What was the original name of the Subway chain when it was founded?

The original name of the Subway chain was Pete's Super Submarines.

In 1965, teenager Fred DeLuca opened the first shop in Bridgeport, Connecticut, with a $1,000 loan from family friend Peter Buck. The business was created to help DeLuca pay for college and eventually pursue medical school. Its original menu focused on submarine sandwiches, reflected directly in the name.

The name soon proved cumbersome in advertising. After experimenting with shorter names, the business became Pete's Subway and later simply Subway. The Subway name was adopted in the late 1960s and helped make the brand easier to remember as it expanded.

A common mix-up is calling the original business “Pete's Subway,” but that was a later name. Some historical accounts also include “Pete's Drive-In” in the earliest storefront wording; Pete's Super Submarines remains the standard trivia answer and the name used in Subway's own history.