Subway is a corporation that operates a large chain of fast food restaurants. These restaurants mainly sell Submarine sandwiches, but also pizzas and salads. The name "Subway" comes from the New York City Subway, a public transport system in New York City, and many restaurants are decorated with historic photographs and maps of the subway system.
The first Subway outside of North America opened in Bahrain, in December 1984. Today, there are more than 44,000 Subway locations in 112 countries across the world, making it the world's largest fast food restaurant chain by number of stores. It has more stores than McDonald's, but McDonald's earns more revenue than Subway.
Since 2007, Subway has consistently ranked in Entrepreneur Magazines' top 500 franchise list. It also ranked 2nd on the "Fastest Growing Franchise" lists. In March 2011, Subway was named "the most loved fast food chain in the US" by Amplicate.com.