The home of the $5 footlong has edged out McDonald's to become the world's largest restaurant in terms of locations, reports The Wall Street Journal. As the company looks to expand internationally, Subway maintains 33,749 restaurants while McDonald's has 32,737. 

"The race for global dominance is an important one for an industry that's mostly saturated in the U.S," the Journal writes. "High unemployment and economic uncertainty have battered the restaurant industry in the U.S., and chains are increasingly looking overseas for growth, particularly in Asia."

Since at least 1996, the submarine sandwich giant has positioned itself as the healthful alternative to McDonald's and other burger chains. In 2000, the company launched its first "Jared" ads, promoting the all-Subway diet of a formerly obese Indiana Univesity student named Jared Fogle. Below, Jared takes on the Big Mac as part of campaign that appears to have worked for the company:

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John Hudson