Most of Europe may prefer Subway sandwiches with chicken teriyaki but the top-selling “footlong” in Russia is the BMT — or Biggest, Meatiest, Tastiest — filled with salami, pepperoni and ham. And unlike in Europe where the “veggie” option ranks in the top five favorites of Subway customers, in Russia it is nowhere to be seen.
Although the Russian preference for life’s carnivorous pleasures is well known, the president of Subway in Russia, James Gansinger, said the international sandwich franchising chain has not made any significant concessions to Slavic taste buds.
Now poised to have the most branches of any Western fast-food chain in Russia — where 32 percent of all restaurants are part of a chain — Subway has come a long way since the eight-year legal battle over its flagship St. Petersburg branch with which it entered the Russian market. Read more.