You've seen their commercials. You probably even rooted for Jared in his quest to lose weight. But now, Mexico residents have a hometown person they can rally for, the next time they visit Subway.
Penny Rutherford of Mexico recently submitted an entry in Subway's summer campaign that offered individuals, organizations and schools a chance to create their own breakfast sandwich, and invite the community in to taste it.
The campaign – held in early May – was part of the new breakfast selections being launched at Subways across the state. Subway spokesperson Mike Honeywell said Rutherford's sandwich pulled in the second highest in sales, out of a pool of 200 entries, making her one of the five finalists competing to have their sandwich become a permanent fixture on Subway's breakfast menu.
Rutherford's sandwich, called the Bulldog Muffin Melt, starts with an English muffin, topped with sausage, yellow egg, Pepper Jack cheese, a few slices of green peppers and onions, toasted and topped with Chipotle Southwest sauce.
Umm, makes your mouth water just thinking about it – per the 500 people that lined up outside Subway to receive a free sample at Rutherford's breakfast party, that was also held in May.
"When I decided to build a Subway breakfast sandwich for Mexico, I was both nervous and excited," Rutherford recalled. "Mexico is where I was born and raised. It's where my husband and I both work. It's also where my kids go to school.
"The pressure was on to make sure this sandwich would be a big hit. I remember thinking to myself, 'If I can pull this off, I'll put smiles on a lot of people's faces. Then I remembered, hey I'm in photography. Smiles are my business."
One of the biggest challenges, Rutherford said, was coming up with the name.
"I had lots of ideas but none of them felt quite right. It needed to be something everyone in Mexico could be proud of," Rutherford said. "Then it hit me. Our school mascot is the bulldog. Why not name our breakfast sandwich the Bulldog Melt?
"Surely, that's something people could get behind, especially if the sandwich tasted good."
Rutherford is competing against four other groups, but only one has her concerned – the Skaggs 60th Anniversary Melt, made with steak, egg whites, provolone cheese, with green peppers, onions, tomatoes, and Chipotle Southwest sauce, toasted on an English muffin.
"I really want to win, but I know I have my work cut out, and I'm definitely feeling the pressure," Rutherford said. "Skaggs of course is the one to beat because they had the most people come in for their breakfast party.
"But mine, of course, is the better sandwich, filled with flavor and a little spice."
Rutherford has sent out mass emails to all the local schools, teachers and her family and friends, in hopes the word would spread. She's also offering free hash brown coupons with each Bulldog Melt ordered, as an added incentive.
The other sandwiches selected for the final round are the "Ovid Steak Sandwich," made with Pepper Jack cheese, onions, jalapenos, salt and pepper and sweet onion sauce, toasted on an English muffin – and the "Alz about the Egg" entry, made with Black Forest Ham, egg white, onions, green pepper, toasted on an English muffin.
Mexico's two Subways are among the 45 stores that Honeywell oversees. The contest, he said, was a way to get the public involved with the store's search for a new breakfast sandwich. He was already familiar with Rutherford from previous fundraising projects she'd done with Subway and a local preschool, and felt she'd be perfect for the contest.
"Penny has made this whole thing happen here; her energy, enthusiasm and desire to do something to bring the community together. That was her motivation, and to date, she's been able to do it, which says a lot about her," Honeywell noted. After Rutherford was selected as a finalist in the statewide campaign, second only to Skaggs Medical Center in Branson, Honeywell was the one to deliver the news.
"What's remarkable about Penny is she's an individual, not an organization like the other entries. She's come this far, all through hometown pride."
And, what made Rutherford's sandwich a top choice – definitely her personality and drive to promote her sandwich locally, Honeywell said.
"When you meet her, she's bubbly, down to earth, and real. This sandwich is something she created and personalized. It's actually an extension of her, which is why people took hold to the idea and supported her."
Asked which one he thinks will win, Honeywell said, "The real truth will show at the register, by the number of sandwiches that get sold."
Anyone that stops in at either Mexico Subway location and purchases Rutherford's sandwich, adds to her chances of winning the contest. Supporters can also vote for her sandwich on line at www.eatfreshmo.com.
Votes can be cast now through Oct. 4. The winner of the contest will be announced in late October, after the total sales have been tallied.
Rutherford is the daughter of Willie and Darlene Hiatte of Mexico. She works for Unger's Photography, her husband, Tony, works at Teva, and they have two sons – Weston, 8, and Auston, 5.
Should her entry win, Rutherford would be awarded special honors and prizes that would include a T-shirt, plaque, and three months of free Subway Breakfast Melts. The special honors include appearances in Subway's breakfast promotions such as radio spots, menu panels, table tents, websites, and print ads.
"My first goal was to get it on the menu, and my second goal is to win the final competition," Rutherford told The Ledger. "So go in and try it, and then let me know what you think."
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You've seen their commercials. You probably even rooted for Jared in his quest to lose weight. But now, Mexico residents have a hometown person they can rally for, the next time they visit Subway.
Penny Rutherford of Mexico recently submitted an entry in Subway's summer campaign that offered individuals, organizations and schools a chance to create their own breakfast sandwich, and invite the community in to taste it.
The campaign – held in early May – was part of the new breakfast selections being launched at Subways across the state. Subway spokesperson Mike Honeywell said Rutherford's sandwich pulled in the second highest in sales, out of a pool of 200 entries, making her one of the five finalists competing to have their sandwich become a permanent fixture on Subway's breakfast menu.
Rutherford's sandwich, called the Bulldog Muffin Melt, starts with an English muffin, topped with sausage, yellow egg, Pepper Jack cheese, a few slices of green peppers and onions, toasted and topped with Chipotle Southwest sauce.
Umm, makes your mouth water just thinking about it – per the 500 people that lined up outside Subway to receive a free sample at Rutherford's breakfast party, that was also held in May.
"When I decided to build a Subway breakfast sandwich for Mexico, I was both nervous and excited," Rutherford recalled. "Mexico is where I was born and raised. It's where my husband and I both work. It's also where my kids go to school.
"The pressure was on to make sure this sandwich would be a big hit. I remember thinking to myself, 'If I can pull this off, I'll put smiles on a lot of people's faces. Then I remembered, hey I'm in photography. Smiles are my business."
One of the biggest challenges, Rutherford said, was coming up with the name.
"I had lots of ideas but none of them felt quite right. It needed to be something everyone in Mexico could be proud of," Rutherford said. "Then it hit me. Our school mascot is the bulldog. Why not name our breakfast sandwich the Bulldog Melt?
"Surely, that's something people could get behind, especially if the sandwich tasted good."
Rutherford is competing against four other groups, but only one has her concerned – the Skaggs 60th Anniversary Melt, made with steak, egg whites, provolone cheese, with green peppers, onions, tomatoes, and Chipotle Southwest sauce, toasted on an English muffin.
"I really want to win, but I know I have my work cut out, and I'm definitely feeling the pressure," Rutherford said. "Skaggs of course is the one to beat because they had the most people come in for their breakfast party.
"But mine, of course, is the better sandwich, filled with flavor and a little spice."
Rutherford has sent out mass emails to all the local schools, teachers and her family and friends, in hopes the word would spread. She's also offering free hash brown coupons with each Bulldog Melt ordered, as an added incentive.
The other sandwiches selected for the final round are the "Ovid Steak Sandwich," made with Pepper Jack cheese, onions, jalapenos, salt and pepper and sweet onion sauce, toasted on an English muffin – and the "Alz about the Egg" entry, made with Black Forest Ham, egg white, onions, green pepper, toasted on an English muffin.
Mexico's two Subways are among the 45 stores that Honeywell oversees. The contest, he said, was a way to get the public involved with the store's search for a new breakfast sandwich. He was already familiar with Rutherford from previous fundraising projects she'd done with Subway and a local preschool, and felt she'd be perfect for the contest.
"Penny has made this whole thing happen here; her energy, enthusiasm and desire to do something to bring the community together. That was her motivation, and to date, she's been able to do it, which says a lot about her," Honeywell noted. After Rutherford was selected as a finalist in the statewide campaign, second only to Skaggs Medical Center in Branson, Honeywell was the one to deliver the news.
"What's remarkable about Penny is she's an individual, not an organization like the other entries. She's come this far, all through hometown pride."
And, what made Rutherford's sandwich a top choice – definitely her personality and drive to promote her sandwich locally, Honeywell said.
"When you meet her, she's bubbly, down to earth, and real. This sandwich is something she created and personalized. It's actually an extension of her, which is why people took hold to the idea and supported her."
Asked which one he thinks will win, Honeywell said, "The real truth will show at the register, by the number of sandwiches that get sold."
Anyone that stops in at either Mexico Subway location and purchases Rutherford's sandwich, adds to her chances of winning the contest. Supporters can also vote for her sandwich on line at www.eatfreshmo.com.
Votes can be cast now through Oct. 4. The winner of the contest will be announced in late October, after the total sales have been tallied.
Rutherford is the daughter of Willie and Darlene Hiatte of Mexico. She works for Unger's Photography, her husband, Tony, works at Teva, and they have two sons – Weston, 8, and Auston, 5.
Should her entry win, Rutherford would be awarded special honors and prizes that would include a T-shirt, plaque, and three months of free Subway Breakfast Melts. The special honors include appearances in Subway's breakfast promotions such as radio spots, menu panels, table tents, websites, and print ads.
"My first goal was to get it on the menu, and my second goal is to win the final competition," Rutherford told The Ledger. "So go in and try it, and then let me know what you think."
