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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United States
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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 well-known American fast-food restaurant. It's famous for its toasted submarine sandwiches. The company started in 1981 in Denver, Colorado. A chef named Jimmy Lambatos founded it. Quiznos grew very quickly. At one point, it had nearly 5,000 restaurants. By 2013, it was the second-largest sandwich chain in North America, right after Subway.
However, Quiznos faced some tough times. The number of its restaurants in the United States went down. From a high of 4,700 in 2007, it dropped to about 400 ten years later.
Contents
The Story of Quiznos
How Quiznos Started
The very first Quiznos restaurant opened in 1981. It was in Denver, Colorado. The founder was Jimmy Lambatos. He 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 brings out its flavors. Besides sandwiches, the menu also included salads, soups, and desserts.
Growing Bigger
In 1983, Quiznos started offering franchises. This helped the company grow faster. By 1987, there were 12 Quiznos restaurants.
In the same year, Rick Schaden and his father opened their first Quiznos franchise. Rick was only 23 years old. They opened three more restaurants. Then, in 1991, they bought the entire chain. At that time, Quiznos had 18 restaurants. They changed the company's name to Quiznos Franchise Corp. Rick Schaden became the president and later the CEO.
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 sandwich franchise in the world. It had 278 locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
At its peak in 2007, there were over 5,000 Quiznos restaurants. For many years, The Coca-Cola Company supplied soft drinks to Quiznos. But in 2005, Quiznos switched to PepsiCo and Dr Pepper Snapple Group. In 2019, Quiznos switched back to Coca-Cola products.
Expanding Around the World
The first Quiznos outside the United States opened in Vancouver, Canada, in 1996. Soon after, Quiznos expanded to other countries. In 1998, a company bought the rights to open Quiznos in Canada. In 1999, they also got the rights for the United Kingdom.
Quiznos also opened in Australia and Japan in the late 1990s. The first European location opened in England in 2001. In 2002, the first Quiznos in Mexico opened in Monterrey.
By 2010, Quiznos planned to open locations in over 40 countries. This included places in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The first Quiznos in India opened in 2011. The first in the Philippines opened in 2012.
In 2013, Quiznos planned to open many stores in Russia. They also expanded into Indonesia. In 2014, Quiznos opened in Iraq and Pakistan. They also opened in Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates. However, Quiznos left the Taiwan market in 2018.
Changes and Challenges
Between 2007 and 2009, about 1,000 Quiznos stores in the U.S. closed. In 2012, a company called Avenue Capital Group bought a large part of Quiznos. They helped the company reduce its debt. They also brought in new leaders to help Quiznos improve.
On March 14, 2014, Quiznos filed for bankruptcy. This meant they needed to reorganize their business. Quiznos continued to operate during this time. By June 30, 2014, they had reorganized and reduced their debt.
After bankruptcy, Quiznos tried new ideas. In 2015, they opened a new type of restaurant called Quiznos Grill. This was an attempt to offer new menu items. Later, this concept changed to Zeps Epiq Sandwiches. These new restaurants offered more choices, like vegetarian options and all-day breakfasts.
In 2018, a company called High Bluff Capital Partners bought Quiznos. Quiznos is still working on new ways to grow. In 2021, they introduced a new restaurant design. This included smaller, pre-made drive-thru units. These are cheaper and faster to build. As of December 2023, there were 145 Quiznos restaurants in the United States.
Advertising and Mascots
Catchy Ads
Quiznos started its first big advertising in 2002. They had a successful campaign during the Super Bowl. Early TV ads showed how special it was to toast sandwiches.
In 2004, Quiznos launched a campaign with strange, singing creatures. These were called Spongmonkeys. They were designed by Joel Veitch. The Spongmonkeys sang "We Love the Subs." These ads were very memorable.
In 2006, Quiznos introduced a new slogan: "Eat Up." Their ads showed a steaming Quiznos sub with the tagline, "Mmmm... toasty." The actor Michael Clarke Duncan was the voice for many Quiznos commercials.
Quiznos also launched a challenge against Subway. They asked customers to compare their Prime Rib Cheesesteak to Subway's. They claimed their sandwich had twice the meat.
In 2016, Quiznos started a mobile app for loyal customers. This app rewarded customers and helped Quiznos get feedback.
The Spongmonkeys Return
The Spongmonkeys were very popular mascots. They were fuzzy creatures that sang in the commercials. After a few months, Quiznos stopped airing their ads.
However, on July 17, 2023, Quiznos announced the Spongmonkeys were back! After almost 20 years, they appeared in a new advertisement. They went on a road trip and sang about gas prices and billboards. This new campaign is part of Quiznos' plan to grow again.
See also
In Spanish: Quiznos para niños
