What's in a name? Free sandwiches for life if Subway has its way.
But the popular sandwich chain got more than it bargained for when nearly 10,000 people responded to the recently-launched Name Change Challenge.
The Milford, Connecticut-headquartered company announced Aug. 8 that, within 96 hours, thousands of sandwich lovers answered the call to legally change their name to "Subway" -- for a chance to win free sandwiches for life. The winner would also receive money to reimburse them for legal and processing costs to complete the name change.
Launched July 26, the promotional stunt ran from Aug. 1 to Aug. 4. The winner will be announced later this month.
The Name Change Challenge comes in the wake of Subway offering freshly sliced meats at its U.S. locations for the very first time, as well as a "refresh" of existing menu options.
The family-owned brand, founded in 1965, operates nearly 37,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries.
Subway is up for sale and could fetch as much as $9 billion from a private equity buyer or buyers by the end of August, Reuters reported.