Quizno's: "The Best Quality Meat"

I think I can now say for sure that I will eat anything if it's free.

You might recall about a year ago I wrote a post about how I didn't believe that Quizno's should be in business....bad food, poor service, high prices and a generally unfriendly staff.

After my last visit I vowed never to return, no matter what.

Well today I broke that vow...because I can't turn down free food.

A friend of ours got a Quizno's gift card for Christmas. Bad news for her is that she doesn't like Quizno's. Good news for me is that she doesn't like Quizno's...so one re-gift later and I had myself a free $10 Quizno's gift card.

Its been burning a hole in my pocket for a couple weeks now so today felt like a good day to cross the line and give Quiznos another try.

My last experience wasn't very good so I had rather low expectations. I also decided to try something totally different so I opted for the new "pick 2 for $5" promotion and chose an
Italian Bullet and Alpine Chicken Sammie.

Wow Quizno's is stingy.....I wanted provolone cheese on my Italian...they don't have provolone cheese. After the "toasting" was complete I wanted Parmesan cheese sprinkled on the Italian....denied it costs extra. I also wanted some bacon put on my Alpine Chicken Sammie after it went through the toaster....it costs extra.

It was at this moment in time that I was wondering if I really wanted my free Quizno's after all. The employees were nice, but there are just too many rules for me. It became clear right before I paid that the employees helping me thought I was completely insane...probably due to the fact that I was asking 17 questions about everything. (If you've ever eaten with me you know how nosy I can be).

As I was paying the one employee asked, "Are you from out of town?"

What an odd question to ask someone in rural Clearwater, FL not during the holiday season. I don't think I look like I'm from out of town, but who knows.

I answered no and then she said, "Really? You're from around here then?"

"Yes" I responded...."I live like 3 minutes away" I continued by saying, "You probably just don't recognize me because I hardly ever eat Quizno's...I never come in here."

"Oh," she responded "you're missing out then."

"I am?"

"Ya" she said "it's the best quality meat."

Skeptical, I said..."oh really....even better than Publix?"

"Oh ya" she responded, "it's the best out there."

After this unusual verbal exchange she handed me a loyalty card: buy 6 subs and get 1 free (must be used by February 28, 2010). Only after validating that I lived nearby and that I had a remote interest in returning did she give me the card...which I might add has some pretty intense regulations: visit 6 times in a month and get 1 sub free....."yay what a sweet deal."

All things considered....Quizno's is not the best sub shop out there. However, I will say this: for $5, a Bullet sandwich and a Sammie is a seriously good deal. It's a really good portion and it's tastes decent too. The option to mix and match for $5 is a much more exciting than Subway's famous $5 foot long.

So if you want "the best quality" and you only want to spend $5, Quizno's isn't a horrible option.

Don't get me wrong though, once my gift card is gone...I probably won't be going back.