Love’s in Georgia Steps Up to Serve Hundreds of Tourists with Subway Sandwiches

A little foresight by a restaurant manager led to a humongous lunch order for Love's 320 in Dublin, Georgia. With several tour buses regularly stopping at the store, Gary Getchel, Subway Manager at Love's 320, saw an opportunity. He contacted tour companies to discuss a partnership to serve their passengers and as a result boost business at his restaurant.

Jim Mulvihill Tours had a group heading Getchel's way and needed to organize a quick lunch to ensure the trip stayed on schedule. They needed to provide meals for 403 students, teachers, tour guides and bus drivers. The catch was it had to be accomplished in 20 minutes including time for restroom breaks. Getchel assured the company he could handle the lunches, but suggested the plan take place at a nearby rest area to allow more space and facilities to be used by the tourists.

Each person was to receive a 6-inch sandwich, a cookie and chips. Preparation for the monumental meal began the day before the meeting when the Subway team spent about five hours baking cookies. Enough bread for 373 turkey subs and 30 veggie subs hit the oven beginning at 5 a.m. the day of the tour. With the help of Subway Clerks Esther Marion and Gywanna Thomas and Tire Care Manager Noah Diers, Getchel served the feast to the hungry travelers. They were even able to accommodate a last-minute addition when it was discovered gluten-free meals weren't ordered for five students with dietary restrictions.

Getchel accompanied the order, which nearly equaled their normal daily Subway sales, to the rest area to ensure everything went off without a hitch. The exchange was a success, and everyone, especially the recipients of the on-the-fly meals, appreciated the service. To put a cherry on top of the experience, the Love's 320 team helped the tour meet its 20-minute deadline.

Getchel is beyond proud of the effort of his employees and looks forward to more opportunities to serve large groups.

"We always pay attention to the tour buses driving by the store," said Gretchel. "They need to keep moving just like our truck drivers and we want to make sure they have everything they need in order to do that."