KPU’s Surrey campus chosen to test pilot first Subway “Grab & Go” station in Canada
Premade Subway sandwiches are now available for students to purchase in the Birch building cafeteria
A Subway Grab & Go station recently opened at Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Surrey campus cafeteria on the second floor of the Birch building and is the first of its kind in Canada, serving as a test pilot for the initiative.
Chartwells, Subway’s franchise and KPU’s food service provider, chose the Surrey campus to test the Grab & Go station based on its foot traffic and need for more food options.
“The other [universities] we serve operate full-service Subways, but we figured that KPU would be the perfect test ground for this concept,” says Michel Schoucair, director of food services from Chartwells for KPU campuses.
“KPU, compared to other universities who have student residences on campus … fits the profile of a university where it’s busy, yet we don’t have residences.”
Schoucair says the idea behind creating the Grab & Go station was to provide students with a fresh, healthy, and quick food option.
“We make [the sandwiches] fresh,” he says. “We bake the bread … and there’s no carryover to the next day, so we make all the sandwiches for that day.”
There are currently five different sandwiches students and faculty can choose from: Veggie Delite, Cold Cut Combo, Turkey Breast, Black Forest Ham, and Italian B.M.T. Currently, only six-inch sandwiches are offered, and prices range from $4.99 to $6.99. Each type of sandwich is chosen and mandated by Subway’s corporate office.
“Subway made a study and they found what the most popular sandwiches are that they want to carry in sales within North America and they came down with the five sandwiches that are currently featured,” Schoucair says.
While the types of sandwiches sold are mandated by Subway’s corporate office, he says they would still like customers’ feedback on the selection and changes will be made according to customer demand.
Chartwells will be testing the Subway Grab & Go station at the KPU Surrey campus for the next couple years. If the station is successful, it will expand.
“It could be a foundation for future expansion of that concept … whether it’s with universities or even perhaps the hospitals and dining [in senior] residences,” Schoucair says.
Chartwells became KPU’s food service provider last year, replacing Sodexo. Since Chartwells’s affiliation, they’ve renovated the Tim Hortons at KPU’s Surrey and Richmond campuses, which included a menu expansion and menu boards installed at different heights for accessibility. They’ve also introduced BOOST to the campuses, a mobile-ordering app.
“There are points that people can get by using the app … it helps to reduce the lineup, and there’s a menu board there [so] you can see who’s being served,” says David Stewart, executive director of facilities services at KPU.
“It’s actually a Chartwell success story,” Stewart says. “KPU has a Subway and Tim Hortons now … [and] it’s a great price point for everyone, but in particular students who might need an option [besides] the $12 or $13 combo.”
Other food options for students and staff at KPU’s Surrey campus include Grassroots Café in the Cedar building and the Grill & Co on the second floor in the Birch building.
