NEW YORK – Data from Technomic reveals nearly half of
sandwiches consumed last year were bought at restaurants instead of made at
home, Advertising Age reports. Key destinations included Subway, Jimmy John’s, McAlister's
Deli, Jersey Mike's and even McDonald's and
Panera.
Technomic estimated the value of the sandwich category at
$27.7 billion annually, with sales up 4.8% since 2010, according to its
Sandwich Consumer Trend Report. Nearly half — 49% — of sandwiches consumed in 2012 were purchased at
restaurants or other foodservice locations, up from 44% in 2010.
Millennials are propelling the category’s growth.
"Subway was just another chain until it started
marketing [its food] as healthy," said Joel Cohen, a restaurant-marketing
consultant. Subway's U.S. systemwide sales were up 6.1% to $12.1 billion in
2012, according to Technomic, while unit count was up 3.3% to 25,549.
Customization is by far more important to consumers than any
other factor when it comes to sandwiches, according to Technomic.