Subway and Taco Del Mar will open as many as a dozen fast-food restaurants in Hawaii this year and hire up to 175 workers as part of a major expansion nationwide.

"There’s a lot of people who are entrepreneurs looking for something that’s not too expensive to get into," said Ted Davenport, president of Subway Hawaii, which has the rights to sell the Subway and Taco Del Mar franchises locally. "A lot of competitors cost about three to four times as much to get into. Subway and Taco Del Mar is set up to be an inexpensive, return-on-investment-type business."

Seven Subway stores are planned within the year, including one opening next week at Whaler’s Village on Maui. Two stores are planned in Hawi and Ocean View on Hawaii island, as well as in Hanalei and Poipu on Kauai, and another two in Honolulu, Davenport said.

The Subway eateries will hire between 50 and 100 workers combined, he said. The Connecticut-based chain announced Friday that it plans to open 2,500 new franchises worldwide and hire 25,000 workers this year.

Subway’s affiliate Taco Del Mar will open another five stores at Ford Island and Pearl Harbor, and in Lihue, Kihei on Maui and Hilo.

The Taco Del Mar franchises will hire an additional 75 workers.

Subway has 116 stores in Hawaii, while Taco Del Mar operates 13.