Name of Russian sandwich shop sparks hilarity online: ‘I had a sub boy for lunch’
Are Russia’s Subways being rebranded to Subboy? (https://www.instagram.com/subboy_cafe/Reddit)
Are Russia's Subways being rebranded to Subboy? (https://www.instagram.com/subboy_cafe/Reddit)
Is Subway rebranding to Subboy in Russia? It’s not, but the very idea has sparked a lot of hilarious posts on X and Reddit over the last couple of days.
A tweet has gone viral claiming that Subway, the fast food restaurant that specialises in submarine sandwiches and wraps, is rebranding to Subboy in Russia, but it seems to have been a mix-up with another café in the country. Currently, Subway has no authorised restaurants operating in Russia.
The viral post, with over 1.7 million views shared on Friday (19 July), states: “Russian Subway is officially (almost) rebranding to SUBBOY.”
“I have no idea who and how came up with that name.
“Saying “I had a sub boy for lunch” is slowly becoming real,” they added.
If you’ve clicked on this article, you probably already know that “sub” is short for “submissive”, a BDSM term that references a person who desires to relinquish control and be directed by their partner, who is usually referred to as a “dom.” We thought we should clarify that, though, just in case you had reached this point of the article and still had absolutely no idea what was going on.
It’s especially ironic that this queer-coded mishap is happening in Russia, a country that recently aligned LGBTQ+ groups with its “terrorists and extremists” blacklist.
Under this anti-LGBTQ+ law, Russian courts have handed down 101 “extremism-related” convictions for participation in the “international LGBT movement” since January 2024, Human Rights Watch reported.
The viral post includes what appears to be a Russian document, although it’s worth noting that it could be easily faked.
The scan is of trademark paperwork for a company labelled as “Subway Russia Marketing Company” based in St. Petersburg.
‘What if we kissed at the Subboy restaurant’
The post also features a mockup of a “Subboy” logo, suggesting that the company is seeking official recognition and protection of a product through registration with an authority.
Furthermore, the document lists patent attorneys, receipt dates and application numbers,
However, there is some truth to the post; there is a café in Russia called Subboy, but it doesn’t appear to have any connection to the Subway brand.
Instead, Subboy is a café in the Russian city of Vladivostok. It appears to sell sandwiches that are similar to the iconic subs offered by the US chain, but doesn’t sell any official Subway products or use Subway branding.
However, despite this viral claim remaining unverified, the jokes it has created have kept the post alive.
“What if we kissed at the Subboy restaurant,” one user shared.
Another jokingly wrote: “are they looking for staff ?”
Furthermore, the ridiculousness didn’t go amiss: “”I need me a sub boy” – country so homophobic they classify the lgbtq community as a terrorist organization.”
The jokes continued on Reddit, with many weighing in on the situation.
“Maybe their advertising slogan can be something like. How do you top your sub?” one comment reads.
Another didn’t want the queer women to miss out: “That’s it, I’m opening Domgirl across the street.”
Subboy and Domgirl? Sounds like a match made in heaven to us.
