Although the rumor that Subway will be closing has been circulating around the Washington University campus, Subway owner Loren Grossman assures students that the rumor is not true.

“I don’t know where the rumors quite came from, but we do have another year on our lease, so I know that we’ll be here one more year,” Grossman said. “I certainly want to stay here longer than that.”

Many customers have questioned Subway employees about the franchise’s future on campus.

“They keep asking. Everybody asks. They’ve been asking since last year when the rumor first got started,” General Manager Sharon Smith said. “We wouldn’t enjoy it [if Subway left campus,] and I’m quite sure the students wouldn’t enjoy it either.”

Subway was located in the Mallinckrodt Food Court from 1995 until 2003, when it moved to its current location in the lower level of Umrath Hall.

“They thought we should have our own space, so that it would be more convenient and we could move a little faster,” Smith said. “This actually worked out best because over there we couldn’t sell chips or any of that. Since we came over here, we’ve been able to sell all different kinds of things.”

Since the move, Subway has been operating under a five-year lease with optional extensions. Grossman cites the apparent uncertainty over the extensions as one possible source of the rumors. The option to enact these extensions is in the hands of the University administration.

As the lease currently stands, Subway will be on campus through June 2010 and possibly longer if more extensions are added to the lease.

“It certainly is my intention to try to extend [the lease],” Grossman said. “It would certainly be my desire to stay here, and I think we must be satisfying a need.”

Subway currently serves approximately 1,000 people every weekday and nearly 700 on weekends, according to Grossman.

“I would be pretty upset if it closed,” junior Michael Shannon said. “I probably come once every three days.”

Although Grossman respects Bon Appétit’s efforts to provide students with multiple dining options, she believes that Subway gives students additional dining options.

“I think the [Bon Appétit] food service does an excellent job with many things,” she said.

Most students say they appreciate the diversity Subway brings to their campus dining options.

“Subway is a nice change of pace from everything else because Bon Appétit pretty much runs everything,” sophomore Jake Lewis said. “That’s why I come here—for the change of pace.”

Many also argue that Subway fills a void in the dining services provided by Bon Appétit.

“I definitely like Subway,” junior Greg Osborn said. “It’s nice to be able to get a sandwich somewhere because they don’t have that in the DUC. It’s pretty quick, and it’s pretty-good-quality fast food.”

Others enjoy Subway because they see it as a healthy alternative.

“Faced with the literal assault of fried and fatty foods that permeate Bear’s Den, depriving health-conscious students of a healthy alternative is nothing short of torture and deprivation,” freshman Meg Conley said.