I worked at Subway for 4 years - here's what employees know that customers don't

No Subway employee could have anticipated what was coming when the $5 footlong promotion kicked off in 2008.

The deal, which included every sandwich on the menu except double meat subs, caused a sharp increase of foot traffic to our store. I'm talking lines out the door, all day, every day. We ran out of bread halfway through the week.

Everyone on our staff worked well above their normal hours to try to keep up with customer demand, and the oven was rarely turned off during the day so the bread could keep baking.

Subway eliminated the deal in 2016. But today, you can get one of five select footlongs for $4.99.

The owner of my particular location owned another Subway storefront and managed the two shops simultaneously. Under his leadership, employees ate and drank for free at the two stores. There was no way I could walk into another store and request free, or even discounted, food because I happened to be an employee at a different location.

Every franchise has its own leadership, and the franchisee sets the terms for what employees at their specific location can and can't do. Never assume you'll receive anything for free. Instead, take care to respect the rules under your franchise's roof.

While I might have ended my illustrious Subway career in 2008, sometimes I pop by a store and grab a turkey sub. I'm not sure why I still do this. Maybe it's reassuring to order sandwiches that I used to make and therefore was fine with consuming because I knew all of the ingredients. Or at least I thought I did.

In 2014, a food blogger called out Subway for its inclusion of a chemical called azodicarbonamide in its breads, according to CBS News. This ingredient was described as "a bleaching agent and dough conditioner" approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but it's also used to make yoga mats.

Understandably, customers wanted the ingredient removed from their bread, and Subway began phasing it out in 2014, according to CNN. While the ingredient is no longer present, it does cast a cloud over the brand's ubiquitous "eat fresh" slogan.