Publix Sub of the Week and How the Weekly Sub Deal Works
The Publix sub of the week at our Lakeland, Florida test store is the Turkey Cranberry Holiday Sub, $8.99 for a whole instead of $10.99.
The deal runs through Wednesday, October 21. The next weekly ad brings a new one.
One detail changes how you should order it. The discount only applies to the whole sub.
This week’s deal sub
Publix puts the deal sub at the top of its weekly ad. This week it’s a seasonal build of Boar’s Head Ovengold turkey, bacon, Gruyère cheese and mayo with Publix’s cranberry orange relish, marked “Save $2.00 on Whole.”
Open it in the sub builder and the whole shows $8.99 next to the crossed-out $10.99. The half stays at its regular $7.69.
It’s a filling sub. The builder lists a half at 600 to 650 calories and a whole at 1,210 to 1,310, depending on what you change, and you can still swap the bread, cheese and toppings like any other Pub Sub.
Is the deal really cheap?
Compared with the rest of the popular subs at our Lakeland store this week, yes. Here’s what a whole costs across that list.
| Whole sub | Price this week |
|---|---|
| Turkey Cranberry Holiday Sub, on deal | $8.99 |
| Publix Italian, Turkey or Ultimate | $9.99 |
| Boar’s Head Italian, Turkey or Ultimate | $11.49 |
| Chicken Tender Sub | $11.99 |
| Boar’s Head Havana Bold | $11.99 |
At $8.99, the deal sub is the cheapest whole on that list, a dollar under the Publix classics. At its regular $10.99 it would sit in the middle, which is why the deal is worth timing a sub run around. Prices vary by store.
Order the whole and split it
Because only the whole is discounted, the math favors sharing. A half costs $7.69 on its own, while a deal whole split between two people works out to $4.50 each.
For two people, one deal whole costs $6.39 less than two halves.
Eating alone? This week the whole is only $1.30 more than a half, and you get twice the sub. Lunch tomorrow is sorted.
When the deal changes
The sub deal turns over with the weekly ad. New ads start on Wednesday or Thursday depending on your store and run for a week, as the USA TODAY Network explains, and our Lakeland store’s ad runs Thursday through Wednesday. We haven’t found any published schedule of upcoming sub deals, so the new ad is the first place to look, whether it brings a seasonal sub like this one or a regular favorite.
Where to spot the deal
- At the top of the weekly ad, in a banner with an Order now button.
- On the subs and wraps menu, where the deal sub shows its saving in red.
- In the sub builder, with the regular whole price crossed out.
- In the Publix app, under Savings and then Weekly Ad.
Read the menu card closely. “Starts at $7.69” is the price of a half, which isn’t discounted. The deal shows up in the red line underneath, “Save $2.00 on Whole,” and that line is the quickest way to tell the week’s deal sub from the rest of the menu.
Ordering ahead on publix.com or in the app gets you the deal price in the builder, and most subs show “Ready as soon as 30 minutes.”
Past sub deals and how prices have moved
The Chicken Tender Sub gets the most attention when it’s the deal. In November 2019, FOX 35 Orlando reported a whole Chicken Tender Sub on sale for $6.99, against a regular $8.99, from Thursday, November 7 through Wednesday, November 13.
That sale took $2 off the whole, the same discount as this week’s deal. The regular price is a different story.
A whole Chicken Tender Sub now costs $11.99 at our Lakeland store, $3 more than the regular price in 2019. Even the half, at $8.39, costs almost as much as the whole did then.
Getting more from the deal
Add a drink and a bag of chips in the builder and Publix takes $1.00 off the combo.
Extras such as bacon, double cheese or mashed avocado cost $1.00 each, so check whether the deal sub already has what you’d add. This week’s already comes with bacon.
The side can be on sale too. This week’s ad at our store has Cape Cod kettle cooked chips and Tostitos tortilla chips on buy one, get one free. In Florida a second bag comes free, and in the other Publix states one bag rings up at half price. Our Publix BOGO guide explains why the two work differently.
Planning around the deal pays off most for families and office lunches, since every whole on the deal carries the same $2 saving. Regular sub prices for every size are on our Publix deli menu and prices page, so you can see what the deal is worth against the sub you usually order.
