Firehouse Subs

Name

Firehouse Subs

Legal name

Firehouse of America, LLC

Website

https://firehousesubs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fast Casual Restaurant Chain

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Sandwiches & Subs QSR (THAFAAAD)

Keywords

• Fast casual restaurant
• Sub sandwich chain
• Franchise restaurant chain
• Food catering services
• Mobile food ordering

Headquarters

HQ city

Jacksonville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Sales (Company-Owned and Franchise): Firehouse Subs generates primary revenue through company-owned and franchised restaurant locations selling sandwiches, sides, beverages, and catering orders. The company operates primarily through franchisees who pay royalties and fees to the parent company Restaurant Brands International.
2. Franchise Fees and Royalties: Franchisees pay an initial franchise fee of $20,000 and ongoing royalties. The company offers development incentive programs up to $100,000 per restaurant for qualified franchisees. The franchise model enables capital-light growth while management focuses on brand management, marketing, and menu innovation.
3. Catering Services: Catering services for group events including standard half platters, deluxe half platters, standard platters, deluxe platters, box lunches, salads, beverages, and soups available at participating locations.
4. Gift Card Sales: Sale of physical and digital gift cards with maximum value of $200 per card. Gift cards do not expire and are not subject to transaction fees.
5. Limited Edition Merchandise: Limited-edition products such as the Gravy Extinguisher for Thanksgiving (priced at $20), with 100% of proceeds benefiting the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Firehouse Subs operates a fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in steamed-hot sub sandwiches, with over 1,450 franchised and company-owned locations primarily across North America. The menu features signature hot specialty subs (Hook & Ladder, Firehouse Meatball, Italian), customizable Build Your Own options, cold subs, salads, sides, beverages, and catering platters. The chain also runs the Firehouse Rewards loyalty program, mobile ordering and payment platform, gift card program, and the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation charitable initiative.

Product overview

Firehouse Subs is a fast-casual restaurant chain serving hot and cold sub sandwiches, founded in Jacksonville in 1994 by firefighter brothers Chris and Robin Sorensen. The company operates as a subsidiary of Restaurant Brands International (acquired in 2021) and has grown to over 1,450 locations across North America. The core product offering consists of steamed-hot specialty subs (including Hook & Ladder, Firehouse Meatball, Firehouse Captain's Club, Italian, and others), customizable Build Your Own Sub options, and cold subs. The menu is expanded by limited-timeSmokin' Honey Melts (protein-focused melts), hot sauce bottles for retail purchase, catering platters and box lunches, salads, sides and desserts, beverages, and kids' combos. Supporting the restaurant experience are digital services including Firehouse Rewards loyalty program, mobile ordering and payment app, catering services via ezcater integration, and gift cards via Cashstar. The company also operates the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, a charitable initiative that has granted over $107 million to first responders since 2005. Franchise opportunities with investment requirements of $379,650-$795,600 are available for qualified applicants including veterans and first responders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation: Charitable foundation that provides lifesaving equipment to first responders. Has awarded over $107 million to first responder organizations across North America.

Products and services

• Hot Specialty Subs

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $107 million granted to first responder organizations across North America through the Public Safety Foundation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Major League Baseball (MLB)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 July 2026Multi-year partnership making Firehouse Subs the 'Official Sub' of MLB across the United States and Canada. This is the brand's first national sports league deal in its 31-year history. Launched 'Extra Innings, Extra Subs' promotion offering free medium sub when Friday, Saturday, or Sunday MLB games go into extra innings. Also includes sponsorship of MLB's PLAY BALL initiative and Pitch, Hit & Run youth programs.
• Retail Food Group (RFG)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Australian franchise operator that opened Firehouse Subs' Australian debut at Westfield Mt Gravatt, Brisbane. The opening exceeded 'every international benchmark' and recorded 'one of the brand's strongest international opening results to date' within its first week of operation. RBI expressed optimism about the partnership and future expansion across Australia.
• Iuri Miranda / Brazilian JV PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 January 2025Joint venture with parent company RBI and Iuri Miranda (former Zamp S.A. executive) to expand Firehouse Subs in Brazil. Plans to open more than 500 restaurants across Brazil over 10 years starting in 2025. Brazil has become the largest market for Firehouse Subs outside the United States in just over a year of operation.
• ez cateringminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCatering platform partnership allowing Firehouse Subs to offer catering services through ezcater.com for group orders at participating locations.
• American Dream MallminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFirehouse Subs is one of eight new retail and dining openings at the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The expansion reflects ongoing growth at the Meadowlands entertainment and shopping complex.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Panera Bread: Panera is a fast-casual chain offering sandwiches, soups, and catering for similar lunch and group-order occasions. It overlaps with Firehouse on catering, loyalty programs, and the premium fast-casual positioning, though with a broader café-style format.
• Tim Hortons: Tim Hortons is a sister brand under Restaurant Brands International and a large North American QSR chain. It is comparable as a portfolio-mate for benchmarking unit economics, franchise infrastructure, and shared marketing/loyalty capabilities that benefit Firehouse.
• Wendy's: Wendy's is a major franchised QSR chain competing for the same value-oriented lunch and dinner occasions. It provides a benchmark for franchise-led growth, digital ordering adoption, and QSR loyalty program effectiveness relevant to Firehouse's positioning.
• Chipotle Mexican Grill: Chipotle is a leading fast-casual chain competing for similar lunch and dinner occasions with customizable, premium-protein offerings. While not a sub chain, it competes for the same consumer wallet share and is a benchmark for fast-casual unit economics and digital ordering capabilities.
• Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen: Popeyes is another RBI-owned QSR brand in the broader fast-food segment. It is comparable as a sister brand with shared corporate infrastructure and as a competing QSR for the same consumer dining occasions.

Direct peers

• Quiznos: Quiznos is a toasted-sub sandwich QSR brand that historically competed head-to-head with Firehouse in the hot sub category. It remains relevant as a direct product competitor despite a significantly smaller footprint.
• Jersey Mike's Subs: Jersey Mike's is a fast-growing sub-sandwich QSR chain focused on sliced, cold sub sandwiches with a similar franchise-led growth model and broad US footprint. It directly competes for the same 'East Coast-style sub' customer and franchisee pool as Firehouse.
• Subway: Subway is the largest sub-sandwich QSR chain in the world, serving a similar build-your-own and specialty sub menu to comparable fast-casual consumers. It is the most direct comparable in product, target customer, and franchise-based distribution model.
• Jimmy John's: Jimmy John's is a national sub-sandwich chain competing in the same freestanding QSR sub category, with a delivery-heavy model and comparable pricing tier. It targets similar on-the-go consumer occasions and uses a heavily franchised distribution structure.
• Potbelly Sandwich Shop: Potbelly is a fast-casual sub and sandwich chain with a dine-in oriented store model that overlaps with Firehouse's urban/suburban lunch occasion. It competes for similar warm and toasted sub consumers at comparable price points.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/firehousesubs
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCw6cT5V-eGJmS8eHmJX_K5w
• Facebookfacebook.com/firehousesubs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/firehouse-subs
• Instagraminstagram.com/FirehouseSubs

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Firehouse Subs