 Subway started in 1965 as a single sandwich shop in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was owned by two families, the DeLucas and the Bucks. Under this same family ownership, Subway grew and grew and grew to more than 35,000 stores across 100 countries. In 2023, the original owners sold Subway to a private equity firm called Rourke Capital for about $9.6 billion.