Subway is not bad at all, there are some very healthy and tasty options without all of the mayo and crap that you find in Swiss sandwiches. To add to this, Swiss supermarket-bought sandwiches are among the worst I have ever tasted, and the dedicated sandwich shops like Bachmann etc are still not a patch on the UK or France and usually heavily overpriced even for Switzerland (8-9chf forr a small sandwich).
At least with Subway I can choose healthy wholegrain bread and then have direct and minute control over what exactly goes into it.
Here are some things to think about...
Have you contacted any of the S. franchise owners in Switzerland to ask them about their experiences? Have you talked to S. franchise owners in any other countries? Are you aware that there were several S. Franchises in Zürich that have closed years ago? Did you find out why? Do you have any overview and idea about what kinds of franchises are opening in Zürich and Switzerland now? (Hint – they are not Subway and not that kind of restaurant). Now, Zürich seems to have fresh green (salad / sandwich types of places / burger joints and Asian places). These make S. look pretty old fashioned. Do you have a simple business plan based on total costs with an expectation of how many customers you’ll need to stay in business? Have you looked at rent for locations and do you have a good reason to expect that you’ll have the customers you need? Have you eaten in different restaurants in Switzerland and do you have a good reason to believe that S. is aligned with the Swiss taste? Have you read articles in the Swiss press about the restaurant industry lately? It seems tough... Do you know what permits you need? Do you know how often you’ll have to be in the store as a S Franchise owner? Are you ready to work 12 – 14 hour days? Have you compared S. with other possible Franchises? Why do you think S. is better? Do you have restaurant industry experience? Have you ever worked in or run a Franchise restaurant.
My recommendation would first to move to Switzerland and work for 6 months in any restaurant. Whatever your plans are, 6 months prob. won’t make a difference and what you’ll learn will be a tremendous help.
When your S. Franchise opens, you can send me a coupon for a free sandwich as a thank you for all my good suggestions/ questions! ;-)