National Sandwich Day 2015: How To Get Freebies, Discounts And Other Deals On Subs, Paninis And More

The sandwich was born nearly three centuries ago, when John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, decided he wanted to be able to eat while continuing to play cards. He ordered his servants to put beef between slices of bread, or so the story goes, and he went without any other food for 24 hours. Today, we celebrate National Sandwich Day every year on Nov. 3, which means Tuesday is a chance to get freebies, deals and discounts on sandwiches across the country.

At Subway, if you buy one sandwich, you can get a second sandwich for free. The catch is that you also have to buy a 30-ounce fountain drink, and that, as TIME has pointed out, seems rather contrary to the chain's efforts to brand itself as a healthy fast food joint. The drink costs $1.80.

In Tennessee, Arby's is offering a free Roast Beef Classic if you buy a drink and sign up for the company's email list, and it's offering the same sandwich for 99 cents (there's a limit of 20 per customer) without the download.

If you live in one of the 16 states or Washington, D.C., where Capriotti's Sandwich Shop has a branch, you can download its app and enter contest to win free subs for one year.

McDonald's is offering a free sandwich and other rewards to those who download the McDonald's app.

Other smaller, local venues are also offering deals and contests for free food. You can be entered into a drawing for a gift card at Hot Table, a western Massachusetts and central Connecticut-based joint that promises "the freshest, tastiest panini you've ever had," if you retweet this tweet, for instance, so it might be worth checking your favorite local spots for deals or other chances to win free food.

For those who are not looking for discounts or freebies but simply want to eat an amazing sandwich, there are dozens of ethnic and national variations to sample. CBS New York has this list of French, Vietnamese, Italian and American sandwich spots in New York City, the DCist recommends these top sandwich locales in Washington, and Boston Magazine suggests these spots in Boston for the best banh mi sandwiches, tortas and more.