Employee Exposes Subway's Food Secrets as Part of TikTok Trend

Recently, restaurant employees have been taking to TikTok to provide the public with a window into the food preparation process—and it's often not pretty. The latest victim of the trend? Subway.

Earlier this month, TikToker @Travis2official exposed the sandwich chain's culinary secrets in a series of viral videos that have commenters thinking twice about eating there again. As one wrote, "TikTok ruins fast food for me."

In the first video, @Travis2official, who apparently works at Subway, tackles Subway steak "Just to let y'all know how [it] looks. Behind closed doors," he wrote in the caption.

Filming from above, @Travis2official reveals the steak in all its packaged glory; it resembles nothing so much as a cylindrical loaf of cold, brown meat. In short, it's distinctly unappetizing. Cutting away, @Travis2official then shows how employees manipulate the steak until it is reduced to the shredded bits that customers expect in their order.

@travis2official._

Just to let y’all know how subway steak looks. Behind closed doors 🤢😂 #fyp #greenscreen #FreeFreeDance #viral #foryou #foryoupage

♬ original sound - CITYGURLS1

Most commenters were disgusted, to put it mildly, though a few defended the chain.

"'Subway, eat fresh,'" user @mayaaa_cummings wrote sarcastically.

"look like cat food," user @saintaiko wrote, an observation that several others echoed.

In the second video, @Travis2official pulls back the cover on Subway tuna. Opening a square package marked "Flaked Light Tuna In Brine," he dumps the contents into a mixing bowl and then pours in a thick, white substance that appears to be mayonnaise.

"Looks like eraser shavings wth," user @lilmeowmeow952 wrote.

"Oh nah bruh idk how y'all don't find this unappetizing," user @_mayaortiz_wrote.

But overall, commenters were more disturbed by the fact that @Travis2official was wearing his mask below his nose than they were by the appearance of the fish.

"Subway workers never have their mask on right," user @honeymilktealuvr wrote.

"You should worry about your mask and not getting your nose near the food," user @brio_88 wrote.

In the third and final video, @Travis2official takes aim at Subway chicken teriyaki. Picking up a plastic bag of chicken, he defrosts the chicken in a bowl of hot water before tossing the chunks with teriyaki sauce until they are well and truly coated.

The sight seemed to dredge up bad memories for several commenters.

"This brings up trauma I haven't worked through," user @melstraughan wrote.

"My husband got food poisoning not once, but TWICE, from Subway chicken. Apparently, he didn't learn the first time," user @jacklynrebecca22 wrote.

Combined, the videos, which were posted on April 3 and April 18, respectively, have more than eight million views. It seems that a fourth installment in the series is forthcoming. In response to user @__nayeli__, who asked, "Can you do the meatball sub?" on April 19, @Travis2official wrote, "Yea I got y'all."

subway sign
Ben Hider/Getty Images

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