Subway dishes out that Tuscany look

Associated Press

MILFORD, Conn. — Subway Restaurants is abandoning its cityscape mural design in favor of an Old World-inspired look, including brick wall coverings, gold stucco and stone-like floor tiles.

So far, 57 shops in the United States, Canada and England have the new look. Most of them are newly built, but some older stores have been remodeled, said Subway spokeswoman Annie Smith.

"We wanted everything to enhance our message of fresh, great-tasting sandwiches — and the look of the Tuscany decor is very fresh," she said.

It's the first such overhaul for the chain, which Smith said eventually will phase out its yellow-and-green color scheme. While the chain recommends the new decor to store owners, it's still optional.

"The more the franchisees see it, the more they like it," she said. She could not say how much it would cost the average location to adopt the new design. But not all are ready to remodel.

An industry analyst says store owners who remodel or build with the new design will benefit.

Other fast-food restaurants have reported sales increases of up to 30 percent after updating decor, said Lea Davis, editor of QSR, a magazine for the quick-service restaurant industry.

Subway, which has more U.S. stores than McDonald's, opened 904 locations last year. Subway has 13,268 U.S. locations and nearly 16,000 worldwide.