The US Territory Without A Subway Restaurant

Subway is pretty much everywhere — airports, gas stations, you name it. At one point, there was even a location inside a shipping container high above the ground at the World Trade Center construction site so workers didn't have to trek down for a Subway sandwich. But here's a twist: Despite being all over the map, there's one United States territory where you won't find a single footlong — American Samoa. 

Why the absence? There's no official explanation, but a few educated guesses emerge. First, geography: American Samoa is located about 2,500 miles from Hawaii, making logistics complicated and costly. Shipping fresh ingredients regularly to the remote South Pacific can be a major hurdle, especially when you're trying to maintain brand consistency across global franchises. Even the USDA has stepped in with funding to help strengthen American Samoa's food supply chain — a sign that storing, handling, and distributing perishable ingredients remains a major challenge in the region.

Then there's the market itself. With a relatively small population (almost 50,000 people), the territory may not offer the customer volume Subway needs to thrive. Subway's franchise model depends on fresh daily prep and consistent foot traffic, which might not be the best fit for the local economy or infrastructure. Still, in a world where Subway is nearly unavoidable, American Samoa's sandwich-free status makes it a fascinating outlier — and maybe even a blank slate for the future.

Just because there's no Subway doesn't mean fast food is totally absent in American Samoa. You'll find a McDonald's and a Carl's Jr., so the usual burger and fries options are around. What the islands do have, though, is some seriously bold, homegrown flavor. Think dishes like palusami — taro leaves baked in coconut cream — and oka, a kind of Samoan ceviche made with raw fish and citrus. 

Meals lean on local staples like root vegetables, seafood, tropical fruit, and canned corned beef, a long-standing pantry favorite. And when it comes to gathering and eating, the outdoor barbecue takes center stage. Families and small vendors slow-cook chicken and pork over open flames. No sandwich assembly, no cookie upsells — just good food, grilled the old-school way. These islands have their own style, their own flavors, and their own way of doing fast food and that's pretty great.

Meanwhile, back on the U.S. mainland, Subway is actually scaling back. In 2024, Subway shut down more than 600 restaurants as part of an ongoing effort to streamline its U.S. presence. With tougher competition, changing tastes, and lower sales per store, the chain has been quietly restructuring for years. So honestly, it's not all that surprising that Subway never made it to American Samoa — maybe the islands just beat the trend.