Fred DeLuca
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Frederick Adrian DeLuca (October 3, 1947 – September 14, 2015) was an American businessman, who was the co-founder and president of the Subway franchise of fast food restaurants with
Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.; he played the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his caree ...
. During his tenure, Subway grew into the largest franchise in the world.


Early life

Fred DeLuca was born in
Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, on October 3, 1947 to
Italian American Italian Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Italians, Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeastern United States, Northeast and industrial Midwestern United States, Midwestern ...
parents Carmela and Salvatore DeLuca. At the age of 10, DeLuca moved to
Amsterdam, New York Amsterdam () is a city in Montgomery County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,219. The city is named after Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The city of Amsterdam is bordered on the northern and ea ...
, where he and his family became friends with Peter Buck. Once in his teens, he moved with his family to
Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...
, where he graduated from Central High School in 1965. DeLuca realized a dream of his to go to college and graduated from the
University of Bridgeport The University of Bridgeport (UB or UBPT) is a private university in Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. In 2021, the university was purchased by Goodwin Unive ...
. While in high school, Fred began dating his schoolmate Elisabeth, who had immigrated to the United States at age seven along with her parents of
East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...
n origin. The two went on to marry in 1969.


Career

In 1965, 17-year-old DeLuca borrowed $1,000 from family friend Peter Buck. This was after Buck suggested the idea to help DeLuca make money for college to study medicine. DeLuca's plan was to begin a "fast-food venture that provided a healthful, less fattening bill of fare". On the radio advertisement they had promoted the name as "Pete's Submarines," which sounded like "Pizza Marines", so they changed the name to "Pete's Subway." Eventually in 1968, it was shortened to simply "Subway" as it is known today.


Early years of Subway

With the help of his mother Carmela and Dr. Buck, the first shop opened on August 28, 1965, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The first year of business was a learning experience and a challenge. A year later they opened their second location, having realized that visibility and marketing were key factors to success. DeLuca believed that the biggest mistake he made was where he set up his very first shop as it was a "crummy location." The third outlet was in a highly visible location and that location is still there today. Fred DeLuca ran Subway as a family business, with his mother running the first shop, his sister working as a "sandwich artist" and even his wife Elisabeth worked in the corporate office. Every Monday, Dr. Buck would visit the DeLuca household and visit Carmela and Fred to discuss the Subway business. As time went on, they eventually turned to a franchising model which is when they saw their growth explode. In 1978, Subway's 100th store opened, and reached the 1,000 store mark in 1987. Explosive growth continued with Subway opening 1,100 units in 1993.


Jared Fogle

After reading an article about an Indiana man who lost eating Subway Sandwiches, Fred DeLuca met Jared Fogle, bought him a new
Mitsubishi Galant The is an automobile which was produced by Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi from 1969 until 2012. The model name was derived from the French word ''galant'', meaning "chivalrous". There have been nine distinct generations with total cumulative ...
, and made him Subway's featured spokesman by 2000. After Fogle became Subway's spokesman, sales and store openings started to skyrocket. By 2015, a Subway franchisee whistleblower named Cindy Mills alerted several high-ranking Subway executives about Fogle having pedophilia and engaging in illicit sexual activity. In a statement, Subway denied any knowledge of Fogle's pedophilia and that executives including DeLuca and others were previously unaware of Fogle engaging in underage prostitution both in the United States and in Thailand.


Other ventures

DeLuca and Buck also partnered to create Franchise Brands.


Legacy

During DeLuca's tenure, Subway grew to be the largest franchise in the world. DeLuca aggressively pursued store growth, requiring franchisees open stores nearby their existing ones, in some cases across the street from their existing locations, or else Subway would recruit a competitor that would put them out of business. From 2015 to 2023, Subway had a net loss of approximately 7,000 restaurant locations, although it remains the largest sandwich chain in the US.


Personal life

DeLuca had homes in
Milford, Connecticut Milford is a coastal city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, between New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Bridgeport, Connecticut, Bridgeport. The population was 50,558 at the 2020 United States Census. The city includes the Vill ...
, and
Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...
, and lived with his wife Elisabeth. His son, Jonathan, lives in
Boca Raton, Florida Boca Raton ( ; ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 97,422 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and it ranked as the 23rd-largest city in Florida in 2022. Many people with a Boca Raton Address, ...
. DeLuca adopted a child of Cindy Mattson, named Luca.


Death

On July 15, 2013, DeLuca announced that he was being treated for
leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...
. DeLuca died on September 14, 2015, at
Lauderdale Lakes, Florida Lauderdale Lakes is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 35,954. History The city of Lauderdale Lakes was in ...
.


Honors

At the graduation commencement in 2002, DeLuca received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.) from his alma mater, the University of Bridgeport. He also was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Connecticut Restaurant Association


References


External links


''Entrepreneur'' magazine interview
* , official Subway Restaurants tribute to Fred DeLuca {{DEFAULTSORT:DeLuca, Fred 1947 births 2015 deaths Businesspeople from Bridgeport, Connecticut Businesspeople from New York City American people of Italian descent American billionaires University of Bridgeport alumni American food company founders Fast-food chain founders American restaurateurs Subway (restaurant) people Businesspeople from Connecticut 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople Deaths from leukemia in Florida Central High School (Connecticut) alumni