Subway® celebrates 25 years in Northern Ireland

This month, Subway^®, one of the world’s largest restaurant brands, is marking 25 years since its first restaurant opened in Northern Ireland – on Botanic Avenue in Belfast. The restaurant is still open today and there are now a further 88 restaurants across Northern Ireland, owned and operated by local franchise partners. 

It was Subway^® Business Developers Neil Black and Paul Heyes who introduced Subway^® to Northern Ireland, opening the first restaurant in June 1998. Since then, the duo, along with Paul’s son Adam Heyes, have been responsible for the growth of the brand in the region.

“Neil and I researched many brands and finally homed in on Subway^®,“ explains Paul. “We loved the product and thought that local consumers would too. 

“Our restaurants are very adaptable, with different layouts and size requirements depending upon their location, which makes them suitable for everything from city centre shopping centres and local high streets to non-traditional locations like airports, universities, convenience stores and leisure facilities. We believed there was a real opportunity to grow the brand across Northern Ireland and create new jobs.”

Neil says: “We’re proud to celebrate 25 years of Subway^® in Northern Ireland. When we introduced Subway^® to the region, we brought something new to customers looking to dine out. Our first store on Botanic Avenue was well received and the brand has gone from strength to strength.  

“We’ve always been fortunate to enjoy the support of a loyal customer base in Northern Ireland and we have been lucky enough to work with a fantastic group of hard-working and entrepreneurial franchise partners,” adds Adam. “It’s thanks to them – and our brilliant development team – that we have reached this milestone achievement.” 

Husband-and-wife team, David and Lillian McClean now own the Botanic Avenue Subway^® restaurant, which they took over in 2018. No stranger to the brand, David has worked on store refits for Subway^® for 15 years. The duo also owns another store in Ballyhackamore, Belfast and became franchise owners in 2007. 

The restaurant has recently undergone a refit to incorporate the brand’s newest ‘Fresh Forward’ décor and can seat 33 customers. 

David and Lillian said: “We feel so proud and so privileged to know that we own a small slice of Subway^® history here in Northern Ireland. We’ve always been a fan of the brand and with David working on the store fits for so many years, we saw first-hand how good the franchise was. So, we were thrilled when we were able to take the leap and become franchise partners ourselves. 

“As well as the fantastic range of freshly made Subway^® sandwiches, wraps, Submelts^®, salads and snacks, a key factor in the success of the brand is the comprehensive support network provided to franchise partners. There is always someone on hand to help and this certainly played a significant part in our decision to become Subway^® franchise partners.”

Celebrations for the 25th anniversary took place at the Botanic Avenue Subway^® restaurant on Wednesday 14th June. The restaurant was decorated and staff wore special anniversary t-shirts, while a local magician, Rod Hogg and Subman made special appearances. From 8am to 8pm, customers were able to buy any 6” Sub for £2.50. 

Over the last 25 years, Subway^® in Northern Ireland has helped a significant number of local people fulfil their dreams of becoming their own boss and provided employment for more than 1,300 others. In fact, it was in the Botanic Avenue restaurant that Business Developer Adam Heyes got his first taste of Subway^®, working there whilst at school and then later at university in a variety of roles, from Sandwich Artist™ to bookkeeping for a group of stores. It was this first-hand experience, coupled with watching his Dad, Paul’s success with Subway^®, that influenced Adam’s decision to join him and Neil in 2014 and become a Business Developer. 

Now the largest Quick Service Restaurant brand in the world, Subway^® has over 37,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries and is a tried and tested franchise model. Over 70% of all new franchises sold worldwide are to existing Subway® owners, which is testament to the strength of its franchise system.