Subway vs Quiznos | Putting Subs to the Test | 5

0:06I'm David Brown and this is Business Wars.

0:30Can you remember the last time you had a bite of a sub that was just right? Whether you prefer your sandwiches hot instead of cold, mayo over mustard, turkey rather than ham, when you get that perfect combination of ingredients stacked on top of each other and nestled into that warm, fluffy sub roll, it's the ultimate chef's kiss. Getting hungry just thinking about it. We spent this season of Business Wars with our mouths watering as we dove deep into Subway and Quiznos and how they stack up on the world stage. So in this episode, we decided to put their sandwiches to the test. Today's guests are no strangers to a good sub, or taste test for that matter.

1:07Josh Scher and Nicole Inayedi are hosts and kitcheneers on the YouTube channel Mythical Kitchen. It's a spinoff of the popular YouTube channel Good Mythical Morning. More than 2.5 million subscribers tune in to see the pair recreate fast food dishes with a twist and cook up some unlikely pairings of their favorite treats. Josh and Nicole also host the podcast A Hot Dog is a Sandwich, where they have spirited debates over the food we love. Today, they're here to share their thoughts on sandwiches and maybe hot dogs, too. They've also got a taste test up their sleeve, where they'll be biting into some Quiznos and Subway sandwiches to crown a winner once and for all.

1:44So grab a plate, because all that's coming up next.

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4:05Josh Sherr and Nicole Anaity, welcome to Business Wars. Thanks so much for having us. Thanks for having us. I've followed Red and Link on Good Mythical Morning for longer than I care to admit. And I can't believe that they started like, were you guys around at the inception? We were not. We came a little bit later. Josh, how long have you been under the mythical umbrella now? Officially, I've been here for like five and a half years, but I did produce my first video with them when I was like kind of fresh out of college about seven years ago. That was the Will It Burger video. So I've been around, but not since the inception.

4:36I came around four years ago. So yeah. What's the deal with good mythical morning and the whole mythical thing? Our kitchen is mythical because we have done, Nicole, think about this, so many things inside that kitchen that nobody else in the world has ever done before. That's very true, yes. We've turned a giant bag of tater tots into a whole edible fried bowl to fill a gallon of chili with. We made a 15-foot burrito that one time that you were swinging a bag of cream all across it just trying to cover it. Calling myself the cream lady, that's correct. We broke the unofficial world record for longest cheese pull.

5:09I don't care if Guinness won't ratify it. We did it. We pulled a quesadilla 11 feet in the air on a stepladder. So we've done a lot of things in the kitchen. This is beyond mythical from the sound of it. I have to ask about the fancy fast food segment since I'm a huge fan of fast food myself. Tell me about it. Yeah, so that was probably the first real kickoff event that launched Mythical Kitchen, which is our separate spinoff from Good Mythical Morning. And it answers a very simple question of what if you made a Big Mac or a gordita or a stuffed crust pizza with the best possible ingredients in the world?

5:41So we're talking buffalo milk mozzarella. We're talking about fresh white truffles. For the Big Mac, we made special sauce out of uni from Santa Barbara that we harvested ourself. So it was really fantastic. and yeah, we've done, gosh, maybe 50 plus episodes of that now and we've still got way more to do. Was there a time when the original was really better than the sort of more expensive version? Was there a time? Okay, so there was one time, but I don't blame us as cooks. I blame whoever dry aged the steak. Oh my gosh. We tried to use like a dry aged porterhouse to make an In-N-Out double-double and everything looked incredible and when we bit into it, we thought it was gonna be the greatest thing we ever tasted and the beef was definitely rotten.

6:21and so I don't blame us for that but we're not all 100 % successes and we don't portend to be. No, that's true. Do either of you have favorite sandwiches? Because after all, that's why we're here. Of all time? Of all time. Yeah, let's go with of all time. Okay, there's a recent one that I'm high-key obsessed with. It's from a deli called Uncle Polly's and it is a crowd favorite especially in Mythical Kitchen. We get the Cousin Bobby. I actually have the ingredients right here for it. It is the Cousin Bobby spicy soppressada prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, lettuce, and house-made Calabrian chili spread.

6:56I also add avocado to it. That sandwich is redonkulous. It is the best sandwich I've ever eaten in my life, and they do such a good job. I'm such a fan of wet sandwiches and also a huge fan of Mexican food. And when you think of Mexican wet sandwiches, there's a sandwich called a torta ahogada, which means a drowned sandwich. and so it's a super crusty roll from Guadalajara called a birrote and then you cut that open, fill it with crispy fatty carnitas, put some fresh raw or pickled onion on it and you like drown it in a spicy chile de arbol sauce and it is just delicious and spicy and fatty and crusty and it's my favorite thing about all the best sandwiches into one.

7:36Oh, wow. You make me feel so pedestrian. What's your favorite? I love a good sandwich, but I don't really go for all the extras. I like a lot of salt and pepper. I like a lot. I'll take some garlic. You know, I tend to think of sandwiches as comfort food primarily. I'm not really picking out the flavors in a connoisseur like that. I think that all magic is just science that hasn't been explained yet. I love that. When you talk about sandwiches being comfort food and the fact that, you know, you're not noticing all the flavors you actually are. You just don't know it. So, right. You said you love fast food.

8:13The reason fast food is so good is because it's scientifically tested and you have literal flavor scientists who are out there sourcing different paprikas from different parts of the world to see which one initiates a different sort of emotional response inside your mouth. So when you're eating that chalupa or that Philly cheesesteak from Jersey Mike's, you may not be thinking about all the flavors, but they were. And you're tasting them. You might just not know it. You got to settle something for me here. I was recently up on the Jersey shore and I went to this place called Wawa. Perhaps you guys have heard of Wawa.

8:44Oh, of course. Yeah. Now, these guys are, I mean, they have quite the footprint in the Philadelphia sort of mid-Atlantic area, right? But they call them hoagies. Hoagies. There's an accent there that I can't quite get down. Ho. Hoagies. The hoagie. You have to scoop your jaw lower. Hoagie. Go to Wawa and get yourself a hoagie. All right. So give me the difference between a hoagie and a hero. there is absolutely none there is zero zilch not a hero is a new york city yeah term right correct and a hoagie is very much a philadelphia term you you can talk about grinders you can talk about subs uh i would even throw the term po boy in that that's another sandwich that's a wrong role amen yeah they're all the same but also the regional differences and the reason people get so worked up about them like that's half the fun that's a big thing for me um like so we talk about hoagie specifically my family is from allentown pennsylvania i have which is outside of i mean not just outside of philly you know about an hour and a half two hours away uh but like i grew up with the term hoagie in my lexicon and so i was calling everything that despite growing up in southern california but to me a hoagie is on like a soft italian amoroso world right oh i see and i'm thinking about like deets and watson brand capicola i'm thinking about um Cooper Sharp American, two incredible Philly products.

10:06And so I have all these things in my mind. But that said, you take away the Capicola. You take away the Cooper Sharp. You can even get a non-Amaroso, not Italian roll. And it's still a hoagie by all definitions, right? So we have these like stereotypes, these archetypes in our head, but they don't necessarily have to fit that to still be within the definition. Well, now here's an archetype shattering observation. I don't know if you've noticed this, but I've come across folks who said that they wanted a Subway sandwich. And they were not talking about Subway, the shop. They were using it as a substitute for submarine sandwich, which is what people used to say.

10:42Of course, they shorten that to subs. And most people just say, I want a sub sandwich. But I've heard especially younger folks say, I want a Subway sandwich where there's no Subway nearby. Well, we can go to Jersey Mike's or we can go to this other deli or whatever around the corner. Have you noticed that? Or is it just something that's happening here in Texas that we need to alert the authorities about? I've noticed it. I mean, me and my friends, we just say, let's go get a Subway sandwich. And we mean a Sub sandwich. Do you really? Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's because Subway is just so iconic. It has that iconicism.

11:10When I think about like where I grew up, I mean, Subway was the sandwich you would get. It was on every corner. It was almost like Starbucks level. Just the amount that you would see it plastered on walls and stuff like that, the ads and stuff. They were the only things that we saw in SoCal. So it was pretty iconic. Very interesting. My most radical political belief is that Subway should be nationalized and turned into a public resource, like a utility. Like I think Subway should just be like clean drinking water is to hydration as Subway is to nourishment. That's an interesting comparison with clean drinking water and a Subway sandwich.

11:45Subway is like the lukewarm drinking fountain of the sandwich world, which like you're great. You are grateful to find one when you're thirsty. That's right. But you're not going to enjoy it, you know, and they're kind of just everywhere peppered in between. Are you skeptical about that, Nicole? Because I am. I'm shaking my head up and down. What would you say is the perfect Subway sandwich? I guess this gets at the core of it, right? Because, you know, Business Wars, we were focused on Subway versus Quiznos. And I know that there was a similarity. They both had that sort of long shaped bun and meat inside.

12:21And these days you can get your Subway, you know, heated up the same way you could with Quiznos. But it seems like the barrier to entry is so low. When you're talking about, you know, a piece of, you know, submarine-shaped bread, slice it, put on some mayo and some mustard, put on some cold cuts in there. And are you good to go or no? Yeah, I mean, not everything needs to be at such a high level. Sometimes just a simple sandwich with two or three things on it does the job. It doesn't always need to be like this higher art form, even though they are sandwich artists at Subway. They don't necessarily need to be this crazy, ostentatious, in-your-face food.

12:58Sometimes you just need something to hold you over till the next meal. It doesn't need to be this crazy production. It doesn't need to be this insane drama, salt-based style. Sometimes you just want a sandwich made by someone other than yourself. There is something to that, and it almost goes to the question of what then does constitute a sub sandwich, and can anyone do it? What do you think, Josh? I mean, I think anyone certainly can make a sub sandwich. I will say most people make bad sub sandwiches. Like I think I understand. Yeah. Like I understand that subs don't have to be these big, crazy, ostentatious productions.

13:32They can be comfort food and simple, but they need to have some sort of technique within them. Right. I fully believe this. I fully believe this. A little bit. Like if you are making a sandwich, if you go to the store and you try and get like a big, long French roll and you just cut into that cold. And if you're not layering on the proper amount of condiment to meat, to cheese, to vegetables, to pickled vegetables. The ratio thing. The ratios, right? They're going to turn out bad. If you're not wrapping it in paper and slightly compressing it to give yourself an even bite, it's not going to be good.

14:04Yeah, but I don't see myself ever buying a bread like that at home. I'm just going to use sliced bread when it comes to sandwiches. I don't make subs at home. You don't make subs at home. I don't make hoagies at home. That's what I'm saying. Not everybody should make subs at home. You should leave it to the professional sandwich artists or leave it to me because I'm very good at cooking. Now, wait a minute. You are very good at cooking, Josh. Do you really believe that people shouldn't make sub sandwiches at home? Isn't that where they got their start? It is. It is. And I do believe people should think more about the sub sandwiches that they make at home.

14:31And I'm being dead serious here. It's like when people make burritos at home, they're like, why won't this tortilla stay together? It's like, well, because you're probably not griddling it like they do inside of a restaurant. It's a technique-based food is what you're trying to see. There's technique in sub-sandwich making. Correct. It's very technical, and we need to respect the artisans behind it. Now, you mentioned the bread, and I totally understand that there's this theory that, you know, the kind of water that you have in your bread will make, you know, a bagel, a bagel, or not a bagel. And I've heard a lot of folks from L.A.

15:02and New York argue about this. Do you think it comes down to the water that's used in the bread? Is it the style of bread? Is it about the bread when you get down to it? I think the bread is 50 percent of the sandwich. Agreed. If not more. Yeah. If the bread isn't done well and if it's not done right, then it doesn't really hit. You know, it doesn't hit that spot. So like you were saying, if it's not toasted right or if it's not, you know, heated up right or it's not cut the right way, it diminishes your sandwich eating experience. Yeah. If the bread is too soft, then the sandwich is going to fall apart.

15:33Yeah. The sandwich is compromised. But at the same time, if it's too hard, because there's a lot of new school artisanal, you know, everything is these crusty sourdough baguettes. And you try and bite into it and the whole sandwich scorch out the back half because your teeth can't cut through. So there's this like beautiful middle ground in a good sub role. That's true. Where it's crusty enough to give you character, but still soft enough to let it yield to the fillings. And it's a beautiful marriage. That's right. Well, now that everyone's nice and hungry, we have to take a short break. Let's call this a sandwich break, shall we?

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18:08Welcome back to Business Wars. Our guests, Josh Shear and Nicole Inaidi. They're both kitcheneers on the YouTube channel, Mythical Kitchen, and hosts of the podcast, A Hot Dog is a Sandwich. I have to ask what you've got in front of you there, Josh and Nicole. These look like pretty tasty sandwiches here. I am so glad you asked because I have my favorite sandwich from Quiznos, which to me is the superior sandwich chain. I think it was the best national chain and it's for five words. Nicole, you know what they are? Wait, do you want to say it with me? On three, one, two. They got a pepper bar. And that's all you need to know.

18:43That's all you need to know. Do they all want me because they told them they got a pepper bar. I have the peppercorn steak sandwich from here. It is a very, very simple sandwich. It is on jalapeno cheese bread. No, this is just cheese bread. They forgot the jalapenos, and that's fine. Nicole, in here we have Black Angus sliced steak. Wow. The Black Angus is the most common cattle breed in all of America, but they sliced it up and put it in here. Melted provolone cheese. Okay. And then tangy peppercorn sauce and sauteed onions. Wow. It is very simple. So these are Quiznos that you guys are holding right there.

19:18Yes. Yeah, this is Quiznos right here, and this is my favorite thing. Am I allowed to eat it now? All right. One, two, three, go. Oh, Josh, you went for yours much quicker, I noticed. And Nicole seemed to have some questions in her eyes. What are you thinking, Nicole? Well, it's really delicious. I do enjoy the size of it in my hand. I also think that their flavors are really complementing each other. I will say it's a little homogenous, which sometimes sandwiches can be. I'm not always looking for homogeny in my sandwiches. and one little pop, a little zing, a little fun. I'm not having that much fun with this one, Josh.

20:01I can't control how much fun you do or don't have while eating a sandwich. I'm having so much fun. It's good. I mean, it serves its purpose. It's a good sandwich. Open it up. I'll tell you the thing that I love about it is their quality of meat, to me, is significantly better. Like, when you go to Subway, right, all of their meat has this sort of, there's been, like, chemical emulsifiers added to it, and they're all blended. To me, walking into a subway, it smells like somebody just washed a dentist's office with bleach. Why do you say it like a bad thing? It means it's sterile. You don't want your dentist's office to be sterile?

20:34Shady. So there we have the Quiznos. And it sounds like Nicole was less enthusiastic than Josh, which is no surprise. No surprise, really. Because Josh's was your choice, right? Yeah, Nicole, do you taste that little peppercorn on the back of the palate right now? No. You don't get the lingering peppercorn? It is completely dissipated. Your palate is hopeless. My palate is hopeless. Your palate is hopeless. Oh, my gosh. Where is your lingering peppercorn? My gosh. All right. Not in my mouth. Let me say that much. But shall we talk about my sandwich now, Josh? Yeah, I think I see a Subway over there.

21:06Is that what that is? All right. So this is my iconic Subway order. Now, it's going to be a little controversial, but what's a podcast without a little controversy? Okay. So this is a wheat bread toasted with tuna and provolone cheese. Add lettuce, cucumber, pickles, onions, a crap ton of banana peppers, a few olives, and a squeeze of Southwest sauce and onion teriyaki. Whoa. Let me paint a picture for you. It's the sauces that put it over the top for me. I mean, everything else seemed relatively, but wow. So I need you to imagine Nicole walking home from school in her gym uniform because she had gym last period.

21:49So she's just walking around in a gym uniform. And then she sees a subway on her way home. She loves tuna. You know she loves tuna melts, Josh. Oh, my God. And this is what she orders. Now, this is just pure nostalgia. But also sometimes I just crave it so intensely. They're tuna. Controversial, but damn delicious. And it's just so tangy. And the sauce is merry with the tuna texture. But you still get the crunch from all the fresh veggies. It's just, it's delicious. This is Frankenstein's monster. There's black olives clinging to banana peppers. There's teriyaki sauce, spicy mayonnaise, and fish on hot bread with cheese.

22:28Yes. You're either a genius or you're going to burn this world to the ground. Okay, let's go. Say goodbye.

22:37Dude,