Why Subway Is on a Roll

At least one fast-food chain is happy about all the comparisons between burgers and Big Tobacco these days. After all, who could accuse Subway of fostering obesity when poster boy Jared Fogle lost 245 pounds by eating at the sandwich chain every day for almost a year? Those who condemn McDonald's and Burger King are fast to praise the emergence of chains with fresh food and low-fat items on the menu.

Over the past year, Subway has actually surpassed McDonald's to become the country's largest fast-food chain, boasting 14,000 outlets, vs. about 13,000 for McDonald's -- though Subway's $5 billion in global sales hardly matches its rival's $40 billion tally. Outside the U.S., meanwhile, the chain is just starting to make inroads in countries where McDonald's already dominates.