Size Matters: Customers Sue Subway after ‘Footlong’ Sandwich Fails to Measure Up

We just don't know what we can believe in anymore.

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Subway’s “footlong” sandwiches are falling short of 12 inches, and customers aren’t happy.

After news that Subway has been exaggerating the size of their trademark “footlong” sandwiches, customers are now filing lawsuits against the global sandwich chain, according to Philly.com, a website associated with the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Two men in New Jersey have filed a lawsuit alleging false advertising, according to the New York Observer.   “A foot is 12 inches. They call it the ‘Footlong’, making people believe they’re getting a foot-long sandwich,” their lawyer, Stephen DeNittis, told the Observer. “If they were calling it the ‘Big Sandwich,’ or the ‘Big Kahuna,’ this case wouldn’t have been filed.”

In a separate lawsuit filed against Subway’s parent company, Doctor’s Associates Inc., a Chicago man claims that his “footlong” sandwich purchased at a Subway location near his home didn’t hit the 12-inch mark and alleges a “pattern of fraudulent, deceptive and otherwise improper advertising, sales and marketing practices,” according to the Chicago Tribune.

Both lawsuits are seeking class-action status, according to the Chicago Tribune.

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The size of Subway’s sandwiches have become widely disputed recently after an Australian teen posted a photo to Facebook last week showing his “footlong” Subway sandwich was only 11 inches instead of the advertised 12.  The image sparked a wave of similar online posts by other Subway customers around the world, who claimed their sandwiches were also short of a foot, reported the Chicago Tribune.

“We have seen the photo you referenced of a Subway sandwich that looks like it doesn’t meet our standards,” a Subway spokesperson told the Huffington Post in response to the Australian teen’s photo. “We always strive for our customers to have the most positive experience possible, and we believe this was an isolated case in which the bread preparation procedures were unfortunately not followed.”

Subway issued another statement on Wednesday saying officials had not received a copy of the New Jersey men’s lawsuit and reiterating that it doesn’t comment on pending litigation, reported Philly.com.

However, the sandwich chain did say it would work harder to achieve “sandwich-length uniformity,” according to the Chicago Tribune.

(MORE: Super-Size No Longer: Subway Surpasses McDonald’s as World’s Largest Restaurant Chain)