In January 2013, an Australian teen measured a Subway footlong and found it came up short at only 11 inches. He posted a photo on Facebook, sparking an online frenzy. Lawsuits soon followed in the United States, with plaintiffs alleging that Subway was engaging in deceptive marketing practices by advertising its large sandwiches as “footlongs.”

Ultimately, the class action lawsuits against Subway over the length of its footlong sandwiches were either dismissed or settled out of court. In 2016, a settlement was reached in one of the main cases. As part of the agreement, Subway said it would implement certain measures to ensure its footlong sandwiches are at least 12 inches long.