10 Things You Need To Know Before Ordering At Publix's Deli

When you visit the deli at your grocery store, you're probably picking up meat and cheese for sandwiches or putting together a charcuterie board for your next gathering. Perhaps you're grabbing a pre-made soup or salad to take to work the next day, or some fried chicken for dinner. Regular things. However, if you're a Publix shopper, well, 'regular' doesn't quite seem to fully cover it.

The Publix deli is an experience. Whether you have a fancy location with multiple food stations, including fresh popcorn and a burrito bar, or a smaller one, there's something there you will like. It attracts everyone from the average shopper to social media hounds yearning for the next viral Pub Sub. And it can be a lot to take in if you've never been. Which is why we're here.

There are more than a few tricks to keep up your sleeve when going to the Publix deli, like how to save money when ordering the Pub Sub of the week. To help you out, we put together a list of 10 things you need to know before ordering at Publix's deli. These are a great starter pack for anyone new, and some of them might even be helpful to seasoned shoppers. They're a mix of things we found on the internet, as well as some personal experience. So, read on to find your next Publix deli hack.

This first one may seem like a no-brainer in a world where ordering ahead is second nature, but it's still important. Like with most places, you can't place an order online at the Publix deli and expect it to still be there five hours later. You need to keep in mind how long they will hold food items when placing your order to make sure it's not only still there when you go to pick it up, but it's ready to eat.

With online orders, you can put in a time for pick-up during the checkout process, and the hold time will start from there. The general rule of thumb is that they will hold hot subs for 30 minutes, cold subs for an hour, and two to four hours for anything else from the kitchen. Now, this could vary by location, so if you want to really make sure, you can always call the deli and ask. Some locations have upped the time to an hour for hot subs and 1½ hours for cold subs.

Regardless, if you put in a pick-up time for your Pub Sub, it's best to be there as close to that time as possible. You wouldn't want your Buffalo chicken tender sub to get tossed in the trash, nor would you want it to be cold and soggy by the time you get to chow down.

If you've seen the large, mouth-watering, viral salads from Publix on social media, but then are confused when you show up and it's not exactly on the menu, we get it. That's because many of those salads you see are actually Pub Subs. Sort of. Basically, any Pub Sub can be turned into a salad. And we do mean any.

When ordering online, you have the option to turn a sub into a salad with either a lettuce or spinach base — it's right there under "Bread." When you're ordering in person, you can just tell the worker that you want it as a salad. It's really that easy. In fact, a few of these salads made our list of the best ready-to-eat meals at Publix.

The beauty of this is how customizable the salads are. Want to try a different kind of sauce or dressing? Go for it. Not a fan of banana peppers? Take them off. Want a fully loaded salad with all the veggies available on it and some fancy cheese? You can do that too. The options are endless when it comes to building a salad at the Publix deli.

Skip the pre-packaged cuts of deli meat and go straight to the counter to get a customized amount. Whether it's just you at home or you need to feed a football team, you can save money and cut down on food waste by getting the exact amount of ham or turkey that you need for the week by ordering it at the deli counter. You can select any amount you like when ordering in person, or purchase 1/4 to 2 pounds online. The deli also offers options for thickness, allowing you to choose anything from shaved ham to thick dinner slices.

The same goes for cheese. You can get thick or thinly sliced American cheese (or any cheese they have available) in any weight that you want. This is particular handy when building charcuterie boards, because you can buy small amounts of a wide variety of meats and cheeses.

Publix deli fried chicken is famous. People love it, and it's not really any secret why. (It's the seasoning and crunch level.) But did you know that you can have the deli toss chicken wings in a sauce of your choosing? This is available at any location at any time, though we've seen some locations doing specials on it. It's perfect for Super Bowl parties or any time you want to bring a variety of wings to the party without spending all day in the kitchen.

It's pretty simple. Just go to the deli and pick up a pack of hot and ready chicken wings (note — it must hot and ready, they don't do this with cold ones). Then, take it up to the counter and tell them that you'd like them tossed in whatever sauce you want. You can even request extra seasonings sprinkled on top, such as lemon pepper.

A variety of sauces is available, such as hot and mild buffalo, garlic Parmesan, sweet home Sriracha, spicy gold BBQ, hot honey, BBQ, honey mustard, and ranch; however, it may vary by store and availability. 

Publix deli has a ton of sides. Walk into just about any location and you'll see a wall of various pre-made salads and dishes in a variety of sizes. But the question likely on your mind is whether or not they're made in-store or if they are shipped in that way. And the answer is: both, depending on the side.

Some sides like potato salad, macaroni salad, and coleslaw are all made in a central processing location and shipped out to stores. The same goes for hot sides — they're just reheated once they arrive and are put out at the hot bar. Some items, such as pasta salads and puddings, come in kits. So they're partially prepared, but when they get to stores, workers add fresh ingredients before they are packaged and put out in displays.

There are some items that are prepared fresh in stores, like tabouli salads. The easiest way to know this is to look for a "prepared fresh in store" distinction. These items are usually labeled as such when ordering online, but if you're not sure, you can always ask a deli worker.

Most people know that Publix makes its bread fresh in-store — this includes what you can purchase in the bakery and the bread for Pub Subs. While you might also notice that when ordering online, you're given a choice of four breads — white, Italian 5-grain, whole wheat, and soft sub roll — at the store, you can request something different; specifically, Tutto Pugliese bread.

Publix added Tutto Pugliese bread to its bakery in May 2023, and you can ask for the upgrade when ordering a Pub Sub for no extra cost. These football-shaped loaves come in three flavors — plain, a cheese medley, and onion asiago. To get the upgrade, you just have to ask the deli worker to make the sandwich from a loaf that's in the bakery section.

Reviews have said that this is a flavorful upgrade to an already great sandwich. Tutto bread is thick and can handle all the extra toppings you might want to add. It's also perfect for an Italian sub, according to one review. This is available at all Publix locations, though again, it is dependent on availability, so be sure to check that there's Tutto bread in the bakery before you order.

Most grocery stores have weekly ads, but you definitely want to check out Publix's before you hit the deli. There's almost always a coupon or deal that you can take advantage of, such as $2 off a whole Italian sub. They also include helpful information, like links to order ahead so you don't have to wait in line. In today's economy, it's a great way to save a few bucks while getting a sandwich or salad that you love.

In addition to coupons, the weekly ad also has plenty of great BOGO deals. Publix's buy-one-get-one free deals are definitely one of the things you should be on the lookout for every time you go to the store. There's also a section on the website solely devoted to BOGO deals, of you can find them when you search the deli section specifically. Savings on deli items vary weekly but there are usually several available.

We've already established that Publix deli fried chicken is to die for. While it's not completely clear who the store's supplier is, we can guess it's from a company that shares the chain's spirit for sustainability. Either way, it doesn't detract from the fact that it's good fried chicken. And the best time to buy said chicken — according to deli workers — is at 10 A.M.

While most locations will cook fried chicken throughout the day, this seems to be the generally established time when you can expect it to be in stock and at its freshest. Workers also recommended ordering ahead if you can't make it into the store at that time. This will guarantee that not only will it be in stock, but it'll be freshly fried for you.

If you order ahead — either by phone or online — or in-store, it usually takes about 25 minutes to cook fried chicken and wings. Tenders and popcorn chicken take less — about 10 minutes or so. Granted, this all depends on how busy the location is. The more orders they have coming in, the longer it might take to get freshly fried goodness.

Speaking of fried chicken, this hack has been making the rounds on social media, especially among moms. If you or your kids love Publix deli's popcorn chicken, don't order the cup — order it by weight. You'll definitely save money and can get more for less. Let's break down how this works. Note — prices may vary by location.

The popcorn chicken cup is advertised as 6 ounces, though you may or may not actually get a full 6 ounces of chicken (usually it's somewhere between 4 and 6 ounces). However, the price is fixed and runs anywhere from $6 to $8, again, depending on the location. This 'mom hack' was raved about by one happy TikToker who said she ordered just over 1 ½ pounds of popcorn chicken for roughly $13, which saved her $9  versus if she had gotten multiple cups.

@maganhendry

Did you already know about this hack? MOM HACK ↓ Don't buy the overpriced cup at the deli. 👏 Ask for 1.5 or 2 pounds of the Publix popcorn chicken by weight—you'll get so much more for your money.#momlife #momhacks #boymom #publix #publixhaul #publixhack

♬ original sound – Magan Hendry

Another mom ordered 6 ounces of popcorn chicken by weight, skipping the cup, and paid just over $5. Either way, don't get the cup. Order by weight, and you can get more popcorn chicken for your buck, even if it means spending a bit of extra time at the deli counter.

There's no doubt that one of the hottest trends when it comes to the Publix deli is to customize your Pub Sub or wrap and then share it with the world on social media. This is how the Buffalo chicken tender sub became famous, and it seems like every week brings a new twist.

The options when it comes to toppings and seasonings are endless, which can be overwhelming for some of us. This is why it's fun to scroll through social media to learn about the latest mash-ups to try. Everyone has their own take on tried and true favorites — we have our own sub that we'd order over and over again — but people are always creating new secret menu items that are worth a try.

Typically, when people post about their latest creations, they include a list of all the ingredients so you don't have to sit and guess what's in them. One of the current faves for folks to try out is the hot honey chicken tender wraps. However, next week, there could be something completely new making the rounds.