A Subway restaurant in Rincon, Georgia is facing intense criticism after it put a joke about the Titanic tourist submersible, OceanGate Expedition’s Titan, on its sign. The vessel suffered a “catastrophic implosion” less than two hours into its journey to the Titanic wreckage, killing all five people on board. Given the tragedy, many people feel that Subway’s advertisement is in “poor taste.”
The sign outside the Subway restaurant read: “Our subs don’t implode.” The obvious reference to what happened to Titan’s passengers, not many people found it funny. It’s likely the families of British billionaire Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, Oceangate CEO Stockton Rush, and French diver and Titanic expert Paul-Henry Nargeolet were particularly unimpressed.
After facing significant backlash online, the store manager at the Rincon Subway location says the sign featuring the Titanic joke has since been removed. However, the franchise won’t offer any further comment on the situation.
The sign for #Subway “Our subs don't implode.” The phrase is in reference to the recent implosion of the #Titan submersible that killed 5 people near the wreckage of the Titanic. WTOC has received several messages about the poor taste, unclear if its about the sign or sandwiches. pic.twitter.com/erzoX31qak
— ∼Marietta (@MariettaDaviz) July 4, 2023
Over on a Reddit thread titled “Is it tasteless? Well yeah, it’s subway,” commenters voiced their thoughts on the “joke.” While many people did get the humor, however inappropriate, others wondered if it was simply too soon and completely unnecessary. On Twitter, people were much harsher with their disapproval.
“This is at your store in Rincon, GA,” one person wrote along with a photo of the sign. “Not only is it distasteful, it’s just sad. Do better.” Another critic posted, “This is what we’re doing now? Making fun of people who lost their lives?”
One of the higher-ups at Subway told UNILAD: “ 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.”
Something tells me this isn’t the last terrible attempt at Titan “humor” we’ll be subject to.
