Subway Vs. McDonald’s In 2024 | Which Is Better? - TheFoodXP (2024)

McDonald’s and Subway are both one of the biggest fast-food restaurant chains in the world, with 40,275 and 37,000 outlets, respectively. While one chain is known for its healthy sandwiches, the other is known for impeccable burgers and fried food. But, which of these restaurants is better in the battle of Subway Vs. McDonald’s? Let us settle this debate!

McDonald’s is the clear winner in the Subway Vs McDonald’s battle. Although Subway takes the prize for healthier food options, there are plenty of other sections where McDonald’s is the clear winner.

Here is a table representing the difference between the two and how McDonald’s is the winner.

McDonald’s has been a patron in the fast food industry for the longest time. The chain has been popular since the 1950s, ever since Ray Kroc made it what it is today. The chain has gone through its fair share of issues and controversies.

However, they have overcome every such issue and evolved as the world’s best and most popular fast food chain. On the other hand, Subway is known for serving some delicious healthy sandwiches, which is quite different from McDonald’s approach.

The chain opened its first outlet in 1965 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Since they have only received customer love, they began expanding nationwide. Soon, Subway became an international sensation, and the company now has locations across 100 countries and territories!

It is obvious that both the outlets are excellent in their way, with fantastic food options. It would be challenging to compare the two outlets, but we have considered some criteria to make the comparison. Ensure you read the article until the end to know the winner in each criterion!

Which Is More Popular? | Subway or McDonald’s

McDonald’s wins the battle between the two, as it is more widespread than Subway worldwide and has many more fans.

McDonald’s, as of now, has many more locations across the world, coming up to about 40,275 locations. These locations are spread across 120 countries worldwide, with many McDonald’s outlets worldwide!

Similarly, Subway has locations spread across about 100 countries, which is quite a lot. However, Subway has yet to reach the mark that McDonald’s has, as they currently have about 37,000 locations worldwide.

Since McDonald’s is more widespread worldwide, many people know about this fast food restaurant chain than Subway. This makes McDonald’s the clear winner as far as popularity is concerned!

Which Has The Better Menu?

McDonald’s is the winner of this round as they have a better menu than Subway. Although Subway has lovely menu items, the variety offered at McDonald’s is much broader by comparison.

One of the best criteria for comparing McDonald’s with Subway is looking at both menus. These restaurant chains offer various menu options, even though the food style differs.

To start with the classic burger chain, McDonald’s menu is vast with delicious burger options and sandwiches—sides, meals, desserts, beverages, kids’ meals, and much more. McDonald’s offers an array of delicious burgers, including Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, and the humble Hamburger.

They also offer an array of sandwiches on their menu, like Crispy chicken sandwiches, McChicken sandwiches, Filet-O-Fish, and more. Moreover, McDonald’s offers lovely side options like Chicken Nuggets, and who could ever forget their delicious French fries!

McDonald’s menu continues! They offer delicious meals, which help customers save a lot of money. Moreover, they have a lovely array of Fountain beverages, milkshakes, and coffee drinks.

Lastly, McDonald’s offers a range of sweet treats, including baked goodies like muffins, apple pie, cookies, and even apple fritters. Furthermore, who could forget their kids’ menu with the lovely happy meals and the various McDonald’s breakfast menu options? An average meal from McDonald’s will cost you $10-$15.

On the other hand, Subway offers a delicious range of sandwiches on their menu, including classics like BLT, Steak Sandwiches, Tuna sandwiches, and rotisserie chicken sandwiches. Over and above, Subway has a few classic sandwich flavors you will not find anywhere else!

Subway offers these sandwiches in two sizes, which are their 6-inch subs, and also footlong subs. Similarly, Subway offers delicious wraps and salads with similar flavors to the sandwiches. Subway also offers a variety of famous breakfast sandwiches.

Lastly, Subway offers a range of beverages and some beautiful cookies that we are all familiar with! A meal from Subway will cost somewhere between $10-$13.

The variety at Subway is also vast, as you can see! Now, coming to the comparison of the menus, this is truly a tough one. However, if we base the comparison on the sheer variety the two restaurants offer, McDonald’s has a much more extensive menu.

McDonald’s also offers a lot more in terms of sandwich options, burgers, and even side options. McDonald’s has a more extensive array of desserts; the bonus is that they also offer coffee and other beverages! So, we have a winner here!

Winner: McDonald’s has the better menu based on the large variety it has to offer!

Which Is Cheaper?

McDonald’s offers cheaper food than Subway. The famous fast-food chain Subway also provides reasonably priced food, but McDonald’s menu items are much more affordable than those from Subway.

McDonald’s and Subway have similar price ranges regarding their mains, sides, and beverages. On average, a full meal from both Subway and McDonald’s would cost very similar, between $10 – $15.

However, this is just the average price range, and of course, it can vary based on what you order and how much you order. To figure out which one is cheaper out of the two, have a look at the table below that compares the prices of some similar menu items offered at both these restaurants.

As you can see, only the fries at McDonald’s cost more than the chips available at Subway. Otherwise, McDonald’s charges a little less for the same menu items. So, we have a clear winner here as well!

Winner: McDonald’s offers cheaper food than Subway.

Which Has Better Tasting Food?

Subway offers food that tastes better than McDonald’s. Although McDonald’s is known for providing delicious food, the fact that you get fresh veggies at Subway makes the food taste fresher.

Determining which restaurant chains offer better-tasting food can also take much work. The reason behind this is that food and taste can be very subjective since everyone has a different palate and a set of preferences.

However, when asked, many people think the food from Subway tastes much better than the food from McDonald’s. This is because the food at Subway can be customized a lot more than McDonald’s.

The options at Subway may be limited compared to McDonald’s. However, the meat offered at Subway tends to taste a lot fresher and is leaner. Lastly, the fact that you can customize your sandwiches with all the sauces you like is a big bonus!

Winner: Subway is the winner for better-tasting food.

McDonald’s Burgers Vs. Subway Sandwiches

Both McDonald’s burgers and Subway sandwiches are excellent in their way. However, Subway sandwiches have an edge over McDonald’s burgers since customization is always possible.

Let us compare whether McDonald’s burgers or Subway sandwiches are better. Here, the basis of comparison is the taste, freshness, variety, and customization. Starting with McDonald’s, burgers and sandwiches are their main attraction.

Most people visit McDonald’s to try out their genuinely impeccable burgers. McDonald’s offers some of the best burgers ever! Their burgers are made with all beef, consisting of a deliciously juicy beef patty. The toppings are customized for each burger, making them taste incredible.

Similarly, McDonald’s offers a range of chicken and fish sandwiches with crispy fried patties. McDonald’s also provides fresh burgers and sandwiches. However, the options for customizing your burger or sandwich are limited.

Moreover, the portion size at McDonald’s is also smaller, so a single burger might need to be filling more. On the other hand, Subway sandwiches are much larger and offer more for the same price.

A single sandwich from Subway would be very filling for one person since it is loaded with meat, fresh vegetables, cheese, and sauces. Moreover, although the meat options might be lesser than what is offered at McDonald’s, there is plenty of room to customize the sandwich the way you would like. So, regarding the amount you get for your money, we have a winner.

Winner: Subway sandwiches win this round!

Which Has A Better Breakfast Menu?

McDonald’s wins this round over Subway with a better breakfast menu. McDonald’s offers much more than Subway regarding breakfast options, making it the apparent winner.

McDonald’s is truly the pioneer of delicious fast-food breakfast items! McDonald’s was one of the first fast food restaurant chains to offer a breakfast menu, and seeing the success, many places followed the same!

McDonald’s is known for their lovely breakfast menu options, consisting of classic McMuffins, hotcakes, and coffees, and who could ever forget its classic Hash Browns, one of the best McDonald’s breakfast menu items? McDonald’s also offers healthy breakfast options, like Fruit and Maple Oatmeal.

McDonald’s breakfast became so popular that they served breakfast all day at several locations! However, they returned to their original breakfast hours after a specific time. To date, McDonald’s remains one of the best fast-food breakfast spots!

Although, when it comes to breakfast menu options, Subway is also just a little behind! Subway offers some delicious wraps and sandwiches that make up their breakfast menu. Moreover, Subway also offers some coffee, although the variety is far less than McDonald’s.

Winner: Like always, McDonald’s is the clear winner for a better breakfast menu!

Which Restaurant Has Better Desserts?

McDonald’s generally offers a broader array of desserts than Subway. Subway is known for providing cookies as desserts, but at McDonald’s, you can find a variety of ice creams, sundaes, baked goodies, and McFlurries, making it the winner.

If you have a central sweet tooth and cannot finish your meal without ending it on a sweet note, McDonald’s and Subway have you covered. Talking about Subway first, we all know about their delicious cookies!

Subway cookies are a classic, with their exceptionally soft and chewy texture. Subway offers a delicious range of cookie options, like chocolate chip cookies and double chocolate chip cookies. They also have classics like Oatmeal and Raisin, wacky flavors like dark chocolate and cherry, white chocolate chips, and macadamia nuts.

On the other hand, McDonald’s offers a much more comprehensive range of dessert options. They offer chocolate chip cookies, along with their classic soft-serve ice cream. McDonald’s is also known for serving hot fudge sundaes and a lovely range of McFlurries, some of the best desserts they have.

Also, let us remember McDonald’s apple pies and holiday pies! So, looking at the options offered by both restaurant chains, it is clear that McDonald’s has many more options than Subway.

Winner: McDonald’s has better dessert options than Subway!

Which Restaurant Has Better Drink Options?

McDonald’s takes the lead over Subway as far as drink options are concerned. McDonald’s offers an extensive range of drink options, from cold drinks to hot and cold coffees and a lot more.

Fast food is incomplete without a beverage on the side, don’t you think? Of course, who wouldn’t want a lovely cold beverage to gulp down once you are done eating a satisfying meal? So yes, drink options are also essential when comparing two restaurants.

Speaking of Subway, first, they offer some nice beverages that go very well with their sandwiches. They offer Fountain beverages, juices, milk, bottled beverages, and coffee. They also have a set of drinks for kids to enjoy.

On the other hand, McDonald’s truly offers a much more comprehensive range of beverages. Their incredible drinks menu consists of fountain drinks like co*ke, Sprite, and Dr. Pepper; they also provide a range of bottled drinks.

McDonald’s also has some delicious milkshakes on their menu, along with smoothies. Moreover, they also have the best coffee drinks on their McCafe menu and some of the best-iced coffee options to order. Again, looking at the variety of both menus, we have a winner.

Winner: McDonald’s is the winner as they have plenty of options compared to Subway!

Which One Is Healthier?

Subway offers healthier options on its menu than McDonald’s. Most of the food provided at McDonald’s is fried, which is quite unhealthy compared to the fresh vegetables and cold cuts that you would get at Subway.

Out of all the comparisons between the two restaurant chains, the most accessible debate to clear is which one of the two options is healthier. However, for better reference, let us look at some of the options available on both menus to compare calories.

As you can see in the table, the differences in nutritional values between the two are slightly different. While entire Subway sandwiches and salads are less than 350 kcal, most burgers and sandwiches offered by McDonald’s are way over 500 calories.

Moreover, an undeniable and added advantage that Subway offers is that you get to pick your fresh vegetables in every sandwich! So, keeping just the calorie count of the two aside, there is a significant difference between the two in this sense as well. Another advantage of Subway is that you can always pick sauces that are lower in calories.

Also, unlike Subway, eating McDonald’s food in very high quantities can be bad for the human body, as they use a lot of oil and grease. So, Subway is the clear winner as far as the health department is concerned.

However, it is okay with McDonald’s. Lately, even McDonald’s offers many low-caloriehealthy menu items you can try if you want to watch your calories!

Winner: Subway is the winner here.

Which Restaurant Has A Better Kids’ Menu?

McDonald’s has a better kids’ menu than Subway. McDonald’s offers kids some decent food options, but what puts it over the edge compared to Subway is that McDonald’s also gives toys with every kid’s meal!

McDonald’s is known for having a fantastic kids’ menu. The attraction of the kids’ menu is, of course, the lovely happy meal toys! These toys brought out so much nostalgia that McDonald’s launched a range of Adult Happy Meal toys a while ago!

So, McDonald’s happy meals are something most of us are aware of. Their kids’ menu mainly consists of three options, where kids get to choose between 4 pieces of chicken nuggets, six pieces of chicken nuggets, and a hamburger.

Along with the main dish, the happy meal is also served along with a small beverage- usually milk, with a small portion of fries and apple slices. All this is packed together with a lovely toy in a McDonald’s red box with golden arches, all for $4.19.

But although McDonald’s may pioneer kids’ menus and happy meals, Subway is just a little behind on this front! Subway also offers a range of kids’ menu items, including four different sandwiches.

Although the Subway kids’ meal does not come with a toy, it is also served with a side and a small drink, all for $4.99. The effort by Subway is fantastic, but we can all agree that nothing can beat a classic McDonald’s happy meal!

Winner – McDonald’s will always be the winner as far as kids’ menus are concerned!

Which Restaurant Has A Better Secret Menu?

McDonald’s takes the lead over Subway as far as secret menus are concerned. Subway has some lovely secret menu options, but the variety of secret menu options at McDonald’s is much wider.

We should all look forward to secret menus, as the options tend to be innovative! McDonald’s secret menu is well-known, although it is technically supposed to be a secret!

McDonald’s secret menu offers about 23 options, all of which can easily be made by combining a few burgers and sandwiches. McDonald’s secret menu is also not very expensive, as most of their menu items are very reasonably priced.

On the other hand, Subway also offers an array of secret menu items, which are excellent. Subway’s secret menu consists of about 15 options, all made by mixing and matching some options. Subway’s secret menu is also reasonable, as far as prices are concerned.

This comparison is challenging as they are both great, but we have a winner here.

Winner: McDonald’s wins this round based on the fact that they have a broader secret menu.

Which Restaurant Has Better Deals?

McDonald’s offers some of the best fast food deals, which are much better and more popular than Subway. This puts McDoanld’s above Subway in this category.

Who wouldn’t want to save extra money while enjoying a delicious meal from your favorite restaurant chain? Of course, the best way to save some extra money is by availing beautiful discounts and deals from the restaurants!

Both McDonald’s and Subway offer some beautiful deals now and then. One of the most popular deals that Subway is known for is Sub of the Day, where they have a select sub for each day, which is sold at a much lower price than the rest of their menu items.

Similarly, they also offer BOGO, or But One Get One deal, where they offer two footlong subs for the price of one! Lastly, they provide free drinks and desserts when you buy a six-inch sub or a footlong.

McDonald’s also offers the best deals, one of their most popular ones being their Dollar Menu. Moreover, McDonald’s also provides Breakfast deals, $5 for two and $6 for two deals. The deals from McDonald’s are far more popular than other places since they have been proven to save a lot of money.

Winner: McDonald’s is the winner here since they have more popular deals.

Which One Has A More Modern Look?

McDonald’s is known for having a better and more modern look than Subway. Although Subway has a modern look, McDonald’s play area makes it far more prevalent amongst customers.

Any meal tastes even better if you eat at a fast food restaurant with beautiful decor! The decor is just as important as the food at any place since it greatly makes a difference to the whole eating experience.

Both McDonald’s and Subway are known for their simple decor with a modern twist. Both fast-food restaurant chains have gone through their share of renovations and more to come to the decor that they are at now.

Subway tends to have their sandwich counters, where you ask the server to make the sandwiches for you. On the other hand, McDonald’s tends to have a much larger kitchen, with a counter at the front where you can order and collect your meal.

McDonald’s tends to have a much larger restaurant and modern decor with a separate section for McCafe. Many McDonald’s outlets also tend to have a play area for kids, making it a more preferred option by customers.

Winner: McDonald’s is the winner.

Which Is More Successful?

McDonald’s is more successful as it has more outlets worldwide than Subway. McDonald’s also does many more promotions and advertising, making it the best fast food chain in the world.

The easiest way to determine which of the two outlets is the most successful is by seeing how widespread the restaurant chains are. McDonald’s is far more popular across the world than Subway. As mentioned earlier, McDonald’s has over 40,275 outlets across the globe.

On the other hand, Subway has 37,000 outlets, which is comparatively less than McDonald’s. McDonald’s is also present in about 120 countries, whereas Subway currently has a presence across 100 countries.

Most people are aware of McDonald’s, and it is a far more popular chain than Subway, at least as of now. This makes McDonald’s the winner in this round as well.

Winner: McDonald’s wins this round.

Who Wins This Battle – Subway or McDonald’s?

McDonald’s won this battle with Subway based on the abovementioned criteria. Although Subway wins some rounds, McDonald’s is far ahead of Subway in various regards, making it the winner.

McDonald’s won this battle based on all the comparisons between the two restaurant chains. Although Subway is just a little behind in this battle, McDonald’s wins many rounds for various reasons.

McDonald’s offers a much larger variety than Subway, as far as the kids’ menu, breakfast menu, and even secret menu are concerned. McDonald’s is also far more popular than Subway, as it has many more outlets worldwide.

Subway is famous and significant in many ways. However, McDonald’s is the clear winner! If such restaurant debates seem intriguing, you will also like the McDonald’s VS. KFC and McDonald’s Vs. Dairy Queen to know which one is better! Similarly, we have also covered articles on McDonald’s Vs. Jack In The Box, and McDonald’s Vs. Whataburger to know which is the better option.

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