandwich.
In honor of March Madness we have decided to hold a tournament to see which sub sandwich reigns king, we created a tourney of 16 sandwiches, single elimination and one champion. The seeds were determined by overall popularity. The winners are judged on four categories: meat, variety, bread and price.
The Contestants
#1 Seeds
Jimmy Johns- quick, easy, delicious
Subway- unparalleled variety
Little King- deli-icious
Quiznos- toasted and tasty
#2 Seeds
Blimpies- a solid sub
Goodcents- Goodness on a hoagie
Schlotsky’s- Not technically a sub- still delicious
Planet Sub- out of this world
#3 Seeds
Gandolfo’s- the taste of New York
Domino’s- known for pizza, loved for subs
Pepperjack’s- Phillies Phillies Phillies
Jason’s Deli- knows how to make a sandwich
#4
Razzy’s- local, lovely, lustful
Burke- made with love, served with a smile
Arby’s- stick with Roast Beef
Brown Baggers- someone has to lose in the first round
(1) Subway vs. (4) Razzy’s
Razzy’s came out with the upset over national powerhouse Subway because of their superior bread and the large amount of meat. Subway’s bread is too inconsistent, and they give small amounts of meat.
(2) Blimpie vs. (3) Gandolfos
Blimpie was no match for Gandolfos 50 different choices of sandwich. Gandolfos also excelled in the meat and bread categories.
(1) Quiznos vs. (4) Burke
It was a tough choice because Burke offers the best service of all the restaurants, but they lost badly in three of the four categories.
(2) Mr. Goodcents vs. (3) Domino’s
Mr. Goodcents gives large amounts of flavorful meat to go along with soft bread, and an acceptable price. The subs at Domino’s are a good start, but they still have a long way to go before they can compete with established sub shops.
(2) Schlotsky’s vs. (3) Pepperjacks
Although debated as a sub by some, Pepperjacks won this battle because of their great phillies.
(1) Little King vs. (4) Arby’s
This one was a blow out. Arby’s should stay out of the sub business. Little King has high ratings in all of the four categories.
(2) Planet Sub vs. (3) Jason’s Deli
Planet sub is a bit more pricy than some of the others, but for many it is worth the extra money. Jason’s Deli needs to work on the flavor in their sandwiches, which is why it ended up losing.
(1) Jimmy John’s vs. (4) Brown Bagger’s
Brown Bagger’s is known for their traditional sandwiches but Jimmy John’s has great flavor, good bread, and plenty of variety. The quick service of Jimmy John’s gave them the edge
Round Two
Razzy’s vs. Gandolfos
Gandolfos may have had the better sandwich, but with a cost of over $5 for only a 6-inch sub, they were destined to fail.
Quiznos vs. Mr. Goodcents
Mr. Goodcents is the cheaper option and it packs more flavors in their meat. Quizno’s toasted goodness put up a valiant effort, but couldn’t handle a Mr. Goodcents sub.
Pepperjacks vs. Little King
Pepperjack’s lost points in the variety area. Only having one sub really hurt them. And while Little King serves a great philly cheese stack, they have many other great options.
Planet Sub vs. Jimmy John’s
Planet Sub was lucky to make it to the second round. It wasn’t much of a fight when they went up against a titan like Jimmy John’s.
Round Three
Razzy’s vs. Mr. Goodcents
Mr. Goodcents has more of a traditional sub sandwich, and they have more variety of sandwich lengths. Razzy’s still serves up a tasty sub, but not quite as good as Mr. Goodcents.
Jimmy John’s vs. Little King
This was the toughest battle we have had so far. They are comparable in meat, variety, and price so it came down to the bread. Little King was given the edge in this category, because they have such soft bread and it is wide enough to put all the toppings on.
Finals
Mr. Goodcents vs. Little King
This battle was so close that the writers were torn between the two. J. Slabaugh has chosen Mr. Goodcents while A. Nguyen has chosen Little King. A. Nguyen thinks that the meat and excellent bread combine to form the Mecca of sub-sandwiches. The final bout was in dispute so we put it to the reader to decide who is king.