Subway's New SubKrunch Topping Is Disappointing In Multiple Ways

Subway continues to make updates to its menu by expanding a few of its offerings. On July 9, it released three new sandwiches, new and returning sauces, an exclusive variety of Doritos (Sweet and Tangy BBQ), and a new sub topping.

The new topping is called SubKrunch. It consists of fried, crunchy, savory, seasoned flakes that are meant to add flavor and texture to every bite of your sandwich. Two of the three new sandwiches feature SubKrunch: the Spicy Nacho Chicken (which has rotisserie-style chicken, green peppers, red onions, jalapeños, a new cheddar cheese sauce, creamy sriracha sauce, and SubKrunch) and the Cheesy Garlic Steak (which features steak, green peppers, red onions, SubKrunch, along with roasted garlic aioli and cheddar cheese sauce).

The other new sandwich is the Honey Mustard BBQ Chicken, which is filled with rotisserie-style chicken and is topped with Monterey cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, and pickles and finished with honey mustard and barbecue sauce. The barbecue sauce, which has been absent from Subway's menu for three years, is now back as an option for sandwiches. This is the one new sandwich that doesn't include the new SubKrunch topping.

Out of all the textures Subway's sandwiches are known for, a hard crunch isn't one of them, which is why the addition of SubKrunch caught my attention. I hoped the added crunchy bits would do these sandwiches a favor, but they got soggy and lost in the sauce.

I wanted to try Subway's new SubKrunch topping by itself before I tried it in a sandwich, and the employees at my local Subway shop were kind enough to give me a little cup of it on the side with two of the new sandwiches (which I'll get to in a bit).

The SubKrunch resembles thick, miniature, and irregular corn flakes, and they do indeed pack a pretty impressive crunch by themselves. They're savory as advertised, but no particular flavor stands out aside from fried corn, though there's a slight garlic or onion aftertaste present. I'd liken them almost like a cross between corn flakes and corn chips, with a slight oiliness reminiscent of French's Crispy Fried Onions.

The little bits did seem pretty sturdy, which made me wonder just how long they'd last in any sub they're included in, especially one that's dressed with something wet, such as one of Subway's many sauces.

I was the first person to order the new sandwiches at my local Subway, and I tried both the Spicy Nacho Chicken ($11.99 for a footlong in my area, though prices may vary) and the Cheesy Garlic Steak ($11.99 for a footlong), since those are the ones that come with the new SubKrunch topping on them by default. Neither employee had made either of the subs before, and one of them loudly expressed frustration with how often new items had been coming out on Subway's menu lately.

Between the two subs, the Cheesy Garlic Steak was my favorite, since the combination of steak, red onions, roasted garlic aioli, and cheddar cheese sauce read like a cheesesteak sandwich that had been doused with garlic. The only ingredient missing was green pepper, which the store was completely out of. However, though the steak sandwich was tasty, I can't exactly call this a ringing endorsement since the quality of the ingredients wasn't very good. 

The Spicy Nacho Chicken sounded fine on paper, since it's a chicken sub with red onions, pickled jalapeños, cheddar cheese sauce, creamy sriracha sauce, and SubKrunch (again, missing green peppers today), but aside from the sriracha sauce and the pickled jalapeños, this sub didn't have much personality. As for the SubKrunch, all it did was provide a minor bit of crunch (or should I say Krunch?) to every mouthful — in both sandwiches, its flavor got lost in all the other toppings. The main issue was that since the rest of the sandwich wasn't good, the SubKrunch was gilding a non-existent lily.

When I tried the subs fresh, the SubKrunch was indeed crunchy, but considering most people don't eat their sandwiches on-premises, I wanted to see how they'd fare after a bit of transit time. My Subway location's within walking distance of my home, and when I returned after about 20 minutes, I gave one of my leftover halves another shot.

Unfortunately, the SubKrunch had lost a fair amount of its crunchy quality, with only the thickest pieces retaining any crunch at all. That's a bummer for those who can't eat your sandwiches on the spot. Sure, you can always ask for the SubKrunch on the side if it means that much to you, but I'm hazarding an educated guess that most people wouldn't bother doing this. I'd suggest you buy a bag of your favorite salty snack and add a few chips on your sandwich right before you eat it instead. Plus, I guarantee there's more seasoning on packaged chips than there is on SubKrunch.

Overall, the SubKrunch is a nice idea, but it doesn't offer enough of a reason to go out of your way to go to Subway to go and get it. It's just there if you want it, and if you do have some sprinkled onto your sandwich, you'd better hurry. The clock's already ticking.