Quiznos facts for kids
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Trade name
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Quiznos |
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| Private | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Fast food |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Founder | Jimmy Lambatos |
| Headquarters |
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U.S.
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Number of locations
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Area served
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North America, Europe, South America, Middle East, Asia |
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Key people
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Tim Casey (CEO) |
| Products | Submarine sandwiches, Salads, other food products |
| Revenue | US$170 million (2017) |
| Owner | High Bluff Capital Partners |
| Parent | REGO Restaurant Group |
Quiznos is a popular American fast-food chain. It is famous for its toasted submarine sandwiches. The company started in Denver, Colorado. It was founded in 1981 by a chef named Jimmy Lambatos.
Quiznos grew very quickly. At one point, it had almost 5,000 restaurants. In 2013, it was the second-biggest submarine sandwich chain in North America. Only Subway had more locations. However, the number of Quiznos restaurants has become smaller over the years.
Contents
History of Quiznos
How Quiznos Started
The very first Quiznos restaurant opened in Denver, Colorado, in 1981. It was started by Jimmy Lambatos and his partner, Todd Disner. Jimmy Lambatos was an experienced chef. He had worked in other restaurants before starting Quiznos.
The first Quiznos was on 13th and Grant Streets. It offered special baguette-style bread. It also had unique dressings and recipes. Jimmy Lambatos decided to toast the sandwiches. He said that heating the food makes the flavors stronger. Besides sandwiches, the menu also had salads, soups, and desserts.
Growing Bigger
In 1983, Quiznos began offering franchises. This allowed other people to open their own Quiznos restaurants. By 1987, there were 12 Quiznos locations in the United States.
That same year, Rick Schaden and his father, Richard Schaden, opened their first Quiznos. Rick was only 23 years old. They opened three more restaurants. Then, in 1991, they bought the entire Quiznos chain. At that time, it had 18 restaurants. Rick Schaden became the president and later the CEO of Quiznos.
Quiznos became a public company in 1994. This meant people could buy shares of its stock. By the end of 1995, Quiznos had 103 locations. In 1997, it became the third-largest submarine sandwich franchise in the world. It had 278 locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
In 2005, Quiznos changed its main soft drink supplier. It switched from The Coca-Cola Company to PepsiCo. This happened because Coca-Cola signed a deal with Subway. In 2019, Quiznos switched back to Coca-Cola products.
At its peak in 2007, there were over 5,000 Quiznos restaurants.
Going Global
Quiznos started opening restaurants outside the U.S. The first international location opened in Vancouver, Canada, in 1996.
In 1998, Quiznos Canada got the rights to open restaurants across Canada. They also got rights for the United Kingdom in 1999. Other companies got rights to open Quiznos in places like Australia and Japan. The first European Quiznos opened in the UK in 2001.
In 2002, Wendy's tried to launch Quiznos in Australia and New Zealand. However, this was not successful. The first Quiznos in Mexico opened in 2002.
By 2010, Quiznos planned to open locations in over 40 countries. These included places in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The first Quiznos in India opened in 2011. The first one in the Philippines opened in 2012.
In 2013, Quiznos planned to expand into Russia. They hoped to open about 500 stores there. They also planned to open 100 stores in Indonesia. In 2014, Quiznos opened locations in Iraq and Pakistan. They also opened in Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates.
Changes and Challenges
Between 2007 and 2009, about 1,000 Quiznos stores in the U.S. closed. After many restaurants closed, a company called Avenue Capital Group bought a large part of Quiznos in 2012. They helped Quiznos reduce its debt.
On March 14, 2014, Quiznos had to file for bankruptcy. This meant the company needed to reorganize its finances. Quiznos continued to operate during this time. By June 30, 2014, Quiznos came out of bankruptcy. They had reduced their debt by about $400 million.
After bankruptcy, Quiznos tried new ideas. In 2015, they opened a new type of restaurant called Quiznos Grill. They wanted to offer new menu items. However, this idea was later changed to Zeps Epiq Sandwiches.
In 2018, a company called High Bluff Capital Partners bought Quiznos. Quiznos is still working to grow again. In 2021, they introduced a new restaurant design. They are also building smaller, drive-thru units called "Qube" formats. These are cheaper and faster to build.
As of December 2023, there were 145 Quiznos restaurants left in the United States.
Advertising Campaigns
Quiznos has had many memorable advertisements. Their first big ad campaign was during the 2002 Super Bowl. Early TV ads showed how special it was to toast sandwiches.
In 2004, Quiznos started using strange, furry, singing creatures called Spongmonkeys in their ads. These creatures sang a song called "We Love the Subs." The Spongmonkeys became very famous. However, Quiznos stopped using them after a few months.
In 2006, Quiznos launched a new slogan: "Eat Up." Their ads showed a steaming Quiznos sub with the tagline, "Mmmm... toasty." The actor Michael Clarke Duncan used to do the voiceovers for their commercials.
Quiznos also ran a "Prime Rib Cheesesteak Challenge." They asked customers to compare their Prime Rib Cheesesteak to Subway's Cheesesteak. They claimed their sandwich had twice the meat.
In 2016, Quiznos launched a mobile app for loyal customers. This app rewarded customers and gathered their feedback.
Spongmonkeys Return
On July 17, 2023, Quiznos announced that the Spongmonkeys were coming back! After almost 20 years, new ads with the Spongmonkeys were released. In the new ad, they go on a road trip and sing about gas prices and public restrooms. The return of the Spongmonkeys is part of Quiznos' plan to expand again.
See also
In Spanish: Quiznos para niños
