Subway launched the $5 Footlong promotion in 2008.
The offer let customers buy a 12-inch submarine sandwich for five U.S. dollars at participating restaurants. It began as a limited promotion but became one of Subway’s most recognizable marketing campaigns.
The campaign helped Subway emphasize the size of its sandwiches compared with many competing fast-food options. Its name referred to the sandwich’s approximate one-foot length, while Subway’s smaller sandwich was known as a 6-inch.
The promotion is sometimes remembered as a permanent nationwide price, but availability, pricing, and participation varied by market and over time. Subway is the brand name of the restaurant chain formerly known as Pete’s Super Submarines.