7 Highest Quality And 5 Lowest Quality Sandwich Chain Breads

The appeal of sandwiches lies in their incredible versatility and convenience. They can be as simple or as elaborate as your imagination and appetite. At its most basic, a sandwich consists of two slices of bread and a filling, such as cheese or a small portion of meat. Conversely, at its most creative, a sandwich can combine artisanal bread and gourmet fillings like roast beef, caramelized onion, Gruyère, and truffle aioli. Available in a range of shapes and sizes, sandwiches are ideal as both a quick bite and a satisfying meal.

Modern sandwiches date back to 18th century England and John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. Legend has it that Montagu was an avid gambler. One day, during a particularly engrossing game of cards, the Earl requested that the kitchen staff bring him something he could easily eat with his hands. He was presented with roast beef between two slices of bread, giving rise to what we now know as the sandwich.

A good sandwich requires two main elements — flavorful fillings and quality bread. While many sandwich chains offer variety, not all of them get these two elements right. Some restaurants stack their sandwiches with fancy toppings, yet neglect the quality of the bread. To help you avoid disappointment, we have compiled a list of sandwich chains that offer the best and worst bread. To bring you a list of sandwich chains that serve the highest and lowest quality bread, we have consulted hundreds of customer reviews on trustworthy platforms such as Reddit, TripAdvisor, and Yelp. We have also analyzed each restaurant's menu to determine what types of bread they offer and where they source their baked goods.

Which Wich serves over 50 sandwich types with more than 50 different toppings. No matter the combination, the team at Which Wich is adamant that the key to the perfect sandwich lies in high-quality bread. True to this promise, Which Wich seems to have nailed the art of bread-making, delivering high-quality white bread and wheat bread made with honey.

To provide diners with more options, in 2022, Which Wich launched the Cloud'WICH bread in collaboration with the Cloud Bread Company. The bread — which is made with baking soda, baking powder, eggs, and cream cheese — is free of gluten, sugar, carbs, and preservatives. With just 35 calories per slice, it is also ideal for those on a low-carb diet. Unfortunately, there is no recent information confirming whether the Cloud'WICH is still available at all Which Wich restaurants.

Which Wich's bread has garnered glowing reviews from satisfied customers. For instance, one customer says that they had one of the best baguettes of their life at the restaurant, adding, "Similar idea to Subway but better. Bread is very fresh and filling. 10/10. Knocks Subway out [of] the water." Another patron agrees, noting, "Bread was fresh, portions generous and extremely tasty. Will be back again!"

With the word "bread" in its name, you can rest assured that Panera Bread's baked goods hold their own. In fact, bread lies at the heart of the chain's menu. Given this, it's hardly surprising that the restaurant offers a wide range of bread types to choose from, including country rustic sourdough, artisan ciabatta, French baguette, and black pepper focaccia. Customers can also select from a variety of flavored bagels, such as sesame, blueberry, and cinnamon crunch.

One of the secrets behind the success of Panera Bread lies in its commitment to baking all its bread in-house. That said, the dough for the bread arrives at the cafe pre-made, as attested to by one of the chain's employees. "All of the [dough for the] bread and pastries came up on a truck, frozen, from a town about an hour away," she told Refinery29 in an interview.

Despite the fact that Panera Bread's baked goods aren't made on the premises from scratch, patrons seem particularly impressed with its quality. A case in point is one diner who says: "This was my first time at Panera bread and I truly enjoyed it. [...] I had the half turkey salad with apple and cheddar on cranberry bread. The bread was fresh and had just a slight sweet taste to it."

Subway is famous for the unmistakable scent and flavor of its bread. With more than 37,000 locations in over 100 countries, the restaurant specializes in custom-made submarine sandwiches that cater to a wide range of tastes and dietary preferences. Customers can choose not only from a variety of toppings but also bread types, including Italian herbs and cheese, nine-grain wheat, roasted garlic, and honey oat. Interestingly, Subway also offers "Subway Keto Bread," which isn't just gluten- and grain-free but also has fewer carbs than the chain's other breads.

Despite its variety, Subway's bread leaves much to be desired in terms of ingredients. The bread, which is delivered to the locations frozen, has been classified as "confectionery" due to its high sugar content. In 2020, the Supreme Court of Ireland ruled that Subway's bread can't be legally defined as bread for tax purposes. The country's tax laws state that bread must have less than 2% sugar by the weight of the flour — for Subway's bread, this is 10%. In addition, in 2014, Subway came under public scrutiny after a blogger publicized that its bread contained azodicarbonamide, a chemical used in yoga mats. The ingredient has since been removed from the bread's recipe.

Quiznos once operated around 4,700 restaurants across the U.S., but much has changed since then. The sandwich chain has experienced a significant decline, downsizing its footprint to just over 145 locations in 2024. This can be attributed to numerous setbacks, including increasing market competition, economic downturns, and mismanagement. Amid this difficult period, many loyal Quiznos fans still bemoan the disappearance of their local restaurant and its bready menu. A case in point is one customer who says they are "truly devastated," adding, "Our local Quiznos shut down with no notice and I can't stop thinking about it. [...] Does ANYONE know how to make their rosemary Parmesan bread? I will be eternally grateful to you!!"

Despite its struggles, Quiznos continues to serve a solid lineup of classic, chicken, and steak subs on a choice of white bread, wheat bread, rosemary Parmesan bread, and jalapeño cheddar bread. The dough for the baked goods is mixed, cut, rested, rolled, proofed, and baked at an external facility before the bread is delivered to Quiznos locations. Once there, it's turned into a range of subs like the Honey Bacon Club, Turkey Ranch Swiss, and Black Angus Steakhouse.

Blimpie has been around since 1964. Founded by three friends, the sandwich shop did exceptionally well in its early stages, reportedly growing to over 1,500 locations. Today, Blimpies are hard to come by, having dwindled to around 100 locations. There may be many reasons for this sharp decline, including the usual challenges faced by businesses like increasing competition and poor management. Moreover, substandard bread might also warrant a place on this list, especially since it forms the foundation of Blimpie's menu.

Blimpie's slogan, "Always freshly baked breads. Bigger. Better. Fresher," hasn't resonated with some diners, who have complained that the chain's baked goods haven't lived up to expectations. One patron says that they don't enjoy the chain's bread, elaborating, "It's a truism that the bread makes the sandwich. [...] You can have boar's head roast beef, fresh lettuce, tomato, onion, and avocado, with homemade 1000-island, but if the bread is lousy, it's not a good sandwich. Well, I've gotten stale bread at Blimpie's." Another customer also isn't impressed with the restaurant's baked goods, saying,"Clean place but the bread doesn't taste fresh."

If the word "bakery" in its name doesn't inspire confidence, rest assured that Boudin Bakery is very specific about how it makes its bread. The California-based establishment has a very long pedigree that dates back to 1849 when it first opened for business in San Francisco. In fact, Boudin Bakery still uses the mother dough from the 19th century to make its sourdough bread. This starter uses wild yeast and lactobacillus to naturally ferment the dough, eliminating the need for commercial yeast. Furthermore, the bread-making process takes 30 hours to ensure that each loaf develops the perfect flavor and texture.

From sandwiches and melts to bread bowls paired with soups and chilis, Boudin Bakery offers a diverse menu that highlights its rich baking tradition. And the chain's customers seem impressed with what's on offer. One customer calls the chain's bread "phenomenal," adding, "The bread was crispy and chewy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a nice savory taste. Really glad I visited!" Another patron seconds this sentiment, saying, "Excellent sandwiches and soup. Bread was amazing! You will never have a more luscious bread bowl in your life!"

Not many casual-dining joints start out as antique shops. However, this is precisely what happened with Potbelly Sandwich Shop. The chain's original location opened in 1977 in Chicago, after Peter Hastings and his wife started selling toasted sandwiches and desserts at their store to attract foot traffic. While today Potbelly Sandwich Shop offers much more than sandwiches, including soups and salads, handhelds are still the cornerstone of the chain's menu.

The Potbelly Sandwich Shop serves three types of bread, as explained by its chief operations officer, Adam Noyes, in an interview with Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery. "Our first shop started with our original white roll, derived from an artisan-style French bread, with an eggshell crust and soft center. Over the years, we added Multi-grain to the menu, as another option for our customers. Lastly, we added flats, a lighter flatbread option that offers a unique way to experience Potbelly," he says.

While Potbelly Sandwich Shop's bread may sound great in theory, it has left many of its customers underwhelmed. According to DidJaEat, the restaurant's bread is reminiscent of recycled cardboard. "They toast their bread before they make your sandwich. Actually, it isn't so much toasted as it is thoroughly warmed through. This makes an unbelievable difference in the bread. Ever put your socks in the microwave? It's like that." Another reviewer has also expressed disappointment with the chain's baked goods, saying, "Chicken salad sandwich was so bad, I could not eat it. Terribly dry and [the] bread tough."

Right from its inception in 1983, Jimmy John's was focused on serving sandwiches built on freshly baked bread and attention to detail. Despite the fact that the restaurant's menu only featured four different sandwiches, it wasn't long before the brand gained a loyal following. The restaurant's second location opened in 1986, with the third following in 1987. Fast forward to 2024, and Jimmy John's has grown into a vast network of over 2,700 restaurants across the U.S.

Just like the number of its locations, the menu at Jimmy John's has also expanded over the years. While the restaurant still serves its original four sandwiches, it also offers dozens of other handhelds, along with wraps, sides, and desserts. The bread at Jimmy John's is also first class. Not only is it baked fresh on-site, but it's also never served more than four hours after coming out of the oven.

After a two-year stint operating Jeffrey's Delicatessen in the Dayton Mall in Dayton, Ohio, founder, Jeff Osterfeld, decided to shift his focus exclusively to sandwiches. Inspired by the success of the Philadelphia cheesesteak sandwich he sold at his delicatessen, Osterfeld opened Penn Station in downtown Cincinnati in 1985. Aside from the cheesesteak sandwich, the chain's original menu featured three other handheld options.

Penn Station has grown in leaps and bounds since opening its doors for business almost four decades ago. Today, the chain boasts over 300 restaurants in 14 states and a menu packed with various sandwich options, which are prepared in front of the customers. Unfortunately, not everybody has been sold on the chain's "hearth-baked bread." Take, for example, a customer who says: "The sandwich was dry, salty and the bread very hard. My wife couldn't eat much of it and threw it away." Another unimpressed patron also criticizes the restaurant's bread, comments, "The bread felt artificial and had a weird, white color to it. Chewy, but in a gross way. I imagine the bread is made in some kind of tube or vat and is simply shaped to look like bread."

With close to 3,000 locations across the U.S., Jersey Mike's is a classic rags-to-riches success story. Initially named Mike's Subs, the first iteration of Jersey Mike's opened in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, in 1956. While the sub restaurant was successful, it wasn't until a 17-year-old employee, Peter Cancro, purchased it from its founder that it truly reached its full potential. Under Cancro's leadership, the restaurant began to expand, bringing subs to more local communities.

Today, Jersey Mike's serves a wide range of hot and cold subs made on "authentic Jersey bread" baked daily at the chain's restaurants. Diners can choose from sandwiches on white, wheat, gluten-free, or rosemary parmesan bread. One standout menu item is Mike's Way — with lettuce, tomato, onion, spices, and a special blend of red wine vinegar and olive oil — which honors the man who put the Jersey Mike's brand on the map.

The chain's patrons seem to think the bread is stellar, as demonstrated by one customer who says: "This is the absolute best subs ever. The bread is out of this world and the ingredients are so fresh." Several other patrons concur, describing the bread at Jersey Mike's as "really good," "perfection," and "wonderful and tasted so fresh."

Established by two firefighter brothers, Chris and Robin Sorensen, in 1994, the aptly named Firehouse Subs has grown to over 1,200 locations across the U.S. in just three decades. The chain specializes in hot subs, with the only exception being the cold tuna sub. Some of Firehouse Subs' hot sub choices include the pepperoni pizza meatball sub, the smokehouse beef and cheddar brisket sub, and the spicy Cajun chicken sub. The most recent addition to the restaurant's lineup of handhelds is the Captain's Club Sub, featuring roasted chicken, bacon, pepper jack cheese, red pepper flakes, and the chain's special Captain Sorensen's Hot Sauce.

Not much is known about Firehouse Subs' bread, other than that it is available in three types — white, wheat, and gluten-free — and is prepared using the chain's "toasted private recipe." There also seems some disagreement among diners as to whether the restaurant's bread is overly soft or too hard. For instance, one reviewer describes the sub they purchased at the chain as "the worst food ever," criticizing the bread for being overly mushy. On the other hand, another customer complains that the bread at Firehouse Subs is too crunchy and too difficult to bite through.

If the name Snarf's Sandwiches doesn't ring a bell, don't worry. The restaurant is a regional fast food chain only present in four states — Colorado, Illinois, Missouri, and Texas. True to its name Snarf's Sandwiches specializes in handhelds stacked with ingredients such as prime rib, rotisserie chicken, and eggplant Parmesan. The chain also serves salads, soups, and desserts, as well as the Snarf's Sandwiches signature giardiniera pepper blend, which can add some zest to any of its menu items.

Snarf's Sandwiches offers a choice of toasted white, wheat, or gluten-free bread. However this versatility isn't the only reason the chain's bread has been a winner with customers. It's the combination of the quality and freshness of the restaurant's baked goods that keeps patrons coming back. For instance, one reviewer says that the bread at Snarf's Sandwiches is perfect, adding, "[It's] slightly crusty but not too hard." Another customer also compliments the restaurant's baked goods, saying, "The bread is always fresh, which really makes the sandwich."