Subway is reviving and revamping the Sub Club from the 1980s, when it was issuing loyalty cards to guests and offering a stamp for each 6-inch sandwich purchase.
FT’s Picks of the Week highlight notable C-suite moves, brand milestones, tech tidbits and other franchise news, sourced by the Franchise Times editorial team.
Matt Carpenter is the new president of family dining chain Perkins.
Carpenter’s executive background includes his role as the CEO of Toms King Holdings, one of the largest Burger King franchisees in North America that sought bankruptcy protection in 2023 and was sold for $33 million to four different companies. Under Carpenter’s leadership, the organization expanded to nearly 140 restaurants across multiple states and generated more than $200 million in revenue, according to Perkins’ news release.
Matt Carpenter is the new brand president for Perkins American Food Co.
Before that, Carpenter was CEO of Olga’s Kitchen and chief operating officer of Frisch’s Restaurants, which owns the Big Boy brand. He was also the vice president of operations services at Applebee’s International, where he contributed to scaling the franchise from a small base to more than 1,500 locations.
Most recently, Carpenter served as an interim and fractional operating executive for Perkins American Food Co., advising private equity groups, founders and family-owned restaurant companies on upgrading operations, strengthening field leadership and improving unit-level economics.
Perkins has nearly 300 company-owned and franchise locations across the U.S. and Canada. Ascent Hospitality Management owns Perkins and Huddle House.
Related: Perkins, IHOP Sales Fall as Breakfast Category Sees Slight Decline, Top 400 Data Shows
Noteworthy
Steve Clemente is replacing Lance Sinclair as president and chief operating officer for Trade Brands, a home services platform that operates under the Authority Brands umbrella. Clemente was the president of early childhood education franchise Primrose Schools.
In his new role at Trades Brands, Clemente will spearhead initiatives to enhance operations, drive organic growth and unlock cross-selling opportunities across Authority Brands’ four trade brands—Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, Mister Sparky Electric and DRYmedic Restoration Services. With about 2,700 locations and more than $2 billion in annual sales across its portfolio, Authority Brands includes 15 home service brands.
Andy Skehan is the new president of international for Jersey Mike’s Subs. He will lead the company’s multinational growth strategy, development, operations and marketing initiatives as it scales its footprint, with a focus on Canada and the United Kingdom.
Related: Restaurant Vet Charlie Morrison Succeeds Peter Cancro as Jersey Mike’s CEO
Most recently Skehan worked as the president and CEO of Home Franchise Concepts. Prior to that, he was president of North America at Krispy Kreme and spent six years as president of international at Popeyes.
Founded in 1956 as Mike's Subs, Jersey Mike's has more than 3,000 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
Technology
More than two decades after suspending its popular stamp card loyalty program, Roark Capital-owned Subway is reviving and revamping the Sub Club, according to Franchise Time sibling publication Food On Demand. Subway initially rolled out the Sub Club in the 1980s, issuing loyalty cards to guests and offering a stamp for each 6-inch sandwich purchase. Once customers filled the card with eight stamps, the next sandwich came free. Although popular, company leadership discontinued the Sub Club in the fall of 2005 to stop fraud associated with the program and modernize the brand’s loyalty offerings, according to a Chief Marketer article published shortly after Subway announced plans to phase out the program.
Many Subway franchisees, including those in the North American Association of Subway Franchisees, have voiced their disapproval to bringing back the Sub Club loyalty program, with some calling the “buy 3, get 1 free” structure “financial suicide,” according to The Food Institute. They argue the program is too generous and will cut into their already tight profit margins.
Milestones
Franchisees Daniel Gifford and Gilbert Vergara had the honor of opening Teriyaki Madness 200th shop, in San Antonio, December 19 with a celebration that featured a number of limited-time offers and prizes. Teriyaki Madness opened 47 new shops open this year to bring the brand’s total to 200 locations nationwide. The San Antonio shop was one of three other openings December 19 in Fresno, California; Niles, Illinois; and Livermore, California.