Subway has signed a new master franchise agreement with Vienna-based Emerging Bites Holdings GmbH to develop 300 new restaurants across Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia over the next 10 years, expanding the sandwich brand’s footprint across Central Europe.
Under the agreement, Emerging Bites will develop and operate Subway restaurants across all five markets while also taking over support for existing Subway franchisees in the region. The partnership gives the group responsibility for driving new-unit development while strengthening the operating platform supporting the brand’s current franchise network.
Emerging Bites plans to introduce Subway’s latest restaurant design across the territory, alongside investments in digital ordering and loyalty capabilities, supply chain infrastructure, marketing and operational standards. The group says its Vienna-based team has expertise across Central and Eastern Europe and speaks the languages of all five markets.
“Emerging Bites is exactly the kind of partner we want leading Subway’s growth in Central Europe,” said Tracy Gehlan, President of Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Subway. “The team has the expertise, knowledge, and operational capability to build a strong Subway presence across all five markets. We’re confident they will deliver an excellent experience for guests as they continue Subway’s strong expansion across the region.”
Farshad Abbaszadeh, Founder and CEO of Emerging Bites, said the company is focused on combining modern restaurant formats with local supply capabilities and digital infrastructure while working with the franchise partners already operating in the region.
“We are excited to bring Subway to guests across Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia,” Abbaszadeh said. “This partnership reflects our confidence in Subway’s brand strength and our commitment to becoming a leading quick service restaurant operator in Central Europe.”
The deal represents Subway’s sixth new master franchise agreement across EMEA in less than 18 months. The company said the latest partnership follows agreements covering Pakistan, Azerbaijan, the Nordics, Spain and Portugal, and Qatar.
Emerging Bites is led by Abbaszadeh, who previously founded German Doner Kebab (GDK). According to Subway, Abbaszadeh built GDK from a single restaurant in Dubai in 2013 into an international franchise business with more than 170 restaurants across several continents.
The new master franchise territory currently includes an established Subway network. Emerging Bites says it is responsible for 54 Subway restaurants across the five markets as of September 2026, with 36 in Austria, four in the Czech Republic, four in Hungary, five in Slovakia and five in Slovenia. It puts the combined addressable market across the territory at more than 37 million consumers.
For Subway, the agreement adds another major multi-market development platform to its predominantly franchise-led international model. Subway says it has more than 35,000 restaurants worldwide, independently owned and operated by thousands of franchisees.
The Central European agreement follows Subway’s recent international development push, including a master franchise agreement announced in August 2026 with Blue Sub (Pvt.) Ltd. to add more than 200 restaurants in Pakistan over the next decade.
With the Emerging Bites partnership, Subway is combining new restaurant development with the transition of existing franchisee support under one regional master franchise platform, covering five contiguous Central European markets from its Vienna base.
