Start a Firehouse Subs Franchise in 2025

2025 Franchise 500 Rank: #120 Ranked #79 last year

Initial investment: $343K - $1.3M

Units as of 2024: 1,310 9.1% over 3 years

For over 25 years, Firehouse Subs has striven to combine the love of food and doing good for the community. A portion of all Firehouse Subs sales goes to the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. With over 1,000 U.S. franchises, Firehouse Subs is an identifiable brand, and each restaurant is decorated with authentic firefighter equipment. Its food may be just as memorable as the decor. They unlock their meats and cheeses' flavors by steaming them and loading them high on a toasted, secret-recipe sub roll.

As a franchisee, you'll be part of a franchise that helps you grow as an established brand. In return, they ask that you strive for excellence, devote yourself to the business, think of your community, motivate yourself and your team, and love to eat tasty subs.

Why You May Want to Start a Firehouse Subs Franchise

Firehouse Subs is a turnkey franchise that allows you to franchise multiple units in your local market. Besides the potential growth, its community service effort may be a reward in itself. When you start a Firehouse Subs franchise, you will be part of a franchise that has raised a large amount of money to improve the life-saving capabilities of first responders.

With a commitment to flavorful food, quality service, and public safety, Firehouse Subs is a sandwich shop inspired by a family's entrepreneurial spirit and decades of fire and police service.

Once you've established your location, you will likely receive ongoing support from your area representative and Firehouse Subs’ advertising team. Together, they will work to help you create one of the best marketing campaigns for your area. You will also likely have opportunities to network with other franchisees in your local market.

What Might Make a Firehouse Subs Franchise a Good Choice?

Many times in the past two decades, Firehouse Subs has been ranked in Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500. This ranking is based on an evaluation of more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability.

To be part of the Firehouse Subs team, you should make sure you’re financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. You should also prepare yourself for ongoing fees, including advertising, royalty, and potential renewal fees. Franchisees will also need to meet the company's set net worth and liquid capital requirements.

How to Open a Firehouse Subs Franchise

To get started with the process of opening a Firehouse Subs franchise, fill out an inquiry form, and a representative may be in touch with you.

After speaking with a Firehouse Subs franchise representative and filling out a confidential online application, you can download the Firehouse Subs’ Franchise Disclosure Document. Your application is sent to an area representative for review. Should they approve your application, that area representative may serve as your representative for the remainder of your tenure with the brand.

For the training, candidates must attend a discovery session at company headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida. The franchise will conduct a credit and background check, and if everything looks good, they will issue you a franchise agreement. Your area representative will work with you to find the perfect location for your shop.

The next thing you know, you'll be serving subs to your local community.

Company Overview

About Firehouse Subs

Industry	Food
Related Categories	Submarine Sandwiches, Sandwiches
Founded	1994
Parent Company	Restaurant Brands Int'l.
Leadership	Mike Hancock, President
Corporate Address	12735 Gran Bay Pkwy., #150 Jacksonville, FL 32258
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok

Business Overview

Franchising Since	1995 (30 years)
# of employees at HQ	165
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises worldwide. This company is offering new franchises in the following US states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming
# of Units	1,310 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Firehouse Subs franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$20,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$343,245 - $1,344,200
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$300,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$150,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	$100,000 cash contribution per restaurant
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	6%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	5%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Firehouse Subs has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	336 hours
Classroom Training	32 hours
Ongoing Support	Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Security & Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
# of employees required to run	15-20
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes