Subway’s Digital Leap with Trinet Technologies

Subway, one of the world’s most recognizable quick-service restaurant chains, is undergoing a large-scale transformation to meet the evolving expectations of its guests and franchisees. Serving millions of customers daily across more than 100 countries, the brand has set out to modernize its operations, enhance digital engagement, and unify its customer journey.

To support this ambitious vision, Subway partnered with Trinet Technologies as its strategic digital transformation partner. Together, they are working to reimagine every touchpoint—from in-store systems to global digital platforms—with the goal of building a more agile, efficient, and guest-centric business.

A Four-Pillar Strategy for a Better Business

Subway’s multi-year transformation is guided by four core strategies: delivering better food, achieving operational excellence, expanding digital access, and enabling dynamic development. These pillars form the foundation for the company’s renewed focus on customer satisfaction and franchisee empowerment.

Trinet Technologies plays a central role in enabling this transformation. Acting as both a strategic advisor and implementation partner, Trinet brings a combination of deep industry experience, technical capability, and global delivery strength to Subway’s transformation efforts.

“From the outset, Trinet Technologies became more than a vendor—they became our first call for insight and execution. Their role as co-creators of our digital journey has been pivotal,” said Donagh Herlihy, Chief Digital and Information Officer at Subway.

Rebuilding Subway’s Digital Infrastructure

Subway’s legacy digital platform, built primarily for the North American market, lacked the scalability and flexibility required for global operations. With Trinet’s expertise, Subway initiated a full-scale overhaul of its digital stack—transforming both customer-facing experiences and the backend systems that support them.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic shifted priorities. Subway had to quickly pivot to digital-first ordering and curbside pickup. Trinet worked closely with Subway’s internal teams to accelerate app and web development, roll out enhanced digital ordering channels, and streamline online catering experiences.

Beyond just refreshing the front-end, Trinet also rebuilt the foundational API architecture and infrastructure to support rapid global expansion. This included the seamless integration of digital orders with in-store point-of-sale systems—enabling real-time processing and frictionless customer experiences across channels.

These efforts drove a significant increase in digital engagement. From 2021 to 2022, Subway’s digital sales grew by double digits, and since 2019, they’ve tripled globally. Franchisee sales also increased, validating the impact of improved digital strategy on bottom-line performance.

“At Trinet Technologies, we believe that true transformation requires more than just technology—it requires partnership, empathy, and bold thinking."

Empowering Franchisees Through Operational Simplification

Operating nearly 37,000 restaurants worldwide presents a unique set of operational complexities. One major challenge was the outdated, manual approach to menu updates. With up to 30 updates needed annually per store, the burden on franchisees was significant.

Trinet Technologies introduced an automated menu publishing system that drastically reduced administrative overhead. Now, menu changes can be executed centrally, while still allowing franchisees to retain control over pricing and customization—saving time, reducing errors, and ensuring brand consistency across all locations.

In addition, Trinet developed a real-time out-of-stock management tool that empowers franchisees to make immediate updates across all digital platforms. Previously, this required removing affected items one by one across multiple systems—a process prone to mistakes and customer dissatisfaction. With the new system, a single update reflects instantly across every channel, improving accuracy and transparency for guests.

In-store technologies were also transformed. Subway’s point-of-sale (PoS) system was redesigned to provide a more intuitive and modern interface, making it easier for new staff to learn and operate. These upgrades were essential in ensuring that Subway’s workforce—particularly digital natives—could deliver consistent, high-quality service from day one.

Co-Creating the Future of Restaurant Innovation

Trinet’s collaboration with Subway goes beyond short-term projects. The two organizations are co-creating a long-term vision for digital innovation across the brand’s global footprint.

From introducing unattended smart fridges to enabling fully integrated ordering experiences, the transformation journey is far from over. Subway and Trinet are now exploring foundational changes to backend platforms to support a future-ready, scalable ecosystem.

With strategic planning workshops, whiteboarding sessions, and architectural sprints, Trinet is helping Subway design what comes next—from reimagined menu platforms to more advanced customer engagement models.

According to Herlihy, “We are just getting started. Trinet is not only helping us solve today’s problems—they are shaping the strategy for where we are going in the next five years. Their insights are critical in every room where transformation decisions are made.”

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