Early Roots (1800s–1900s):
Leftover turkey sandwiches show up in American cookbooks as early as the late 19th century. Home cooks commonly reused holiday meats in sandwiches, croquettes, and hashes, so turkey-between-bread became a natural post-feast staple.
Mid-20th Century - The “Leftovers” Sandwich Becomes Tradition:
As Thanksgiving became more standardized in the 1940s–1960s (thanks to post-war prosperity, magazine food features, and the rise of the Butterball turkey), so did the cultural expectation of leftover turkey. Families began stacking turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce into sandwiches the next day, and the idea spread through newspapers and women’s magazines.
1980s–2000s - Restaurant Versions Emerge:
Restaurants and delis started creating formalized versions, often called The Pilgrim, The Gobbler, or The Harvest. These featured turkey, stuffing, cranberry relish, and gravy on specialty breads. New England—especially Massachusetts—became a hotspot for deli-style Thanksgiving subs.
The Modern Thanksgiving Sub:
By the 2000s, national chains, grocery stores, and gas-station delis began offering seasonal Thanksgiving sandwiches. Today, the combo of turkey + stuffing + cranberry sauce is a recognized seasonal flavor profile, and many places treat the Thanksgiving sub as a limited-time fall tradition.
SUBWAY
The Festive Feast collection puts a fresh twist on Thanksgiving favorites and showcases its all-new sweet and tart cranberry sauce and savory turkey stuffing featuring a blend of parsley, rosemary, sage, breadcrumbs and broth. Whether you're looking for a delicious meal to bring to Friendsgiving, your turkey caught fire (or stayed frozen), or you simply want to feast without any fuss, Subway's Festive Feast collection is the perfect solution for any holiday gathering or kitchen mishap. All three subs come piled high with Monterey Cheddar cheese, spinach, red onions, mayo and Subway's new stuffing and cranberry sauce:
- TurHamKen: Sink into Subway's spin on the Turducken, combining oven-roasted turkey, tender Black Forest ham and rotisserie-style chicken
-Festive Turkey: Featuring Subway's signature and best-selling oven-roasted turkey
- Festive Chicken: With juicy rotisserie-style chicken, precision-cooked using a sous vide
My take: I tried the Festive Turkey to stay close to the traditional Thanksgiving sub. Aside from a few too many raw red onions, this sub was delicious. I liked the tangy cranberry and mayo mix, as well as the stuffing.
FIREHOUSE SUBS
Carved slices of tender turkey breast, savory Thanksgiving stuffing, sweet and tart cranberry sauce, and mayo, served hot on a freshly toasted sub roll. NEW Gravy – A rich, savory gravy with notes of garlic, roasted turkey and vegetable stock – perfect for dunking your Thanksgiving Turkey Sub.
My take: They were out of the carved turkey breast they typically use, so they replaced mine with deli turkey. But, it was still very tasty. I am not sold on the gravy.
BOGEY'S AT CAPITOL MARKET
Smoked Turkey sandwich with homemade stuffing and cranberry sauce.
My take: The ingredients on the sandwich are higher quality than the others on this list. Not a sub.
ARBY'S
Deep-fried Turkey Gobbler Sandwich Quarter pound of thick-sliced Deep Fried Turkey piled high with crispy onion straws, Big Eye Swiss cheese, stuffing, cranberry spread & mayo on a toasted sub bun.
My take: Not bad. I wish there waa more stuffing flavor in this sub.
SHEETZ
Holidaze sub & Flatzgiving pizza flat - turkey, cheddar cheese, gravy, stuffing and cranberry relish.
Awful. The bread was hard and crushed when bit into. Dry, no cranberry. The flatbread was decent.
Leftover turkey sandwiches show up in American cookbooks as early as the late 19th century. Home cooks commonly reused holiday meats in sandwiches, croquettes, and hashes, so turkey-between-bread became a natural post-feast staple.
Mid-20th Century - The “Leftovers” Sandwich Becomes Tradition:
As Thanksgiving became more standardized in the 1940s–1960s (thanks to post-war prosperity, magazine food features, and the rise of the Butterball turkey), so did the cultural expectation of leftover turkey. Families began stacking turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce into sandwiches the next day, and the idea spread through newspapers and women’s magazines.
1980s–2000s - Restaurant Versions Emerge:
Restaurants and delis started creating formalized versions, often called The Pilgrim, The Gobbler, or The Harvest. These featured turkey, stuffing, cranberry relish, and gravy on specialty breads. New England—especially Massachusetts—became a hotspot for deli-style Thanksgiving subs.
The Modern Thanksgiving Sub:
By the 2000s, national chains, grocery stores, and gas-station delis began offering seasonal Thanksgiving sandwiches. Today, the combo of turkey + stuffing + cranberry sauce is a recognized seasonal flavor profile, and many places treat the Thanksgiving sub as a limited-time fall tradition.
SUBWAYThe Festive Feast collection puts a fresh twist on Thanksgiving favorites and showcases its all-new sweet and tart cranberry sauce and savory turkey stuffing featuring a blend of parsley, rosemary, sage, breadcrumbs and broth. Whether you're looking for a delicious meal to bring to Friendsgiving, your turkey caught fire (or stayed frozen), or you simply want to feast without any fuss, Subway's Festive Feast collection is the perfect solution for any holiday gathering or kitchen mishap. All three subs come piled high with Monterey Cheddar cheese, spinach, red onions, mayo and Subway's new stuffing and cranberry sauce:
- TurHamKen: Sink into Subway's spin on the Turducken, combining oven-roasted turkey, tender Black Forest ham and rotisserie-style chicken
-Festive Turkey: Featuring Subway's signature and best-selling oven-roasted turkey
- Festive Chicken: With juicy rotisserie-style chicken, precision-cooked using a sous vide
My take: I tried the Festive Turkey to stay close to the traditional Thanksgiving sub. Aside from a few too many raw red onions, this sub was delicious. I liked the tangy cranberry and mayo mix, as well as the stuffing.
FIREHOUSE SUBSCarved slices of tender turkey breast, savory Thanksgiving stuffing, sweet and tart cranberry sauce, and mayo, served hot on a freshly toasted sub roll. NEW Gravy – A rich, savory gravy with notes of garlic, roasted turkey and vegetable stock – perfect for dunking your Thanksgiving Turkey Sub.
My take: They were out of the carved turkey breast they typically use, so they replaced mine with deli turkey. But, it was still very tasty. I am not sold on the gravy.
BOGEY'S AT CAPITOL MARKETSmoked Turkey sandwich with homemade stuffing and cranberry sauce.
My take: The ingredients on the sandwich are higher quality than the others on this list. Not a sub.
ARBY'S
Deep-fried Turkey Gobbler Sandwich Quarter pound of thick-sliced Deep Fried Turkey piled high with crispy onion straws, Big Eye Swiss cheese, stuffing, cranberry spread & mayo on a toasted sub bun.
My take: Not bad. I wish there waa more stuffing flavor in this sub.
SHEETZ
Holidaze sub & Flatzgiving pizza flat - turkey, cheddar cheese, gravy, stuffing and cranberry relish.
Awful. The bread was hard and crushed when bit into. Dry, no cranberry. The flatbread was decent.
