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A Subway shop in the Freedom Tower?

Amid the steel beams and construction tools, an unlikely sight is rising alongside 1 World Trade Center: a Subway Sandwich shop.Matt Lauer stopped in for a quick break during his trip to the top, buying lunch for some of the 3,500 workers who are helping raise the soon-to-be tallest skyscraper in America at a pace of about one floor a week. It'll eventually reach 105 stories into the air.And as th
The Subway sandwich shop is hoisted by crane onto the rising steel frame of the Freedom Tower in 2009.
The Subway sandwich shop is hoisted by crane onto the rising steel frame of the Freedom Tower in 2009.Mark Lennihan / AP file / Today


Amid the steel beams and construction tools, an unlikely sight is rising alongside 1 World Trade Center: a Subway Sandwich shop.

Matt Lauer stopped in for a quick break during his trip to the top, buying lunch for some of the 3,500 workers who are helping raise the soon-to-be tallest skyscraper in America at a pace of about one floor a week. It'll eventually reach 105 stories into the air.

And as the building gets taller -- its final height will be 1,776 feet -- the Subway shop attendants get a better view. The restaurant is located on a moveable pod that raises alongside the skyscraper.

Kevin Kane, the public relations manager for Subway, told TODAY.com that it's a convenient location for the workers, who would otherwise spend 40 minutes traveling from the upper floors to street level just to grab a bite to eat. What can the workers order?

"It has a regular Subway menu – although there are a few 'specials' added that you might not find in a regular Subway restaurant," Kane said, adding that the franchise also sold hot dogs and ice cream "mostly to keep it interesting."

Richard Schragger, the franchise owner, owns four other Subway restaurants around Manhattan. “I don’t think the veggies will be a big seller,” Schragger told the New York Times. “I imagine most of the guys will want protein. Philly Cheesesteaks and the Feast.”

Why did the company constructing the historic tower select Subway for the unique opportunity? It had the best logistical and business plan after their original choice, a local deli, couldn't make it work under the unique circumstances.

If you were the boss -- what restaurant would you have selected? What one spot do you crave after a hard day of work? Watch Matt's tour -- and let us know in the comments below.

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