I got a lot of replies to my query about the smell at Subway sandwich shops. This message, from a person who asked to remain anonymous, touches on a lot of points that were in other messages…
The problem is that despite what the ads might lead you to believe, Subway shops do not bake their own bread from scratch. They thaw and then bake frozen dough. I'm not sure if it's in the thawing or the baking or both but the smell comes mostly from that. I realized that from working there and noticing when the smell was at its worst. It clings to the pans and racks that are used in the baking process and it also clings to the people who work there, as any of their family members with attest. I think it has something to do with the yeast in the dough.
I think it also comes partly from the marinara sauce with the meatballs in it, especially if we haven't been selling a lot of meatball sandwiches that day. The longer the meatballs sit in that sauce, the more you can smell them throughout the shop. The smell you notice is a combination of those two fragrances.
And I will note that every Subway employee who wrote to me (and two Blimpy staffers) mentioned taking the smell home with them in their clothes and hair.
By the way: I know this will horrify some of you but I kinda like Subway sandwiches. In the last year or two, I've lost my taste for most fast food. Burger King, McDonald's, KFC…all those used to be okay in a pinch. Now, I have to be really pinched to eat them because they don't even offer the cheap taste thrills they used to impart. Even the beloved In-and-Out Burgers aren't as yummy as they once were to me. However, Subway's tuna sandwiches or even their odd-smelling meatball subs are still okay when I'm trapped in Food Court Hell at an airport or somewhere.