It has almost 43,000 locations in more than 110 countries, making it the biggest fast food chain in the world. Since Subway restaurants are so common, many people view them as a perfect option for an employer. There are often openings, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have to compete, so you need to do great on the Subway interview questions.
You can make sure you’re ready for all of Subway’s interview questions, though, if you do some work ahead of time. Here’s what you need to know.
Interviewing for a manager role at Subway can be an exciting opportunity, but also nerve-wracking as you prepare for the interview questions that may come your way. As a prospective manager, you’ll need to demonstrate your leadership abilities, problem-solving skills, and ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
In this article, we’ll take you through some of the most common Subway manager interview questions, along with tips on how to give strong, compelling answers. Read on to learn how to ace your Subway manager interview!
Overview of the Subway Manager Role
As a Subway manager, you’ll be responsible for overseeing the daily operations of a Subway restaurant. This includes managing staff, tracking inventory, ensuring food safety and cleanliness standards are met, and building sales through marketing and customer service.
Subway manager duties typically include:
- Hiring, training, supervising, and evaluating staff
- Scheduling staff shifts and breaks
- Monitoring product quality and freshness
- Ordering inventory and managing relationships with vendors
- Handling customer complaints and issues
- Enforcing security, safety, and sanitation procedures
- Analyzing sales data and determining areas for improvement
- Creating and executing plans to drive restaurant sales and traffic
The role requires strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills Subway seeks managers who can boost restaurant performance through motivating staff, delighting customers, and running an efficient operation
Now let’s look at some of the common questions you’re likely to encounter in your Subway manager interview,
1. Why do you want to work at Subway?
This is a great opportunity to demonstrate your enthusiasm for the company and convey why you’re interested in the manager role specifically. Focus on strengths of the Subway brand like its commitment to fresh, customizable food and highlight your alignment with Subway’s values and mission. Share why you’re excited to take on the challenges and responsibilities of managing a restaurant.
Example response: “I’m excited to work at Subway because I really admire your commitment to serving fresh, made-to-order sandwiches and salads. As someone passionate about food quality and delivering excellent customer service, Subway’s values strongly align with my own. I love the energetic, fast-paced nature of the restaurant environment and I’m drawn to this manager role because of the chance to lead my own team in driving sales growth and operational excellence.”
2. What experience do you have managing people?
Hiring managers want to know you have the right background to take charge of their staff. Highlight any team lead, supervisor, or managerial experience you have, even if not within restaurants. Emphasize skills like communicating expectations, performance management, resolving conflicts, and fostering teamwork. Quantify results like sales increases, productivity gains, or employee retention rates achieved through your management wherever possible.
Example response: “In my current assistant manager role at a casual dining restaurant, I oversee a team of 15 servers and support staff. I excel at setting clear expectations for performance and behavior, enforcing policies consistently, and addressing issues constructively through performance reviews. As a people manager, I focus on understanding my team members’ strengths and motivations to place them in roles where they can thrive and grow. My mentoring and development of staff has directly contributed to a 30% server retention rate at our location versus just 15% companywide.”
3. How would you respond if a customer complained about their sandwich?
This question tests your customer service skills and ability to handle conflicts. A strong answer will demonstrate patience, empathy, and a commitment to problem resolution. Share your process for listening to the customer, apologizing, addressing the issue, and converting complaints into opportunities to provide amazing service and rebuild loyalty. You can use an example of successfully mollifying an angry customer.
Example response: “If a customer complained about their sandwich not being made correctly or having an issue with quality, my first step would be to actively listen, apologize sincerely, and thank them for bringing the issue to my attention. I would then promise to remake the sandwich immediately to their specifications and provide it complimentary for the inconvenience. I would also ask thoughtful questions to understand how the problem occurred in case we need to retrain staff on proper sandwich assembly. My goal with any unhappy customer is to not only address their immediate need but to go above-and-beyond to turn them into a delighted, loyal return visitor.”
4. How would you promote and market a Subway restaurant?
Hiring managers want to understand your abilities around increasing restaurant sales and traffic. Share creative, practical ideas for getting the word out about Subway promotions, menu items, or ordering convenience. Tailor tactics to take advantage of local channels and partnerships. Convey how you would execute campaigns end-to-end while involving staff to generate excitement.
Example response: “I’m passionate about generating buzz, engagement, and ultimately sales through creative marketing tactics and partnerships. For example, I would partner with the local university’s athletics department to offer discounts on catering for team banquets and make Subway the go-to spot for game day lunches. I would leverage our social media pages to run contests where students can win free subs for a semester. I would also hang signage and banners all around campus to reinforce our proximity and convenient order-ahead options. Internally, I would get the staff pumped up before launching new promotions, so their energy and enthusiasm shines when interacting with customers.”
5. How would you train and motivate your team?
This question is aimed at understanding your staff development, coaching, and recognition abilities. Share your approach to properly onboarding new hires and conducting ongoing training to build skills. Convey how you would maintain an upbeat, supportive work culture where employees feel valued through incentives and celebration of achievements. Managers want to see you have a plan for boosting morale, performance, and service levels through your leadership.
Example response: “I place a strong emphasis as a manager on proper training and motivating my team. For new hires, I would have them shadow top performers for a week before hands-on practice and quiz them regularly to ensure proficiency in food prep, sanitation, and customer service policies. For ongoing development, I conduct monthly training workshops focused on upselling, efficiency tactics, and addressing real issues that arise. To keep staff motivated, I lead weekly team huddles to review our wins and areas for improvement and celebrate standout moments by employees publicly on our recognition board.”
6. How would you handle an employee who is constantly late and defies policies?
Here hiring managers want to assess your approach to enforce policies fairly and manage poor performers. Express sensitivity to underlying personal issues that may be impacting punctuality or rule-following, while still holding all employees accountable to meet expectations. Convey how you would communicate directly with the employee, provide coaching, and implement consequences if no improvement is shown.
Example response: “If faced with a chronically late employee, I would have a direct, one-on-one discussion focused on understanding what might be causing the issues and if any support is needed from my end. I would reinforce that punctuality is imperative in our fast-paced environment and clearly outline expectations and consequences of continued lateness, including write-ups or suspension. While sensitive to personal circumstances, I would make clear that exceeding tardiness standards or defiance of policies cannot continue and work with them on an improvement plan. If no progress is made, termination may be required but generally my aim is to partner with the employee to resolve performance issues together.”
7. What makes you a strong candidate for this position?
This open-ended question allows you to summarize why you’re an excellent choice for Subway manager. Highlight your most relevant management strengths and achievements, focus on what top qualities or experience you’ll bring to the role, and convey genuine enthusiasm to lead this restaurant and add value to the organization.
Example response: “I’m confident I have the customer service, coaching, and operations skills necessary to excel as a Subway manager. Specifically, my experience resolving customer complaints and overseeing staff training at my current restaurant manager job make me well-prepared. Your customers will appreciate my commitment to ensuring every order meets their expectations. Your employees will benefit from the culture of growth and development I foster. And your business will gain from my knack for streamlining processes and minimizing waste. I’m eager to bring fresh ideas and dynamic leadership to drive performance at your location.”
8. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Hiring managers want to gauge if you have long-term leadership aspirations with Subway or view this as just a temporary gig. Convey you see this role as a step towards more senior management or franchise ownership opportunities down the road. Outline your vision for growing with Subway through succeeding in this manager position.
Example response: “I’m excited by the growth potential I see with Subway and in 5 years, I hope to be operating my own franchise location or overseeing multiple restaurants in a district manager capacity. This manager role is an important stepping stone to me in gaining experience managing a high-volume QSR environment. My goal is to impress your team with stellar operations and sales results, so that I can steadily take on more responsibility. While focused on excelling in the present, I’m committed to building a career with Subway and advancing into broader leadership positions over the long-term.”
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During main meal times, there can be a rush of customers. How would you stay calm during those fast-paced times and effectively manage the rush?
Most fast food restaurants experience rushes near lunch and dinner time, particularly any locations in high-traffic areas. The hiring manager asks this question to see how well you can work under pressure and to find out what you’ll do to get the job done.
With this question, it’s wise to highlight a few key traits that Subway values. Talking about the things you do to stay organized and work as a team can make your answer stand out, so try to include them when you can.
EXAMPLE ANSWER:
Top 3 Subway Interview Questions
Many people assume that every Subway interview is exactly the same. However, that isn’t always the case.
As a large chain, Subway hires for a wide array of roles. Along with sandwich artists, each restaurant will have a management team. Plus, they have corporate positions, including jobs in accounting, advertising, human resources, IT, and more.
Since Subway hires a broad selection of professionals, the interview questions at Subway can differ. After all, asking a sandwich artist about advertising skills just doesn’t make sense. The questions instead focus on the role itself, which helps the hiring manager find the best person for the job.
However, most people begin their Subway career as sandwich artists. Since that’s the case, we’re going to focus on Subway interview questions those candidates are likely to face. With that in mind, here’s a look at our top three Subway interview questions and answers.
