private-equity-owned franchise brand

Subway

Industry Food

A global sandwich franchise brand owned by Roark Capital, operating through franchised restaurants. Subway provides inexpensive food access, but private-equity ownership, franchise labor distance, store closures, fee pressure, and weak worker power keep it low.

Why this matters: Subway is a direct fast-food alternative to McDonald’s, Chipotle, Starbucks food, and local restaurants, with a very different franchise/private-equity structure.

Letter grade D Extractive Medium confidence (AI) Rubric gcd-rubric-v1 Parent / owner: Roark Capital Last reviewed May 11, 2026

Subway is owned by Roark-backed entities, and Roark Capital is now listed separately.

Final Score 2* D - Extractive

DEXTRACTIVE2 pts

* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.

Base Material10

Bonus+0

Cap35Ownership <= 2 and Governance <= 2

After Cap10

Penalties-8

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Owned by Roark Capital

The parent profile is currently rated D (Extractive, 4*). This subsidiary is not mechanically capped at the parent score, but parent control is part of the ownership, governance, policy, accountability opacity, reversibility, and harm analysis.

Evaluation Overview

D - Extractive

The score turns mainly on Product Integrity, with the largest penalty coming from Human Harm.

Strengths

Product Integrity3/5
Market Conduct2/5
Ownership1/10

Penalties

Human Harm-3
High-Carbon Products-2
Ecological Harm-1
Toxic Products-1

Evidence state

ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)
ThoroughnessDeveloped (AI)
Linked claims9
Direct axis claims9
Coverage9/14

Scoring Axes

Axis	Score	Why this score
Ownership ? Control rights: shareholder-dominated at 0, worker cooperative control at 10.	1 / 10	Roark Capital acquired Subway, making the chain private-equity owned and placing control in sponsor/franchise-system governance rather than worker or customer control. Roark Capital acquired Subway, making the chain private-equity owned and placing control in sponsor/franchise-system governance rather than worker or customer control. That keeps Subway low on Ownership: decisive control remains with shareholders, private owners, executives, or state insiders rather than affected people. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Linked evidence Roark Capital acquired Subway, making the chain private-equity owned and placing control in sponsor/franchise-system governance rather than worker or customer control. [1]
Governance ? Binding decision authority: centralized control at 0, democratic stakeholder control at 10.	1 / 10	Subway sells sandwiches, wraps, salads, and fast-food meals through a global franchised restaurant system. Linked evidence context Subway sells sandwiches, wraps, salads, and fast-food meals through a global franchised restaurant system. [2] context Roark Capital acquired Subway, making the chain private-equity owned and placing control in sponsor/franchise-system governance rather than worker or customer control. [1] context Subway’s franchised model separates brand power from many restaurant workers, and wage-theft/unsafe-condition reports around Subway franchisees describes conduct considered under Labor Sovereignty. [3] context Subway’s private-equity ownership and franchise system create pressure on franchisees and workers while preserving low-price fast-food access for customers. [4] context Reports of wage theft, retaliation, unsafe conditions, and child-labor violations at Subway franchisees describes conduct considered under Human Harm. [5] context Subway retains conduct relevant to the Ideological Disavowal penalty: private-equity franchise extraction is presented as ordinary food-service scale rather than a contested labor and ownership structure. [6]
Extraction ? Surplus allocation, wage share, CEO pay ratio, margins, and structured extraction judgment.	1 / 10	Subway sells sandwiches, wraps, salads, and fast-food meals through a global franchised restaurant system. Linked evidence context Subway sells sandwiches, wraps, salads, and fast-food meals through a global franchised restaurant system. [2] context Roark Capital acquired Subway, making the chain private-equity owned and placing control in sponsor/franchise-system governance rather than worker or customer control. [1] context Subway’s franchised model separates brand power from many restaurant workers, and wage-theft/unsafe-condition reports around Subway franchisees describes conduct considered under Labor Sovereignty. [3] context Subway’s private-equity ownership and franchise system create pressure on franchisees and workers while preserving low-price fast-food access for customers. [4] context Reports of wage theft, retaliation, unsafe conditions, and child-labor violations at Subway franchisees describes conduct considered under Human Harm. [5] context Subway retains conduct relevant to the Ideological Disavowal penalty: private-equity franchise extraction is presented as ordinary food-service scale rather than a contested labor and ownership structure. [6]
Labor Sovereignty ? Worker power: coercive conditions at 0, co-determination or ownership at 7. Employee dissatisfaction matters only when source-backed evidence shows concrete limits on worker agency, such as coercive scheduling, retaliation, wage theft, harassment, unsafe conditions, suppression of worker voice, or extreme turnover.	0 / 7	Subway’s franchised model separates brand power from many restaurant workers, and wage-theft/unsafe-condition reports around Subway franchisees describes conduct considered under Labor Sovereignty. Subway’s franchised model separates brand power from many restaurant workers, and wage-theft/unsafe-condition reports around Subway franchisees describes conduct considered under Labor Sovereignty. That keeps Subway low on Labor Sovereignty: labor remains managerially controlled, replaceable, or exposed to coercive employment and contracting conditions. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Linked evidence Subway’s franchised model separates brand power from many restaurant workers, and wage-theft/unsafe-condition reports around Subway franchisees describes conduct considered under Labor Sovereignty. [3]
Solidarity with the Unemployed ? Treatment of exits and nonworkers, including severance, redeployment, and non-competes.	0 / 7	Subway sells sandwiches, wraps, salads, and fast-food meals through a global franchised restaurant system. Subway sells sandwiches, wraps, salads, and fast-food meals through a global franchised restaurant system. That keeps Subway low on Solidarity with the Unemployed: the model provides little protection for people who leave, are excluded, or cannot bargain from employment. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Linked evidence context Subway sells sandwiches, wraps, salads, and fast-food meals through a global franchised restaurant system. [2] context Roark Capital acquired Subway, making the chain private-equity owned and placing control in sponsor/franchise-system governance rather than worker or customer control. [1] context Subway’s franchised model separates brand power from many restaurant workers, and wage-theft/unsafe-condition reports around Subway franchisees describes conduct considered under Labor Sovereignty. [3] context Subway’s private-equity ownership and franchise system create pressure on franchisees and workers while preserving low-price fast-food access for customers. [4] context Reports of wage theft, retaliation, unsafe conditions, and child-labor violations at Subway franchisees describes conduct considered under Human Harm. [5] context Subway retains conduct relevant to the Ideological Disavowal penalty: private-equity franchise extraction is presented as ordinary food-service scale rather than a contested labor and ownership structure. [6]
Loss-Bearing Fidelity ? Willingness to absorb costs to preserve values, workers, users, and public obligations.	1 / 7	Subway sells sandwiches, wraps, salads, and fast-food meals through a global franchised restaurant system. Subway sells sandwiches, wraps, salads, and fast-food meals through a global franchised restaurant system. That keeps Subway low on Loss-Bearing Fidelity: losses, hazards, or adjustment costs are routinely pushed onto workers, customers, suppliers, communities, or the public. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Linked evidence context Subway sells sandwiches, wraps, salads, and fast-food meals through a global franchised restaurant system. [2] context Roark Capital acquired Subway, making the chain private-equity owned and placing control in sponsor/franchise-system governance rather than worker or customer control. [1] context Subway’s franchised model separates brand power from many restaurant workers, and wage-theft/unsafe-condition reports around Subway franchisees describes conduct considered under Labor Sovereignty. [3] context Subway’s private-equity ownership and franchise system create pressure on franchisees and workers while preserving low-price fast-food access for customers. [4] context Reports of wage theft, retaliation, unsafe conditions, and child-labor violations at Subway franchisees describes conduct considered under Human Harm. [5] context Subway retains conduct relevant to the Ideological Disavowal penalty: private-equity franchise extraction is presented as ordinary food-service scale rather than a contested labor and ownership structure. [6]
Market Conduct ? Pricing fairness, switching costs, lock-in, and rent extraction.	2 / 5	Subway’s private-equity ownership and franchise system create pressure on franchisees and workers while preserving low-price fast-food access for customers. Subway’s private-equity ownership and franchise system create pressure on franchisees and workers while preserving low-price fast-food access for customers. That places Subway in the middle of Market Conduct: the product has real value but still uses meaningful lock-in, gatekeeping, market power, or dependency. The value stays below the top tier because the linked record does not show full democratic control, non-extractive lock-in, or complete stakeholder protection on this axis. Linked evidence Subway’s private-equity ownership and franchise system create pressure on franchisees and workers while preserving low-price fast-food access for customers. [4]
Product Integrity ? Preservation of quality rather than degradation for monetization.	3 / 5	Subway sells sandwiches, wraps, salads, and fast-food meals through a global franchised restaurant system. Subway sells sandwiches, wraps, salads, and fast-food meals through a global franchised restaurant system. That places Subway in the middle of Product Integrity: the product has real use value but is compromised by incentives, monetization, lock-in, quality degradation, or risk. The value stays below the top tier because the linked record does not show full democratic control, non-extractive lock-in, or complete stakeholder protection on this axis. Linked evidence Subway sells sandwiches, wraps, salads, and fast-food meals through a global franchised restaurant system. [2]
Scale Integrity ? Whether growth improves or degrades fairness and accountability.	1 / 5	Subway sells sandwiches, wraps, salads, and fast-food meals through a global franchised restaurant system. Linked evidence context Subway sells sandwiches, wraps, salads, and fast-food meals through a global franchised restaurant system. [2] context Roark Capital acquired Subway, making the chain private-equity owned and placing control in sponsor/franchise-system governance rather than worker or customer control. [1] context Subway’s franchised model separates brand power from many restaurant workers, and wage-theft/unsafe-condition reports around Subway franchisees describes conduct considered under Labor Sovereignty. [3] context Subway’s private-equity ownership and franchise system create pressure on franchisees and workers while preserving low-price fast-food access for customers. [4] context Reports of wage theft, retaliation, unsafe conditions, and child-labor violations at Subway franchisees describes conduct considered under Human Harm. [5] context Subway retains conduct relevant to the Ideological Disavowal penalty: private-equity franchise extraction is presented as ordinary food-service scale rather than a contested labor and ownership structure. [6]

Penalties

Penalty	Applied	Why this penalty
Human Harm ? Severity, scale, culpability, vulnerable targets, willful reoffense, reputation laundering, pattern escalation, and time decay. Range: -20 to 0.	-3	Reports of wage theft, retaliation, unsafe conditions, and child-labor violations at Subway franchisees describes conduct considered under Human Harm. Reports of wage theft, retaliation, unsafe conditions, and child-labor violations at Subway franchisees describes conduct considered under Human Harm. That warrants a limited Human Harm penalty because ordinary operation, documented misconduct, or institutional power creates serious injury, deprivation, abuse, or foreseeable human damage. The value is limited because the linked record shows a real problem but not one that dominates the profile on this axis. Linked evidence Reports of wage theft, retaliation, unsafe conditions, and child-labor violations at Subway franchisees describes conduct considered under Human Harm. [5]
Ecological Harm ? Footprint, trajectory, irreversibility, culpability, and scale, including whether ecological harm is central to the model and continued after credible notice. Range: -30 to 0.	-1	Subway retains conduct relevant to the Ecological Harm penalty: global fast-food franchising depends on meat, dairy, packaging, refrigeration, store energy, and supply-chain logistics. Subway retains conduct relevant to the Ecological Harm penalty: global fast-food franchising depends on meat, dairy, packaging, refrigeration, store energy, and supply-chain logistics. That warrants a limited Ecological Harm penalty because the institution causes or defends ecological damage that is more than incidental to the model. The value is limited because the linked record shows a real problem but not one that dominates the profile on this axis. Linked evidence Subway retains conduct relevant to the Ecological Harm penalty: global fast-food franchising depends on meat, dairy, packaging, refrigeration, store energy, and supply-chain logistics. [7]
High-Carbon Products ? Core products, services, financing, or supply chains that materially depend on fossil-fuel combustion, high-emissions transport, industrial animal agriculture, meat, dairy, or other unusually carbon-intensive activity. This is scored separately from general ecological harm so ordinary consumers can see carbon-intensive product exposure directly. Range: -10 to 0.	-2	The company sells mixed grocery, restaurant, or packaged-food products where meat, dairy, refrigerated logistics, or high-carbon ingredients are material but not necessarily the entire business model. Linked evidence Subway has mixed food exposure high-carbon product exposure based on its listed business model and current profile description: A global sandwich franchise brand owned by Roark Capital, operating through franchised restaurants. Subway provides inexpensive food access, but private-equity ownership, franchise labor distance, store closures, fee pr… [9]
Toxic Products ? Current sale of products whose ordinary use, exposure, ingredients, residues, packaging, or formulation creates toxic, addictive, or consumer-safety risk. Food products receive at least light scrutiny for artificial colors, artificial flavors, petro-derived additives, pesticide residues, contaminants, endocrine-disrupting packaging, and ultra-processed formulation. Ordinary adult nightlife or alcohol service is not penalized by itself without evidence of predatory marketing, youth targeting, addiction-extractive design, or unusual product-safety misconduct. Range: -5 to 0.	-1	Subway retains conduct relevant to the Toxic Products penalty: routine fast-food sales include high-sodium processed meats, sugary drinks, additives, and disposable food packaging with public-health and exposure concerns. Subway retains conduct relevant to the Toxic Products penalty: routine fast-food sales include high-sodium processed meats, sugary drinks, additives, and disposable food packaging with public-health and exposure concerns. That warrants a limited Toxic Products penalty because ordinary use, exposure, ingredients, residues, packaging, or formulation creates material toxic, addictive, or consumer-safety risk. The value is limited because the linked record shows a real problem but not one that dominates the profile on this axis. Linked evidence Subway retains conduct relevant to the Toxic Products penalty: routine fast-food sales include high-sodium processed meats, sugary drinks, additives, and disposable food packaging with public-health and exposure concerns. [8]
Ideological Disavowal ? Concealed ideology presented as neutrality, expertise, professional necessity, public-service administration, market inevitability, or non-ideological common sense while exercising power. Range: -3 to 0.	-1	Subway retains conduct relevant to the Ideological Disavowal penalty: private-equity franchise extraction is presented as ordinary food-service scale rather than a contested labor and ownership structure. Subway retains conduct relevant to the Ideological Disavowal penalty: private-equity franchise extraction is presented as ordinary food-service scale rather than a contested labor and ownership structure. That warrants a limited Ideological Disavowal penalty because the institution presents situated, contested choices as neutrality, expertise, inevitability, safety, or common sense. The value is limited because the linked record shows a real problem but not one that dominates the profile on this axis. Linked evidence Subway retains conduct relevant to the Ideological Disavowal penalty: private-equity franchise extraction is presented as ordinary food-service scale rather than a contested labor and ownership structure. [6]

Bonus Credits

No bonus credits applied in this version.

Confidence Basis

Confidence is computed from the evidence trail and review state, not typed into the profile by hand.

Medium 69/100

9 verified linked claims 9 direct axis claims 0 disputed claims 9/14 components covered

This confidence label measures the source-backed evidence trail. AI-scaffolded scores remain tentative until human review.

Claim confidence 15/20

9 verified linked claims

Source quality 10/18

Best source per verified claim, weighted by institutional reliability

Direct axis-specific claims 9/18

9 direct claims across 14 active components

Dispute load 12/12

0 disputed claims on this entity

Recency 10/10

Newest accepted timestamp: May 13, 2026

Reviewer status 7/12

Human-reviewed components score higher than AI scaffolding

Component coverage 6/10

9/14 evidence-bearing components have direct support

Evidence State

Profile stateAI draft / human-pending

VerificationUnverified

ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)

ThoroughnessDeveloped (AI)

Correction routeUse “Challenge this rating” for factual errors, missing counterevidence, source problems, or calculation mistakes.

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Claims and Sources

Claims are the evidence record. Each claim needs a source link, axis category, status, confidence level, and timestamp before it can support a score.

* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.

1Roark Capital acquired Subway, making the chain private-equity owned and placing control in sponsor/franchise-system governance rather than worker or customer control.

Ownership Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

Axios on Roark acquiring SubwayGeneral web source · 58%
Paul Weiss Roark Subway acquisitionGeneral web source · 58%

2Subway sells sandwiches, wraps, salads, and fast-food meals through a global franchised restaurant system.

Product Integrity Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

Subway websiteGeneral web source · 58%

3Subway’s franchised model separates brand power from many restaurant workers, and wage-theft/unsafe-condition reports around Subway franchisees describes conduct considered under Labor Sovereignty.

Labor Sovereignty Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

National COSH Dirty Dozen 2026 PDFGeneral web source · 58%

4Subway’s private-equity ownership and franchise system create pressure on franchisees and workers while preserving low-price fast-food access for customers.

Market Conduct Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

Restaurant Business on Subway under RoarkGeneral web source · 58%

5Reports of wage theft, retaliation, unsafe conditions, and child-labor violations at Subway franchisees describes conduct considered under Human Harm.

Human Harm Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

National COSH Dirty Dozen 2026 PDFGeneral web source · 58%

6Subway retains conduct relevant to the Ideological Disavowal penalty: private-equity franchise extraction is presented as ordinary food-service scale rather than a contested labor and ownership structure.

Ideological Disavowal Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

Restaurant Business on Subway under RoarkGeneral web source · 58%

7Subway retains conduct relevant to the Ecological Harm penalty: global fast-food franchising depends on meat, dairy, packaging, refrigeration, store energy, and supply-chain logistics.

Ecological Harm Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

Subway websiteGeneral web source · 58%

8Subway retains conduct relevant to the Toxic Products penalty: routine fast-food sales include high-sodium processed meats, sugary drinks, additives, and disposable food packaging with public-health and exposure concerns.

Toxic Products Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

Subway websiteGeneral web source · 58%

9Subway has mixed food exposure high-carbon product exposure based on its listed business model and current profile description: A global sandwich franchise brand owned by Roark Capital, operating through franchised restaurants. Subway provides inexpensive food access, but private-equity ownership, franchise labor distance, store closures, fee pr…

High Carbon Products Verified Medium confidence Human-reviewed May 11, 2026

Subway public siteGeneral web source · 58%
Our World in Data: Environmental Impacts of Food ProductionGeneral web source · 58%

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