Who owns Subway?
Subway is owned by Subway IP LLC (the United States), which has owned the brand since 30 April 2024.[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Subway — about us, Subway IP LLC. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Subway IP LLC reported
- Owned since
- Owner HQ
- 🇺🇸 United States, Shelton, Connecticut
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States, Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Founded
- 1965
- Category
- Restaurants & foodservice › Quick-service restaurants › Burger & chicken chains
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Subway
Subway sells submarine sandwiches assembled in front of the customer, a format that needs no kitchen extraction and so allows very small premises. That is why it opened more locations than any competitor, and why it has since closed thousands as the economics tightened.
Ownership timeline of Subway
Where Subway sits in Subway
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Subway ownership tree →
Other brands in burger & chicken chains, and who owns them
The 39 brands in burger & chicken chains on Brandtree belong to 24 owners. The largest is Jollibee Group, with 5.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Chowking | Jollibee Group | 🇵🇭 Philippines |
| Arby's | Inspire Brands | 🇺🇸 United States |
| KFC | Yum! Brands | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Chester's | CP Foods | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| Burger King | Restaurant Brands International | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| Papa Murphy's | MTY Group | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| Wimpy (Middle East) | Americana Restaurants | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates |
| Steak n Shake | Biglari Holdings | 🇺🇸 United States |
About the owner: Subway
Subway is a privately held company headquartered in Shelton, Connecticut, United States, founded in 1965. Brandtree records 1 brand under its control.
Subway was founded in 1965 by a 17-year-old who borrowed $1,000 from a family friend to pay for university and opened a sandwich shop instead. It grew to more shops than any other restaurant chain in the world, and the private equity firm Roark Capital acquired it in 2024.
🇺🇸 Subway and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,570 brands that began in the United States. 492 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; Subway is not one of them.
- Applebee's — Dine Brands 🇺🇸
- Arby's — Inspire Brands 🇺🇸
- Baja Fresh — MTY Group 🇨🇦
- Bonefish Grill — Bloomin' Brands 🇺🇸
- Burger King — Restaurant Brands International 🇨🇦
- Caribou Coffee — Panera Brands 🇺🇸
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Subway?
The parent company of Subway is Subway IP LLC, a privately held company headquartered in the United States.
Is Subway American?
Yes. Subway originated in the United States in 1965 and its owner, Subway IP LLC, is also headquartered in the United States.
Since when has Subway IP LLC owned Subway?
Subway IP LLC has owned Subway since 30 April 2024.
Is Subway still owned by Subway IP LLC?
Yes. As of 16 September 2026, Subway is still owned by Subway IP LLC. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Subway — about us — Subway IP LLC, Official document; retrieved 16 September 2026.
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