What was Subway called when it opened its first sandwich shop in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1965?

Subway was called Pete's Super Submarines when its first sandwich shop opened in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1965.

The shop was founded by Fred DeLuca with financial help from family friend Peter Buck. DeLuca hoped the sandwich business would help pay for his medical education. The original name combined Buck's first name with the submarine-sandwich style of food being sold.

The business later became known as Pete's Subway and then Subway. The shorter name helped distinguish the growing chain as it expanded beyond Connecticut and into other countries. Subway's franchise model became central to that expansion, allowing independently operated restaurants to use the brand and menu.

A common mix-up is to identify 1965 as the date when the Subway name itself was first used. The company began under the longer Pete's Super Submarines name and changed its branding during its early growth. The first shop's Bridgeport location is also sometimes confused with the company's later headquarters in nearby Milford.