Young entrepreneurs to cut their teeth in Subway’s virtual shop challenge

Young entrepreneurs are being encouraged to enter a Subway competition in which they build, operate and promote a virtual restaurant for the chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to the US.

The Subway Build Your Own Virtual Restaurant Challenge, which closes on March 31, is designed to give young entrepreneurs a taste of being their own boss.

Competitors are required to choose a location and build out their own virtual store, produce a promotional video and write promotional copy, and drive customer traffic in order to grow sales.

Participants will gain points as customers visit their virtual restaurants.

Global and country-specific leaderboards will track the highest-scoring contestants throughout the challenge and will determine, along with a panel of judges, the winners and finalists.

The competition is open to aspiring entrepreneurs worldwide, and the top five winners will win an all-expenses paid trip to the US to visit Subway’s headquarters in Connecticut.

There they will meet Subway co-founder and president Fred DeLuca and Subway’s senior management team, and attend a special training session.

They will also visit New York City and Washington.

The five winners and 100 semi-finalists will also be introduced to Subway’s global management team, which will identify the top performers and offer them job opportunities.

“For 47 years we have provided both entrepreneurs and staff members with business opportunities and support systems to help them become more successful,” DeLuca said in a statement.

“We want to take that a step further with the Build Your Own Virtual Subway Challenge by identifying young people globally who would be a great fit for our business.

“We know that as Subway continues to grow, it will be the young entrepreneurs throughout the world that will keep our brand relevant and vibrant.”

The competition coincides with the release of a documentary about Subway, produced by Young & Successful Media.

The Subway story began in a backyard picnic in 1965, when a man named Peter Buck gave DeLuca, then 17, a $1,000 cheque to open a sandwich shop.

According to Jennifer Kushell, founder and president of Young & Successful Media, Subway is one of the greatest business success stories in history.

“We’re so excited to share it on this massive scale with young people eager to figure out their own employment and entrepreneurial options,” Kushell said in a statement.

“It is an incredible example of not only how fascinating business and franchising are, but what really is possible when you’re young and ambitious.

“The inspiration of this story… is really a call to action for young people throughout the world struggling in today’s tough economy.

“We are particularly excited about the challenge because it is all about providing job, career and networking opportunities – not just winning prizes.”