Subway, Ventura CA

Feeling the need to speak up.

Yes, over a sandwich.

But mainly about customer service, employee management and business ethics.

The employee who made my sandwich and I went at it. And come to think about it, I feel like I could have gone about this in a better way.

This may sound harsh or unreasonable to some but here’s what happened.

Today I walked into this subway and noticed right away three employees, one who’s been working there who never seems to smile at customers (the young manager), an older lady who tried diffusing the problem, the newer employee who took my comment personally and two customers. The other thing I noticed was a pungent odor that smelled disgusting.

What I thought right away was this: It’s raining, it’s the holiday season, these employees are probably tired, get your food and go.

The employee making my sandwich immediately gave off a negative vibe. No smile, no eye contact.

I had no clue the other girl was the manager, she didn’t act like one. Not once did she step in when she could and should have, which would have been the right thing to do to avoid things from escalating. I was the only customer in the store by that time so she could have been more aware.

But after seeing the employee making my sandwiches the way she was making them, having to request more of the vegetables time after time because the amounts were skimpy, and were still skimpy once the sandwiches were completed, plus the attitude after making a comment about the sandwiches being the worst made sandwiches, I, personally have ever gotten there…I couldn’t help reminding her that I did ask her to add more ingredients, paying extra for anything wouldn’t have been an issue. I did let her know I’m aware there’s other subways when she (I believe) started telling me to go somewhere else. I did tell her her customer service was awful, I did tell her she was young but that it’s unprofessional of her to act the way she was. And I was speaking louder than I should have because at that point I had had enough, knowing I purposely chose that subway to support our local restaurants. Knowing this girl may be new, knowing it’s the holidays, maybe she doesn’t like working there…that’s where I messed up, expecting a better outcome after several disappointments in this particular subway. But simply losing my cool, I shouldn’t have, I came off rude, I know.

This entire time, the girl’s manager was besides her. Watching the whole thing unravel. Could she have stepped in, when I made the comment about the sandwiches? She was right there. Could the girl making the sandwiches have asked for support? Is it fair to say, had I been on that side of the veggie bar, I’d simply ask, how can I make it better for you? Not sure, but the manager sided with the employee while the third employee (an elder woman) was trying her best to diffuse the situation by continuously tapping on the girl’s shoulder/arm, and apologizing.

The manager charged me for two soups and I received one, my fault for not checking, but they should have communicated amongst themselves in the first place.

There was a lot more said. But anywho…

Truth is, I lost my cool and so did she. At the end of the day, customers…you have the right to speak up about your dissatisfactions.

Big brands - thank you for creating jobs for people but please train better.

Stopped by to check out this store and people were kind and friendly took my order and made my sandwich quickly the way I liked it made so to the staff there thank you for the great service

Some people prefer other sandwich shops, I prefer Subway. My favorite subs are the veggie and tuna subs. With the quality and quantity of ingredients I can get on my sandwich, it's cheaper than purchasing all of the ingredients, separately. Fresh bread, fresh veggies, good quality cheese, and additional options to make it a full meal (chips, drinks and cookies) make this a good location for a quick lunch or dinner on the run.