Lunchtime

I want to try to be more positive. That’s why I gave a shout out to Quik Trip in my last post, and that’s why I plan to honor another establishment for their business model today: Quizno’s.
Quizno’s. Yuck. My traditional response to the deli has been, “Their bread cuts your mouth!” Somewhere between gourmet and stale, their food has just never appealed to me. But I’m not here to talk about the past. I’m here to talk about the present. And the future.

In using a time honored marketing scheme, Quiznos has won me over, and I do not forsee myself turning up my nose to them in the near future. The change came in the form of a coupon sitting in the break room at work. Two coupons actually. Buy a soft drink get a free sub (drink and meal for $2!) and buy a soft drink and get half off the Pick Two selections (which turned out to be about $5 for the meal). My accountant’s brain buzzed with these offers…you can get a hamburger at most fast food restaurants for $1. If you pack lunch, the ingredients probably run you somewhere from $0.50 to $2.

So…technically the offer was still more expensive than packing my own lunch. But still, the brightly colored coupons stared up at me from my desk, begging me to dig deeper. So I did. I read what they offered. It had been a long time since I had been to Quizno’s.

They have a cheesesteak sandwich – something I never used to order but order habitually now at other establishments. They also have an au jus sandwich! Both have basically the same components, beef and cheese. How could anyone go wrong with that?

They also have new types of sandwiches. Something called a torpedo which sounds intriguing. And they have sandwiches called “sammies” which are on pita. YUM! Not to mention chili, tomato soup, and broccoli cheddar soup, all of which I love!

By the time I had finished looking over the coupons and the online menu, I had decided to eat lunch at Quizno’s for the rest of the week! There was certainly enough variety to draw me back over and over – I couldn’t choose! (Besides, it offered me a chance to go outside and warm up and take a nice walk and ask my dad what he thought about the latest news of the day).

So today I toddled on down to Quizno’s (the “beautiful walk” took me by a building being demolished that cracked ominously with each step I took). When I reached the restaurant, I was not disappointed. In fact, I felt frustrated at having to limit my selection and had already formulated my next order in my head before I left.

Honestly, the food wasn’t extraordinary. The deal wasn’t saving me any money. The service was on the slow side. And the Dr. Pepper tasted funny. But yet, somehow I left more than satisfied. I think it was the satisfaction of knowing that a restaurant that had been dead to me before was now open for business. That not only could I eat something off the Quizno’s menu, I would have fun picking it! And knowing that I could look forward to trying a new and interesting creation the next day.

Yes, Quizno’s, your coupon marketing campaign has succeeded. You have made a friend!