Students and faculty alike appreciate the convenience of having a Subway sandwich shop location on campus. But few know the challenges of running the store. Franchised and operated by Tim and Cyndi Pittman, this married couple purchased it 18 years ago this spring break. Other than Eastfield’s campus Subway, the Pittman’s have owned three other subways across the DFW metroplex.
While not being new to the game of operating Subways, The Eastfield Campus certainly had its own share of quirks and obstacles. The Pittmans specifically wanted to run a college store because it’s extremely profitable due to the circumstances of working with the college. Eastfield offers unique aid to Subway that most other franchise owners don’t get help with, like certain municipal fees and bills, along with the campus having a steady supply of customers. But there are drawbacks, too, like COVID-19’s effect on how the college store operated.
Before the pandemic that stopped the world in its tracks back in 2020, things rolled smoothly for the Subway franchise. But now, with a diminished amount of in-person students due to online classes, Subway has seen a decline in customers compared to Pre-COVID. With things like a diminished “in room” college population and a rise in prices in all parts of life, Subway is still trying to make itself affordable for all students. Since COVID, the supply chain has raised the prices of things like bread and meats, but the local owners offer multiple specials at lower prices, closer to $5, to keep prices affordable for students.
After COVID, the Pittmans came in to clean the Subway and get it back to operational status. Unfortunately, insurance didn’t cover the costs of the thousands of dollars worth of food that they had to throw away.
With many years spent working with Subway, the Pittmans’ have spread their knowledge of the food business to their family. After going through business school, their daughter decided that she wanted to run a Subway as well. Hers is located at one of the other Dallas College campuses.
Subway has a strict learning process that all employees must adhere to, and included in that is the Sandwich Artist training. All Subway sandwich artists are required to take mandatory classes and to pass them before moving on to the next step of working on the line, proving their commitment and dedication to the craft of sandwich artistry. Adherence to these guidelines and training protocols are just one of the many reasons the college selected the Pittman’s to franchise the Subway to them. The Pittmans have a tendency to hire people from abroad to help them. That way they can help provide a student with a steady job close to where their classes already are. Having work and school all be within the same campus saves time and money.
The couple enjoy working together.
“I started doing what I like to do, and she started doing what she likes to do, and it all kind of worked out, Tim said”
Cyndi added: “Most people say, oh, my God, I could not be with him [their husband] all day long but, it’s weird when we’re not together now at this point.”
After 18 years, the Pittman’s have found a nice equilibrium working together, but it hasn’t been without its adventures, from cops being called on racoons, to ghost sightings and even murder. Stay tuned for future editions, detailing these exploits.
