Subway says that its iconic sandwiches will now live up to their name.
As part of a lawsuit settlement the fast food chain will implement practices to ensure its “Footlongs” measure up to at least 12 inches, the Associated Press reports. The complaint was originally filed after one customer posted a picture of his 11-inch Subway sandwich on Facebook in 2013. The New York Post took it upon itself to investigate the matter and found that out of seven so-called “Footlongs” it had purchased, four of them “measured only 11 or 11.5 inches.”
The court ruled that Subway hadn’t actually done anything wrong. The dough arrives to stores pre-made, all weighing the same, and are then thawed and stretched out on location. Though the loaf may end up being slightly less than 12 inches in length, it doesn’t actually affect the amount of food a customer receives.
U.S. District Court judge Lynn Adelman wrote in her final approval that when the plaintiff’s attorneys realized their case was “quite weak,” it went for injunctive relief rather than monetary relief. “It was difficult to prove monetary damages, because everybody ate the evidence,” the plaintiff’s co-lead attorney, Thomas Zimmerman, told AP.
As part of the settlement, the judge approved $520,000 in attorney fees and $500 for each of the 10 representatives of the class action, though potential members of the class won’t receive any compensation. Subway will also have to make sure its subs really are the advertised length. The chain said in a statement that it has “already taken steps to ensure each guest receives the Footlong or six-inch sandwich they order.”
