Subway Fans Told Mashed Their Favorite Sauce - Exclusive Survey

It used to be that sandwich dressings were limited to the classics: mayo, mustard, and occasionally ranch dressing. These days, however, customers want options, a fact that Subway is capitalizing on in the extreme.

Although added flavor is a main reason many people enjoy a good sandwich spread, it's not the only purpose. The moisture of the spread helps hold the sandwich together, and the sauce keeps the bread from getting soggy when stored in lunchboxes and such, says the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. And Ree Drummond says that in terms of which part of a sandwich is the most important, "what you spread on the bread is right up there at the top" because it makes the texture and flavor more enjoyable.

While some people like the spread applied directly to the interior of the sandwich, others prefer it used as a dip, as is the case with au jus sauce, which is typically served in a ramekin as part of a French dip sandwich. Either way, there's no denying that a well-placed sauce makes the sandwich experience more enjoyable, a truth Subway is riding all the way to the bank.

Subway has released a number of newfangled sauces in recent years. So it's ironic that the top sauce, according to 25.71% of people polled by Mashed, prefer a classic over everything else. The most preferred sauce, according to 599 people surveyed, is simple oil and vinegar. The tasty pairing has longevity on its side, as the duo have been dressing salads and more recently, sandwiches, for around 2,000 years, per The Association for Dressings & Sauces.

Nipping at oil and vinegar's heels in a close second place is Subway's sweet onion sauce, with 23.21% of the vote. It's worth noting that sweet onion sauce is currently listed on the Subway site as one of the chain's sauce options, although there was quite the online chatter in early 2022 when the company debuted "sweet onion teriyaki," per a Reddit thread and a Change.org petition that described the shift as an "unpleasant horror."

In third place, with 14.36% of votes, is honey mustard, followed closely by peppercorn ranch (14.02%), Baja chipotle (12.02%), and Buffalo sauce (10.68%). With additional sauces such as smoky BBQ, garlic aioli, and classic ranch dressing to choose from, it's obvious that Subway's sauce game is strong.