Subway struggles to get big new franchisees to buy its US sandwich shops

Subway is seeking big new franchisees in the United States in a push to revamp its ownership model, but low restaurant profits and outdated stores are making it a tough sell for the global sandwich chain.

Several multi-unit operators – the more sophisticated, financially sound franchisees that Subway desires – examined the possibility of entering the chain’s system by buying swaths of restaurants but walked away after seeing how little money they made, according to two of their advisers.