The SUBWAY° restaurant chain now has more than 32,000 locations in 90 countries, so it knows a thing or two about deciding where to set up shop. But in 2009, the company elected to take its location expertise to new heights. SUB-WAY Restaurant News reports it this way:

 

Richard Schragger is a multi-unit SUBWAY franchisee in the New York City area. For the next two years, his newest store will be located on top of the world! Richard's newest SUBWAY restaurant will be on a crane, rising alongside the construction of One World Trade Center—also known as the Freedom Tower—providing meals for construction workers as the structure rises 108 stories. At 1,776 feet, it will be the tallest building in the United States and one of the tallest buildings in the world. 

 

The location of this restaurant will allow the 200 iron workers and 1,500 to 1,800 tradesmen who will be working on the structure to enjoy meals aloft and avoid the 45-minute elevator ride required to reach the ground. DCM Erectors, the construction company that will be overseeing work on the tower, welded together 36 shipping containers to create the new restaurant. That metal shell, along with the food SUBWAY will be serving and the equipment needed to serve it, will be hoisted by crane, level by level, so it will always be positioned near the workers as they rivet, weld, and fabricate the new structure. Then, when mealtime rolls around (which will be breakfast, lunch, and dinner for this unique shop), employees will not have far to go to grab a bite. No matter how you slice it, this is going to be an unusual location for a restaurant chain. And just imagine the view! 

 

1 What are the major advantages that Schragger will enjoy as the result of having this most unique site?

 

2 What major disadvantages and special challenges will the company likely run into as a result of this towering location? 

 

3 Do you think it was a good idea for Schragger to locate a SUBWAY franchise in this way? What other uncommon locations can you think of that small businesses have used or are using to their advantage?