Subway confirms corporate Miami office, saying 100 employees will work for sandwich chain from near MIA

Sandwich chain giant Subway is planning a new Miami office that will house as many as 100 employees.

In an email, the Connecticut-based company confirmed a March 11 New York Post report that it would be making a Miami move. Subway says the office will be located in the Waterford Business District, formerly known as the Waterford at Blue Lagoon, near Miami International Airport. Subway’s headquarters and the majority of its workforce will remain in Milhistoric, ford, Conn.

Subway said in the email that the office will house consumer-facing roles like marketing and culinary, as well as its Latin American regional office.

“A Miami presence allows us to keep our finger on the pulse of more cultural conversations and the evolving tastes of the modern consumer,” the company said. “With its dynamic business climate, diverse population and multicultural influences, it is the ideal place to transition some of our consumer-facing roles.”

Ron Ruggless, senior editor at industry publication Nation’s Restaurant News, said the move is

given that it has spent almost the past six decades in Connecticut. But it also makes sense given CEO John Chidsey’s ties to the region, Ruggless said via email.

Chidsey, 59, has maintained a residence in Coral Gables and has served on the board of Norwegian Cruise Line. He worked for Miami-based Burger King from 2004 to 2009, including serving as its chief executive officer. (In fact, Subway co-founder Fred DeLuca was a longtime Broward County resident.)

Chidsey was not available for comment.

Subway said the new Miami presence will also help it integrate with Miami-based

Independent Purchasing Cooperative, Inc., Subway’s franchiseeowned and operated supply-chain organization. Managing more than $5 billion of food, packaging, equipment, supplies and services for Subway operators, it is one of the largest organizations of its kind in the country.

“Its portfolio is a big part of what makes Subway businesses profitable. Bringing those two entities closer geographically will undoubtedly provide some synergies,” Ruggless said.

As competition between fast food giants becomes ever more fierce, the industry continues to see geographic consolidation. Miami, the birthplace of Burger King, has long hosted BK’s parent company Restaurant Brands International, which also owns the Popeye’s and Tim Horton’s brands and is itself based in Blue Lagoon.

While the presence of RBI may not have been a direct factor in Subway’s Miami office decision, Miami now joins Atlanta, Chicago, and Southern California as other fast-food industry hubs.

Subway works on a pure franchise model, meaning it does not operate any of its stores. It is in the midst of a decade-long transformation that has seen many of its locations close after years of aggressive expansion. It brought on Chidsey in November 2019 and has been promoting deals, including a new buy-one, get-one foot-long special.

The Waterford Business District is 81% occupied, with an additional 30 acres of land available for up to 1 million square feet of additional office for development. Other corporate clients in the District include Caterpillar, Estee Lauder, FedEx, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, and Novartis.