Chances are, if you've heard of Firehouse Subs, you're a loyal fan.
What started as a simple sandwich shop in Florida has expanded to just over 1,100 stores
around the nation, and while it's not yet as well known as Subway, in 2017 Firehouse
Subs was voted the most popular sandwich shop in the country.
So why do people love it so much?
Here's a look at some things you didn't know about Firehouse Subs.
The "anti-Subway"
Called the "anti-Subway" by Business Insider, Firehouse Subs doesn't bother trying to position
itself as a healthy alternative to fast food.
Instead, they focus on taste, piling their hefty sandwiches high with meats, cheese,
and homemade sauces to satisfy customers with big appetites.
How committed to meat is Firehouse Subs?
When they finally began offering healthier options in 2014, rather than add veggies,
they instead just began offering sandwiches with low-fat dressing and less bread.
The founders boasted that even the under-500 calories sandwich menu has the exact same
amount of meat as its more indulgent counterparts.
Rags to riches
According to CNBC, founders Chris and Robin Sorensen only had $100 to their names when
they first opened Firehouse Subs in Jacksonville, Florida in 1994.
But the brothers, who come from a family of firefighters, believe that being broke led
to the eventual success of their national sandwich chain.
Robin told CNBC
"Even though I didn't understand it at the time, being broke forced us to be patient,
and that patience really turned out to be a service.
We were able to learn a lot more about the business and grow at the right pace."
Hurricane Katrina
After Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, the Sorensen brothers donated
time and equipment to help first responders in Mississippi.
That led to a company-wide commitment to public service through the Firehouse Subs Public
Safety Foundation, which has raised more than $33 million to help benefit first responders
in 43 states and Puerto Rico, providing financial assistance and donating modern equipment to
firehouses around the nation.
"The Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation in my opinion is the best thing that we've
ever done."
And the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation is particularly busy during the holidays,
providing free meals to first responders.
Jim Sherman, who owns Firehouse franchises in Alabama told Small Business Trends that
the idea came from his daughter.
"I used to be in the Coast Guard and had duty on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Luckily, most of the time we had a galley that would feed us but in a couple of places,
we didn't have that.
So bringing food to those people during the holidays is something that's near and dear
to me."
The unique murals
Whether or not you're a fan of the elaborate firefighter-themed murals found on the inside
of every Firehouse Subs location, they don't just exist to go with the first responder
theme.
Every mural in each of the Firehouse Subs locations is a unique tribute to the firehouse
in the local community.
Local fire departments get a say in what the mural looks like, and some even donate old
photos and equipment to the restaurant to really spruce up the place.
Surprisingly, every single mural in each of the Firehouse Subs restaurants has been created
by the same artist: Joe Puskas.
Puskas starts each custom mural as a pencil sketch and then he and his team paint them.
They always feature a fire truck that's unique to that particular city or town, as well as
some personalized details like the town's fire dog.
According to Foodbeast, the whole process can take up to 70 hours to complete.
Level 55
Anyone who has been to a Firehouse Subs restaurant knows that it's a haven for hot sauce junkies.
When you order a sandwich, you can top it with any number of hot sauces ranked from
1 to 10, or "barely there" to "melt your face off."
After Firehouse Subs got wind of hot sauce challenges posted to YouTube, in 2015 they
posted their own video of their ultimate "Level 55" hot sauce challenge, where they challenged
customers to try each of the levels of hot sauce, from 1 to 10 on their sandwich.
This adds up to - you guessed it - 55.
This challenge seems like it's more about pushing your limits than actually enjoying
a sandwich, because who would want to dump 10 different types of sauce of their food?
Don't hold the mayo
When you order a Firehouse Sub, you're going to get a generous helping of mayonnaise, because
the Sorensen Brothers believe that mayo is the "glue" that holds their sandwiches together.
Robin told Thrillist,
"In the South, we put mayonnaise on everything, so it wasn't anything we even discussed.
You put mayonnaise on a sandwich."
The mayonnaise used on the sandwiches is in fact Duke's mayonnaise, which any Southerner
would immediately recognize as the favorite spread of Dixieland.
But that isn't the only hand-picked ingredient in a Firehouse Sub.
Chris and Robin personally choose every part of the sandwich, which is why the pickles
are from Katz's Deli in New York City, the bread is sourced from a French bakery in Atlanta,
and the 16-hour smoked brisket comes from Saddler's Smokehouse in Texas.
Homemade Hook & Ladder
If you don't have a Firehouse Sub nearby, don't worry, because you can make their signature
Hook & Ladder sandwich yourself thanks to this copycat recipe from Genius Kitchen.
Sure, it may not have all those fancy ingredients from around the world, but all you need is
smoked turkey breast, honey glazed ham, and melted Monterey Jack cheese, along with mayo,
mustard, hot sauce, onions, and of course, a toasted roll.
Our mouths are watering just thinking about it!
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