19 Pub Sub Secrets That Change the Way Floridians Order

You may have ordered the same Pub Sub so many times that you could recite it.

But Floridians who stick to their usual order could be leaving good options on the counter.

These tips may change how you order on your next visit.

1. Tutto Pugliese at the Counter

Your Pub Sub can be made on a fresh slice of Tutto Pugliese where the store has it, a bakery loaf you get only by asking.

Supermarket Perimeter, a trade publication, reported in 2024 that you can ask a deli associate for your sub on a fresh slice of it.

Publix makes each loaf from durum wheat semolina and sourdough flour and shapes it by hand.

Ask for it by name.

That 2024 coverage listed it as available daily.

2. Soft White Roll

Publix added a soft white sub roll to its lineup in February 2025, baked fresh in-store and available year-round.

Publix calls it its softest sub roll.

It’s baked in-store.

Nothing says how you pick it, so ask for it at your deli counter.

3. Five Wraps, One Gluten-Free

You can swap the roll for a wrap on your Pub Sub build, and Publix’s deli order page lists five options: Spinach, white, whole wheat, tomato, and gluten-free.

The wrap replaces the roll.

Publix’s food allergen FAQ points you to in-store signage about cross-contact at the deli and bakery.

So read that sign before you order the gluten-free wrap for a medical reason.

4. Baked Chicken Tender Sub

Publix lists a whole Baked Chicken Tender Sub in its deli catalog, with your choice of sub roll, cheese, and toppings.

Publix’s product pages describe the standard tender as double hand-breaded and fried, and they list the baked sub as a separate item.

If you’ve been passing on the Chicken Tender Sub because of the grease, you have a second way to order it.

The roll doesn’t change.

5. Sample-Slice Option

Publix’s sliced meats and cheeses page says you can sample its deli meats and cheeses, and it tells you to just ask for a slice.

Your Pub Sub comes from that same deli.

So if you’re torn between provolone and a cheese you’ve never tried, ask for a slice before you commit a whole sub to it.

You taste it first.

6. Online Sale Prices

Publix’s in-store pickup FAQ says the site automatically reflects the sale price when a sub or any other pickup item is on sale.

So you can order the sale sub from your couch and still pay the ad price when you pick it up.

The price doesn’t change.

You choose your pickup store first, from 898 Publix stores across Florida, per the company’s facts page.

7. Wait Times by Order Size

If you’re ordering six Pub Subs for a tailgate, that 25-minute figure was never meant for you.

Publix puts the average wait for a single order-ahead item at about 25 minutes, and its FAQ says the wait may increase as your order grows.

Give it more time.

The pickup form lets you pick a date and time from the options offered, so choose a slot with room in it.

8. Your Combo Drink and Side

You might get home with a Publix combo and no drink, and that reminder in the FAQ is meant for you.

Publix’s sub FAQ has you pick a drink and a side from the combo menu, then reminds you to collect those items yourself when you pick up.

The sub comes alone.

The drink and the side are yours to grab.

9. Instacart Markup

Publix runs delivery and curbside pickup through Instacart, and the company’s FAQ says the higher online prices cover Instacart’s costs, including shopping the order.

Publix’s deli page carries the same note for your order, saying item prices vary from item prices in physical store locations.

Pickup skips the markup.

Order the same sub for in-store pickup instead, and Publix’s FAQ says you get the service without any additional fees or charges.

10. Instacart Coupon Gap

If a clipped coupon is part of your plan, the Publix order has to go through in-store pickup or the register, not the delivery cart.

Publix’s delivery FAQ says printed and digital coupons clipped to your Club Publix account aren’t redeemable through Instacart.

Most BOGOs and Club Publix perks do carry over, by the same FAQ, though not every weekly ad promotion applies.

The coupon stays clipped.

11. Changes After You Submit

Publix’s pickup FAQ says changes are always welcome, even after you submit a sub order.

You call the store at the number on your order summary or email confirmation and ask for the change.

One call fixes it.

If you forgot the pickles, you don’t have to cancel and start over.

12. Your 30-Day Cart

If you keep re-entering the same roll, cheese, and toppings on your Pub Sub every time, you can stop.

Publix keeps a sub order in your cart for 30 days when you place it while logged in to Club Publix, according to its pickup FAQ.

The order also lands in your Purchase History for three months.

Your build stays saved.

13. Charged at Order Time

Submit the online Pub Sub order only when you’re sure of it, not to hold a slot you might not use.

Publix charges your payment method when you submit a pickup order, not when you walk up to the deli.

The charge is immediate.

You can still choose to pay at the register in the store instead.

14. Gift Cards Plus One Card

Publix lets you pay for a pickup sub online with a debit card, a credit card, a Publix gift card, or Apple Pay, per its pricing FAQ.

You can also combine gift cards with a single debit or credit card, or with Apple Pay, on one order.

The split is allowed.

15. In-Store-Only Order

Put the Pub Sub on a separate order when paying ahead matters to you, and both parts pay the way you want.

Publix warns that not every pickup item is eligible for online payment.

Not everything qualifies.

With one ineligible item in the basket, the whole order gets paid at the register.

You can pay for the sub online, but if you add something the site won’t take payment on, you pay for everything inside the store.

16. Club Publix Perks Online

Publix deducts eligible Club Publix perks from a pickup order’s total, though not all perks or products qualify.

Those perks sit in your Club Publix account, where Publix notes that certain offers are limited to particular areas and stores.

Sign in before you build the sub because the perks ride on that account.

Perks are applied automatically.

17. Sub Platters

Your game-day spread can be one order instead of a stack of separate Pub Subs.

Publix’s deli takes sandwich platter orders built from subs, sliders, wraps, and pinwheels, and its FAQ says to place the order 24 hours ahead.

Publix sizes platters from mini, about five guests, up to large, about 28.

It’s one pickup.

18. Publix Promise at the Deli

Publix’s Promise policy covers a scanned price at checkout that exceeds the shelf or advertised price.

You get one of that item free, and Publix charges the lower price for the rest.

The policy excludes only alcohol and tobacco, so a Pub Sub isn’t on the exception list.

A sub built to order at the counter has no shelf price, so this turns on an advertised sub price.

The ad price rules.

Check your receipt against the ad price before you leave because the policy applies during checkout.

19. Guarantee on a Sub

Publix's Guarantee promises a full refund of the purchase price, immediately upon request, on anything that doesn't give you complete satisfaction.

So try the baked tender or the tomato wrap you're unsure about, since a sub you don't like is a refund, not a loss.

You're covered.

Keep the receipt, and Publix's refund policy sends the money back to the card you paid with.