You may have thought the infamous Quiznos spongmonkey commercials killed the chain. But Quiznos is back — and so are the spongmonkeys.
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00:00You may have thought the infamous Quiznos Spung Monkey commercials killed the chain.
00:05But Quiznos is back, and so are the Spung Monkeys.
00:09Quiznos' comeback is being masterminded by their new ownership group.
00:13The Denver-based Rigo Restaurant Group acquired Quiznos in 2018.
00:18The company is funded by High Bluff Capital Partners and is the parent company for 800
00:23restaurants around the world, including the Taco Del Mar chain of Mexican restaurants.
00:27The group's game plan involves helping franchise owners make more money by making the whole
00:32franchise ownership experience less complex.
00:34The company also uses customer data to help its restaurants to grow.
00:38Quiznos CEO Tim Casey told Business Wire in 2022,
00:42"...when Quiznos first started in 1981, it was a complete disruptor.
00:47It was doing things that no other brand was doing, and we're now returning to those roots
00:51as the most innovative franchise."
00:53By reinventing the brand, and making Quiznos an outstanding investment opportunity for
00:58entrepreneurs who are seeking profitability and growth.
01:02Under new ownership, Quiznos is putting new emphasis on the value of its franchisees.
01:06Quiznos had a bad history of relationships with its franchisees under the previous ownership.
01:10"...this is a battle over one ounce of meat that probably is going to end up costing over
01:15a million dollars."
01:17In fact, it was sued by several of its franchisees starting in 2007 for fraud, when stores weren't
01:22being profitable.
01:23The company filed for bankruptcy in 2014, and settled with the franchisees in 2016 over
01:29several things, including misrepresenting how much locations could actually make.
01:34Because of the rocky past Quiznos had with its franchisees, it makes sense that one of
01:38the first things Rico Restaurant Group did when it acquired Quiznos was to offer support
01:42centers for them.
01:43Brent Phillip, vice president of marketing and digital experience, told QSR,
01:47"...we really do see franchisees as important partners in this and needing their feedback,
01:52their learnings, their knowledge to represent a variety of markets to help drive the brand
01:57forward."
01:58We also see the restaurant economics as also reliant on entrepreneurial-inspired franchises.
02:04Rico Restaurant Group former president Mark Lohman said,
02:07"...we've designed our restaurant of the future to ensure that our franchisees have long-term
02:12growth potential."
02:13In 2022, Quiznos opened itself up to new franchisees again, signing around 100 agreements for new
02:20locations.
02:21That followed a period of over 10 years with almost no new restaurants.
02:26In fact, Quiznos had spent more than a decade drastically shrinking.
02:29At its height in 2007, Quiznos had 4,700 locations in the U.S.
02:34However, by the end of 2018, it was down to just 323 locations open.
02:40And at the start of 2024, there were only 148 locations left.
02:45But the tide seems to be turning.
02:47Several of the new franchisees are opening multiple locations.
02:50And some of those new franchisees aren't new at all.
02:53Parish Patel left Quiznos in 2015, but came back in 2023, signing a new area exclusivity
03:00agreement in Arizona, where he plans to open as many as 30 locations.
03:04He told BusinessWire,
03:05"...I truly believe with everything the brand is doing differently, from its menu to their
03:10new franchisee first model, that Quiznos can return to the top 10 in the QSR category."
03:15It's harder to find a Quiznos these days, and we're here to fix that.
03:20Like many other fast, casual restaurants, Quiznos is modernizing its design aesthetics
03:25and branding.
03:26Remodeled and new stores are all opening with a new look both inside and out.
03:31Whereas the main colors of Quiznos were once basic red, green, and white, the new colors
03:35of the chain are black, gray, and white with splashes of bright neon green and orange.
03:40Everything is clean, simple, and more industrial-looking than before.
03:44The floor plans are also meant to be more efficient.
03:46Brent Phillips told QSR,
03:47"...the new restaurant is really a redesigned and reimagined Quiznos built truly to evolving
03:53consumer interest."
03:54So it is founded on extensive research that was done prior to the pandemic, and through
03:59the pandemic, for what should Quiznos look like and feel like in terms of consumers'
04:03experience to provide them what they're seeking today.
04:06But also, really, truly, wow.
04:08The logo has changed, too.
04:11Rather than the logo being a bright red and green Q above a green Quiznos name, it's either
04:15a black or neon green Q. Sometimes the logo is surrounded by a circle of words or has
04:20a message inside the Q. At other times, the chain just uses the name Quiznos in one of
04:24its trendy new colors.
04:27The design upgrades at Quiznos are happening in places other than just the dining room
04:31and exterior.
04:32The kitchen is getting an upgrade, too, moving beyond the toaster to include features that
04:36you're more familiar with seeing in a fast-food burger joint, like a flat-topped grill and
04:41a deep fryer.
04:42And with new equipment, there are more possibilities for what Quiznos can offer that other sub-shops
04:46can't.
04:47In 2022, one of the more obvious menu items the chain began to be able to make was a Steakhouse
04:52Philly sub.
04:53Giving the steak sub concept a global twist, it also created an Asian Steak Dipper sub
04:58with lots of fresh and pickled vegetables and pho for dipping.
05:02And the company created a Carne Supreme sub with tons of Italian meats, provolone, and
05:08marinara.
05:09It also tested out a Kimchi Philly sandwich.
05:12Another new offering it tested was Steakfrites, which was French fries topped with grilled
05:15steak, onions, peppers, and cheese.
05:17Plus, there was a vegetarian sub made with grilled Beyond Italian sausage, peppers, and
05:22onions, along with provolone and marinara.
05:24And they even piloted a Cobb salad rollout.
05:27These new, more global offerings aren't yet offered globally, though.
05:31Not all locations have the new upgraded kitchen equipment yet, so check your local Quiznos
05:35to see what goodies they might have on their menu.
05:39Something else that adding a grill to the kitchen allows is making fried or scrambled
05:42eggs and other ingredients for breakfast subs.
05:45While a breakfast menu at Quiznos isn't completely new, 2022 was the first time you could get
05:49a breakfast sub all day.
05:51The chain has created a breakfast sub that you can order any time of the day, called
05:55a Steak and Egg sub.
05:56The black Angus steak, eggs, peppers, and onions for the sub are all fresh off the grill.
06:01Plus, it includes cherry peppers and American cheese.
06:04While it's not available everywhere, a few places have it.
06:06Quiznos has had breakfast on the menu in some locations for a while, but just for the morning
06:10rather than all day long.
06:12For example, you can find Quiznos breakfast subs in places like airports.
06:15The ones located in convenience stores started serving breakfast subs in 2010.
06:20In addition to breakfast subs, convenience store locations were serving breakfast biscuits
06:23and flatbread sandwiches, along with cinnamon rolls.
06:27One option that new franchise owners are liking is the possibility of starting out with a
06:31restaurant that has a much smaller footprint.
06:34Rather than incurring the expenses of building a new full-size restaurant, they can choose
06:38a prefabricated cube, created by the B-Cubed company.
06:42While Quiznos says the total investment cost of opening up a standard full-sized location
06:46can be over $1.43 million, it can open up a modular cube location for as little as $458,100.
06:54Making ownership more attainable.
06:56As Quiznos starts opening up new locations, many are slated to be freestanding cubes instead
07:01of traditional, larger restaurants.
07:03Compared to a traditional location, a cube requires less land, and it's also faster to
07:07build.
07:08The time from start to finish is mere weeks, rather than the months it would take to build
07:12a restaurant from the ground up.
07:13That's because it comes with all the equipment, wires, and plumbing already there, just waiting
07:18to be hooked up.
07:20One thing that has been lacking for Quiznos for many years is a drive-thru option.
07:24Many other fast food restaurants that didn't have drive-thrus previously, like Chipotle,
07:28have seen the value of adding drive-thru windows since people's dining habits have begun to
07:32change after the COVID-19 pandemic.
07:34There will also be a Chipotleme, so that's a drive-thru, to pick up digital orders.
07:40Luckily, the fact that Quiznos' menu includes pre-made subs makes it easy to embrace drive-thru
07:45and walk-up windows.
07:47Not only do the new cubes have a drive-thru window, but they also have a walk-up window
07:50for customers who prefer to park or for those who are on foot, rather than driving up in
07:55a vehicle.
07:56The walk-up option works especially well for locations with more pedestrian foot traffic,
08:00like ones near university campuses.
08:02It's also a good option for those who prefer to dine on a patio, if available, rather than
08:06eat in their car.
08:08Current Quiznos owners also have the option now of adding on a drive-thru window to their
08:12locations, so this option could be coming to your local Quiznos soon.
08:17Quiznos is also starting to embrace the new age of fast food with more digital and delivery
08:22options.
08:23While the chain is still lagging behind most others when it comes to consistent digital
08:26ordering and delivery options, it's making an effort.
08:29There are now two digital ordering options at Quiznos, as well as delivery options.
08:34Where available, you can either order online or download the app to use for ordering.
08:38Using the app also helps you earn loyalty rewards.
08:40Even if you don't order through the app, you can scan in your receipts to get the rewards.
08:45As for delivery, while Quiznos doesn't have a direct delivery service like pizza restaurants
08:49do, some locations do offer third-party delivery options.
08:52However, not every location has gotten on board with going digital yet.
08:55Some places don't have online ordering options, some don't have delivery options, some have
09:00one but not the other, and some places have neither option yet.
09:03Ultimately, it's up to the franchise owner, which seems like an opportunity for Quiznos
09:07to still make some improvements on.
09:10Quiznos isn't exactly new to partnerships with gas stations, but it has made a few inroads
09:15into the world of convenience store partnerships in the last few years.
09:18So even if Quiznos hasn't made a comeback in your city yet, you may still run across
09:21one at a convenience store on a road trip.
09:24After a partnership with Baselman Enterprises in 2022, Quiznos opened up four locations
09:28inside Pump & Pantry convenience stores in Nebraska.
09:31It has already started progress on its agreement to open up six more between 2024 and 2026
09:38so that there will be a total of 10 Pump & Pantries with a Quiznos inside.
09:42Since it owns both restaurants, in 2023, Rego Restaurant Group also teamed with Sunshine
09:46Gasoline Distributors to create a combined Quiznos and Taco Del Mar restaurant in Cape
09:51Coral, Florida, in what could be the first of many such locations to follow.
09:56Yes, Quiznos' out-of-control Spung Monkey mascots look like something a child created
10:02in a fever dream on their iPad, but in this era of nostalgia and postmodern humor, Quiznos
10:07has decided it's the perfect time for a comeback.
10:10If you've managed to miss seeing Spung Monkeys before now, they first showed up in a Quiznos
10:14commercial in 2004, looking like someone added human eyes and bad human teeth to a gerbil
10:19rabbit animal thing with wonky ears and fun hats, which is apparently exactly what their
10:24creator was going for.
10:25The juxtaposition of those kind of rough graphics on really glossy food shots and serious voiceover
10:29really tickles me.
10:30It makes me laugh a lot."
10:31Quiznos brought back the Spung Monkeys in a digital ad campaign that ran in 2023, including
10:36a new Return of the Infamous Spung Monkeys video.
10:39And if you can't get enough of their off-key singing, you can hop over to Spotify and listen
10:43to their official theme song, called We Love the Subs.
10:46Their song sounds completely unhinged, which may explain why over 3,000 people have listened
10:50to it so far — and counting.
10:52In 2023, Quiznos also ran a silly promotion for the Spung Monkeys, where the mascots were
10:57demanding the creation of a new day on the calendar to recover from their favorite holiday,
11:02Halloween.
11:03The new holiday would be October 32nd, and would fall on the calendar immediately after
11:06Halloween.
11:07So on October 32nd, 2023, known to the rest of the world as November 1st, you could get
11:13a free 8-inch sub with a $10 purchase to celebrate the proposed existence of the new calendar
11:19day.
11:20Will we see ever more of the Spung Monkeys?
11:21Keep an eye out on October 32nd to find out.