On my last two visits to Quizno’s I noticed they have changed the way they wrap their sandwiches for carry-out. Normally this kind of thing wouldn’t garner a second thought from me, but the new way they are wrapping their sandwiches is somewhat annoying to me. So I looked into it and discovered Quizno’s is trying to “be green.”

I happen to be something of a sandwich lover. Turkey sandwiches to be specific. So you will regularly see me at Subway, Togo’s, or as in the case today, Quizno’s. And since I eat said sandwiches at my desk I like to have something to open up and use as a sort of placemat. The new wrapping is contains “significant amounts” of post-consumer materials and supposedly uses less paper. Post consumer materials is good, it’s the way they designed the “less paper” I find issue with.

With this new wrapping I now have to carefully tear open the cute little sleeve the sandwiches come in to have a flat and somewhat larger place to put the sandwich down between bites. (I don’t like to work for my food.) And once the paper is flat it isn’t all that much smaller than the old school style Quizno’s used to have. Add in the glue, which I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure is not environmentally friendly, and I’m not sure this isn’t more than a marketing gimmick; Quizno’s attempt to capitalize on a recent trend toward being “earth-friendly.”

Now don’t get me wrong, I am all about helping the environment. I recycle as much as possible and get e-bills from those I can so I don’t waste paper. But when your efforts as a service company (the service of offering convenient food) to go green impede the very service you are offering, that’s where you need to take a second look.

Okay, maybe I’m just being picky. I like my sandwiches and I want to enjoy them without hassle. Is that too much to ask? This may may make me rethink Quizno’s the next time I want a turkey sandwich. What do you think? Leave a comment with your thoughts.