2007 Franchise of the Year They've come out on top of our rankings 15 times. Now Subway has its sights set on taking over the world.
By Nichole L. Torres •
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Some might think celebrating a 15th anniversary is a time for leisure and reflection--a time to sit back, rest on your laurels and cozy up with old habits. Not for this franchisor. With an astonishing 26,197 locations worldwide, it's the 15th time that Subway has claimed the top spot in Entrepreneur's Franchise 500® --and the franchise is as ambitious as ever. Subway's success begs the question: How much can one franchise system grow? Where corporate types might see limits, entrepreneurs like Subway co-founder Fred DeLuca see only opportunity.
And Subway is seeking like-minded franchisees who share its entrepreneurial vision. "For a franchise system to work well, you really need people with an entrepreneurial mind-set," says DeLuca, "because while you have a large, overarching system that everybody has to work with, a lot of local issues have to be handled."
