The Subway® story began in 1965 when 17-year-old Fred DeLuca asked his family friend, Dr. Peter Buck, a nuclear physicist, for advice on how to pay his college tuition. With an idea to open a submarine sandwich shop and an initial $1,000 investment from Dr. Buck, the two formed a business partnership that would ultimately change the landscape of the quick service restaurant industry.
The partners opened their first restaurant in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in August of 1965, where they served freshly-made, customizable and affordable sandwiches to local guests. What began as a humble "Pete’s Drive-In: Super Submarines" in a small town in Connecticut was rebranded to "Subway®" within three years. The business (and of course, the subs) drew in huge numbers of franchisees in the next few decades and kept growing to what it is today.