Interiors of the Subway outlet at New Alipore.

They made news when they decided to come to town. They made more news when they finally did. And some more when they shut shop for hours — supply falling short when “amazing demand” came knocking. And now, Subway is back in the buzz.

A brand new 1,000 sq ft Subway outlet, the largest Calcutta has seen so far, opens its doors on Tuesday. This is Subway’s third outlet in Calcutta, the other two being at Woodburn Park and Sector V in Salt Lake.

Housed at 175 G New Alipore, opposite Yoga Care Institute, this Subway, like all others, boasts signature Tuscany design elements.

The New York skyline pasted on the walls, bricked effect across the sandwich deli counter, brick red, green, and off-white tiles mark the 35-seater eatery. The 15-ft counter will have a cash counter separating the vegetarian and the non-vegetarian sections.

A special kids’ play zone is coming up too. “New Alipore is the heart of a residential area and Subway sees great potential there. It’s lounge-style too, encouraging people to spend more time here,” says Rishi Bajoria, area development manager, eastern India, Subway.

Despite sensational sell-outs since day one, Rishi feels one of the biggest challenges Subway has faced is to get “bread accepted as a meal”.

A Subway sandwich. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

He says: “We are basically a rice-eating region; getting Calcuttans to eat bread as a whole meal and not as breakfast or a midday snack was initially tough.”

But Subway soon won the “battle” and formed a “strong community of repeat customers”, something Rishi attributes largely to the latest Eat Fresh campaign. Subway claims to be the “world’s only fast food that is healthy”.

“Subway uses no oil, no fire and hence no extra calories. Everything is baked, grilled or toasted,” adds Rishi.

Another highlight is Subway’s Daily Specials when every day of the week sees a pre-decided sandwich on offer for Rs 50. Sample this: Roasted Chicken Breast on Monday, Paneer Tikka on Tuesday, Chicken Seekh Kebab on Wednesday, Aloo Patty on Thursday, Tuna on Friday, Chicken Tikka on Saturday and Chicken Teriyaki on Sunday.

“This is our strategy to beat any form of meal deal offered by competition. It also encourages people to grab a quick bite at Subway every day,” says Rishi.

Post-New Alipore, there’s a lot more coming up from the Subway camp in January. Roasted

Garlic or Hearty Italian will join the existing four-bread army of whole wheat, honey and oat, parmesan oregano and Italian white bread. Two more add-ons to the vegetarian section are also in the pipeline.

And is the news of McDonald’s winter entry into the city cause for concern? “Not at all, we view this as a compliment, not competition. It’s great for the QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) sector and will bring about more awareness and with that, more eating out,” smiles Rishi.