Subway Slammed Over 'Disrespectful' Sign Poking Fun At The Titan Submersible Implosion

Famous sandwich chain Subway recently came under fire after a sign at one of their franchises seemingly trivialized the Titan submersible tragedy. A concerned individual took a picture of the sign, which has since gone viral on social media.

Several online users voiced their distaste for the sign, with many asking the company to do better. Following the backlash, the sign was taken down, as confirmed by a follow-up post from the individual who shared the picture online.

Keep on reading to learn more.

Subway faced criticism recently for displaying a sign at one of their franchises that made a dark comedic reference to the tragic incident involving the OceanGate Titan submersible, per Today.

The sign had the words, "Our subs don't implode," written in large, bold, black letters on a white surface. It was posted online on July 1 by a Brooklet, Georgia, resident, Timothy Mauck, who was driving by one of Subway's franchises within the location.

Following the viral spread of the picture, fans strongly criticized the company for undermining the seriousness of the deaths of the five individuals who were onboard Ocean Gate's Titan submersible.

The passengers on the vessel were on an expedition to see the remains of the Titanic wreckage but lost communication with their mother ship shortly after they embarked on the journey.

After several days of a rescue search, it was confirmed by the U.S. Coast Guard that the passengers had lost their lives, reportedly due to an implosion of the submersible at extreme depths beneath the water's surface.

Some of the reactions seen online, per Today, described the Subway sign as "disrespectful" and that the families of the late passengers wouldn't find it "funny."

Another person said the sign was "distasteful" and called on the company to "do better." A third commented, "That's just wrong," while a fourth said, "This is tacky to say the least."

However, some online users had no issues with the sign and opined that it was a genius form of comedy.

"I chuckled too. It's actually clever," said one person. "Humor, by its nature, insults someone every time. We should lighten up." Another person said, "I'm sorry, its so wrong. But it did make me chuckle."

The Subway franchise that mounted the sign took it down, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the company.

The rep told Today, "We have been in contact with the franchise about this matter and made it clear that this kind of comment has no place in our business. The sign has since been removed."

Mauck also attested that the sign was no longer there in a follow-up post he shared online a day after it went viral.

"I'm sure it would be disrespectful to the family, you know what I mean?" Mauck commented on his post. He added, "It was a very uncalled for kind of thing because that's a place of business, and for one of their employees to put that up on their sign that only lets everybody know that the situation is a joke."

The sign drama comes nearly two weeks after TikTokers trolled OceanGate over a job advertisement they put up.

While it seems that the posting was shared prior to the confirmation of the tragic Titan incident, TikTokers heavily criticized the company, suggesting that the job advertisement indicated the company's willingness to replace any employee easily.

One user said, "This literally proves what everyone says about companies filling your position the second you die," which "really shows you everyone is replaceable."

The said job advertisement detailed that the company was looking for candidates skilled in "working on sensitive marine equipment, performing regular maintenance, and operating complex systems to support dive operations," per Business Insider.

The company has since paid tribute to the late passengers of their submersible, noting that the explorer community deeply mourns their deaths.

"These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world's oceans," they saidin a statement, per People magazine. "We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew."