�鶹��

With more than 44,000 locations across 110 countries, Subway is the world’s largest fast-food franchise. Since its birth in 1965 as a small sub shop, the sandwich king has grown into a corporate giant, one with an interesting history, to say the least.

Bloomberg | Getty Images

Subway serves 5,300 sandwiches every minute.

Subway serves about 5,300 sandwiches every 60 seconds, which is roughly 320,000 sandwiches every hour.

Or think of it like this: 7.6 million subs every day, reported in 2014. That’s enough to feed every person in Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago combined.

There are 38 million options to choose from.

The possibilities are endless when choosing what to add to your sub. There are nearly total combinations available on the menu.

Norman Posselt | Getty Images

Subway uses 16 acres of lettuce every day.

In a 2013 , the sandwich chain wrote: “Subway uses 16 acres of lettuce per day… How many football fields is that?”

If you’re curious, the answer is approximately 12.

SUBWAY uses 16 acres of lettuce per day… how many football fields is that equivalent to?

— SUBWAY® (@SUBWAY)

The “BMT” was named after an actual subway.

Subway’s classic “” sandwich, which now stands for “Biggest, Meatiest, Tastiest,” was originally named after the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit system.

Subway was started by a 17-year-old boy.

In 1965, 17-year-old Fred DeLuca created with a $1,000 loan from a family friend, Peter Buck.

Subway hosted a fashion show.

Subway made its debut in the fashion industry in , when it launched “Project Subway,” a New York City fashion show and competition challenging up-and-coming designers to create Subway-inspired designs.

In , designers were instructed to create garments “inspired by vegetables found at Subway restaurants.” In the year prior, the task was to create pieces out of sandwich wrappers, napkins and gift cards.

“Subway” has multiple meanings.

Translated into Mandarin Chinese, Subway means “taste better than others.”

Subway

A sub used to cost $0.49.

The first Subway shop opened by the teenage entrepreneur was called “Pete’s Super Submarines” in Bridgeport, Conn.

On average, a sub would cost . The shop sold 312 subs on opening day.

All Subway franchises smell the same.

What makes all subways smell the same?

Although it remains a mystery, it’s hinted that the smell comes from the bread: each store bakes its own bread by thawing it before baking it behind the counter. Supposedly, the “,” but it’s unknown what truly makes Subway’s smell so unique.

Scott Olson | Getty Images

Subway has more restaurants than McDonald’s.

Subway is the world’s largest fast food chain. With nearly , it has more locations than McDonald’s.

Subway employs more than .

Related: Considering franchise ownership? Get started now and take this quiz to find your personalized list of franchises that match your lifestyle, interests and budget.

Westend61 | Getty Images

There was an elevated shop for construction workers.

During the reconstruction of 1 World Trade Center, Subway created for construction workers. Because elevator time was too slow for workers to go up and down the massive building during a 30-minute lunch break, Subway lifted a shop that would elevate higher and higher as construction continued.

David Lodge | Getty Images

The Subway diet actually works.

Jared Fogle, Subway’s now infamous former spokesperson, eating Subway sandwiches every day.

Fogle ate a six-inch turkey sandwich for lunch and a foot-long veggie sub for dinner. His secret? He never added cheese or mayo to his sandwiches.

Matt Corby | Facebook

Subway was sued for selling 11-inch “foot-long” subs.

In 2013, Australian teen Matt Corbey took to Facebook to publish his disappointment with his after he measured a sandwich.

D-Ozen | Getty Images

Subway bread used to share an ingredient used to make yoga mats.

The company may have been fooling us all with its “Eat Fresh” slogan.

Although it is FDA-approved, the ingredient , a chemical commonly used in yoga mats, shoe rubber and synthetic leather, was found in the sandwich chain’s bread products. Subway phased out the ingredient by mid-2014 after a backlash.

Tetra Images | Getty Images

There’s not much difference calories wise between Subway and McDonald’s.

A conducted by UCLA and other research centers found that kids and young adults (ages 12 to 21) consumed roughly the same amount of calories eating a meal at Subway or McDonald’s. They ultimately overate at both. Calorie counts were based off of the nutritional information provided on each company’s website.

The study also revealed that on average, McDonald’s sandwiches tend to be less caloric than Subway’s (572 vs. 784 calories).

Subway has a secret menu.

Subway has a that offers surprisingly gourmet options for a fast food franchise. From an eggs florentine flatbread to a chicken cordon bleu sub, a number of items are available that you would never imagine being served at a Subway.

Sean Pavone | Getty Images

You can get free Subway when it rains in Los Angeles.

Although poor weather is rare in , pop into a Subway on the occasion that it does rain and you’ll get a free six-inch sub or hot soup when you purchase a foot-long sub and a large soda.

Subway

A New York church serves Subway sandwiches.

In Buffalo, N.Y., you can head over to Sunday morning service and pick up a footlong sub while you’re there.

The Rev. Darius Pridgen of opened up the franchise in 2003 to provide job opportunities and feed the hungry.

Subway

Subway replaced ham and bacon with halal meat at some locations.

Due to a strong demand from Muslims in the U.K. and Ireland, Subway removed ham and bacon from across the countries — replacing those products with halal meat.

Subway broke a Guinness World Record.

In 2015, Subway broke the Guinness World Record for “.”