Subway Sandwich Shops Abruptly Close in Chinatown and U Street

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by Prince Of Petworth January 20, 2014 at 10:22 pm 17 Comments

709 H Street, NW

Last week a reader tweeted us that the Subway had closed on H Street between Matcbox and 7th Street, NW.

And over the weekend another reader sent word about the Subway closing at 16th and U Street, NW:

2014-01-19 08.27.38

Looks like Subway is going the way of the Quiznos in DC…

2014-01-19 08.28.12

Anonymous

Thanks, Obama.
hungeegirl

So glad the one on New Hampshire & U closed. Subway sucks. Now hopefully something worthwhile will take its place.
Anonymous

thank god! there are plenty of other subways in the suburbs people can go to!
- Dartagnan
  
  Newsflash: You do not have to go to the suburbs to find a subway. As much as I dislike suburbs (and have never lived in one), I absolutely hate the attitude that – “oh you should just go back to the suburbs” – that so many people have here. Open your eyes, there are Subway shops every couple of blocks. On my walk to work I pass by 3 Subway’s – all in DC! Also, if in case you did not know, Subway is the fast food restaurant with more outlets than any other. So they exist pretty much everywhere!
Anonymous

They cut a lot of corners at those shops and the cleanliness was SubPar… They have been on the decline at many stores for a while now, but rising competition will force restaurants to step up their game, and hopefully pricing doesn’t soar with new competition, their 5$ footlong campaign is apparently hurting franchise margins.
- alpinepaq
  
  Subway has been on a slow and inexorable decline since it went national and then international. It’s remarkable, actually, to compare the dingy Subways of today to the small chain that emerged in the 90s.
Anonymous

Dang, looks like I’ll have to go to Taylor for bland, crappy sammiches now
- Boozehound
  
  Bland and crappy? Ehh, I guess I just don’t have as sophisticated palate when it comes to cold cuts on a roll. I liked the old bread at Taylor better, but as a whole, I quite enjoy many of their sandwiches. Glad I don’t as delicate and rarefied sensibility as Anonymous when it comes to subs – I’d probably spend my life making snarky complaints about every sandwich I ever ate.
  - Anonymous
    
    Taylor is like going to a salt lick. Ever since they expanded beyond two stores, the quality has gone into a death spiral. No more Sarcone’s bread and terribly salty everything. So upsetting to see them go in that direction.
- Matt
  
  There are other Subways a couple blocks away at 14th/U … and in AdMo on 18th.
Anonymous

With the BBQ place, this, and the credit union all closed that stretch is surprisingly dead for the busiest corner in the city.
- Boozehound
  
  I know, right? I’ve long wondered why they can’t have better and more thriving businesses in that row of storefronts. It seems like the location alone would be enough for just about anything to survive.
Anonymous

Oh noes… Now there are only 8,247 Subways left in the District.
- Kam
  
  +1. Pretty much.
- Anonymous
  
  Including one two blocks away at 14th and U. A true tragedy that people will have to go just a little further to get such a quality sandwich.
Mark Near RFK

Goodness, a lot of snooty people need to vent!
I’ve always preferred Subway to Quizno’s and when I want a different experience, because I can afford it, which many can’t, I go to Taylor’s. Subway is up front about its nutrition information, important to me, and you see the fixings right in front of you to decide whether they look fresh enough, which they almost always are. There’s room and need for a spectrum of sub restaurants.
wpk_dc

Sorry to see the 16th/U/New Hampshire Subway closed. I went there occasionally and didn’t find it dirty or sub-par at all. I’d even say it was a more pleasant space than either the 12/U or 14/U stores.

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