Author BK Borison accidentally ignites heated debate over 'Wawa sub'

A Baltimore writer’s ‘throwaway’ fictional line has caused commotion on social media, with the company involved even wading in with a cheeky response.

In her new book, And Now, Back to You, author BK Borison wrote that one of her characters, Delilah Stewart, saw ‘a guy leaning against the bumper, eating a sub’ from the popular American convenience store chain, Wawa.

Wawa, primarily located along the East Coast of the United States, is famed for its hot and cold hoagies, paninis, and speciality club sandwiches.

Discourse has erupted via Threads, with one reader claiming the ‘sub from Wawa’ phrase would ‘haunt them’.

“A SUB?????? FROM WAWA????????” they continued.

Another commented: "Idk what’s happening in these comments but 1000% if it’s from Wawa it’s a friggin hoagie.”

Wawa, famous for its hoagies, has been mentioned in a new romance book (Wawa)

Following And Now, Back to You’s publication on 10 February, Borison has stood firm on her decision not to use the ‘hoagie’ moniker.

She claimed that Delilah and her love interest, Jackson Clark, are both from Baltimore, where denizens reportedly call sandwiches subs.

“She's from Baltimore, you know, she wouldn't make an observation just because of a menu name.

“She saw it, she called it a 'sub' because people in Baltimore call it a 'sub,' and so even I feel like if people flagged it during the review process, I would still be right," the author told People Magazine.

She claimed that when she wrote the ‘throwaway line’ she had no idea that one day ‘thousands of people would be weighing in on the subject of ‘sub’ terminology’.

"I didn't realise that 'hoagie' was an acceptable choice to call a 'sub’,” the romance writer complained.

“Nobody from Baltimore calls a 'sub' anything but a 'sub.'”

Borison continued, claiming that she found the viral debate ‘really funny’.

The novel line has caused controversy online (Pan)

“It was a funny thing to pop out from the whole story. It's such a throwaway line, it's such an observational moment that I thought it was really silly, and I thought it was a fun little tidbit from the book to engage with.”

Amid the online discourse, Borison shared a photo of Ben Affleck seemingly looking tired with the caption: “Me trying to explain to people that a fictional character would never refer to a sub as a hoagie, even if Wawa does in fact call it a hoagie on their menu, because she is from Baltimore and no one in Baltimore calls it a hoagie.”

Capitalising on the moment, the Wawa press team sent Borison a PR backage containing two hats, one with an emproidered sandwich and another with the word ‘hoagies’.

“We couldn’t resist.. Sending some live from the home of the hoagie, BK!,” a handwritten note read.

“Next ‘sub’ is on us [love heart] your frineds at Wawa.”

Borison shared an image of the promotional package with the caption: “Well played, @wawa,” followed by a laughing and a skull emoji.

Wawa has responded to the book backlash (Threads/@authorbkborinson)

A spokesperson for Wawa told PEOPLE they always call their sandwiches hoagies, regardless of location. The brand shared their excitement at being mentioned in books and pop culture.

"For many, the hoagie is synonymous with Wawa," the chain said. "More than anything, we’re grateful for the passion our customers have for our products and brand. That passion runs especially deep when it comes to the hoagie, and we love to celebrate the hoagie and our communities."