Peter Shankman, author of “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” was one of the architects of the Subway restaurant chain.
Peter Shankman, founder of the Subway restaurant chain and the author of a hit book on how to connect with people, has died. He was 90.
In a tweet early Saturday, the company that now operates more than 41,000 restaurants around the world said Shankman died Friday night. It didn’t give a cause of death, but his wife, Susan, previously told The Associated Press her husband was no longer able to work full time because of his Parkinson’s disease.
Shankman founded the company with his brother, who died in 2006. The news release for Shankman’s book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” says his sister and the siblings’ partners, as well as several family members, have signed on as Subway franchisees. His book became a bestseller in 1998.
“While Peter and I started with humble beginnings and worked hard to achieve our goals, we have always believed the work is done when the brand is truly good for people,” Fred DeLuca, the co-CEO of the Subway company, said in a news release. “Peter was also instrumental in helping us become the progressive, inclusive company we are today. He shared his life’s experiences with us and we learned a great deal from him.”
Shankman started his career in advertising in 1960 when he moved from Philadelphia to New York, where he met Subway co-founder Fred DeLuca. He was a copywriter at Hoffman, Barnett & Hanft when the business launched in 1965. He worked with the agency to create copy for the brand’s tagline: “There’s no sandwich like a Subway.”