Who co-founded the Subway fast-food franchise with Peter Buck?

Fred DeLuca co-founded the Subway fast-food franchise with Peter Buck.

In 1965, DeLuca was a 17-year-old student seeking money for college. Family friend Peter Buck, a nuclear physicist, lent him $1,000 to open a submarine-sandwich shop. They opened the first store in Bridgeport, Connecticut, under the name Pete’s Super Submarines.

The business later became Subway, named for its submarine sandwiches and eventually expanded through franchising. DeLuca served as Subway’s president and helped turn the small Connecticut shop into a global restaurant chain. Buck remained an important business partner and investor.

A common mix-up is confusing Subway’s co-founders with later executives or franchise owners. Peter Buck was the financial backer and co-founder, while Fred DeLuca became the public face and long-term leader of the company. The chain’s original name and its first-store location are separate facts from the identity of its founders.