For global QSRs like Subway, standardizing payment methods across all franchisees and all countries it operates in is a challenge.
Sandwiched between laws and regulations, Subway has had to find different payment solutions depending on what country its restaurants are based in. This could be both time consuming and expensive.
“We utilized single, custom integrations with local acquirers,” said Subway’s CTO Dave Blankenship. “This had the potential to become very costly given Subway’s footprint.”
Subway, which is the largest restaurant chain in the world, has looked for ways to enable easier payment processes before. In early 2019, the franchise partnered with payments platform Adyen to provide omnichannel payments. Subway’s goal was to improve the payment process across locations.
This year, Subway has over 40,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. With around double the number of restaurants it had in early 2019, the restaurant chain continues to pursue ways to standardize its payment processes.
In February, the chain teamed up with vendors Worldline, a payments and transactional service company, and Amadis, a payment software technology provider, to standardize the payment process across its European franchisees.
Subway now has a standardized communication channel between its point of sale system and different payment devices used across Europe.
“The new payment solution standardizes the communication process between the SubwayPOS system and payment devices through nexo standards,” said Blankenship. “As a result, our European Franchisees save money and time through this integrated payment process and guests experience a quicker payment transaction.”
Worldline and Amadis are both part of nexo standards, a member association which aims to create a global standard for card payment acceptance systems.
“Global merchants, such as Subway, can realize tremendous efficiencies and cost-savings through global standards and a unified payment framework, while enabling a new level of innovation,” said Emmanuel Haydont, CEO and co-founder of Amadis.
Nexo standards could be a game changer for mega-chains like Subway. A global payment standard could help eliminate obstacles for global QSRs and allow them to continue to set up locations across the globe.
“For a global QSR like Subway, electronic payments are a challenge,” said Blankenship. “No single payment acquirer can support our global footprint; however, the nexo standard is slowly being adopted in regions beyond Europe and North America.”