Firehouse Subs Brings the Heat with its Debut in Rhode Island, 46th State for the Brand
Entering into its 46th state, Firehouse Subs continues steady expansion throughout the country with the grand opening of the first Rhode Island location in Cranston on January 14, 2019. Firehouse Subs serves premium meats and cheeses steamed and piled high on a toasted sub roll, served “Fully Involved®” with fresh produce and condiments. In 2017, Firehouse Subs was named the No.1 brand overall on Technomic’s Consumer Brand Metrics rankings and was recognized as No. 1 among the Top 10 Most Craveable Sandwich Chain Sandwiches by Technomic for its signature Hook & Ladder Sub®. In addition to its signature subs, the restaurant offers a variety of catering options from sandwich and dessert platters to salads and snacks to fuel any occasion.
“This is an exciting milestone for Firehouse Subs to arrive in Rhode Island with enthusiastic franchisees ready to introduce new guests to the brand’s signature steamed subs and our commitment to the communities we serve through Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation®,” said Robert Baldacci, Area Representative for Firehouse Subs. “Growing our presence into new states and markets, especially in the Northeast, is an important component of our continued development strategy. Personally, this is a wonderful accomplishment for me and my family to see the opening of this restaurant near where my grandparents first settled as immigrants from Italy to Federal Hill in Providence.”
The new location is under the ownership of first-time Firehouse Subs Franchisees Sejal and Harsh Patel, who have worked as engineers their entire lives but decided to chase their dream of owning their own business after falling in love with Firehouse Subs’ food and commitment to the community.
The Cranston restaurant is located at 1000 Chapel View Blvd, Suite 108 and is open Sunday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. It will offer third-party delivery and in-house catering services.
Founded by former firefighting brothers, the new Cranston restaurant décor reflects the founding family’s decades of fire and police service with donated gear and photos from the Cranston Fire Department on display. It also boasts a custom, hand-painted mural by Chief Mural Artist Joe Puskas depicting the true story of the local heroes of the Cranston Fire Department working together to fight a fire at an apartment complex where they saved several lives in March of 1992. Since the opening of the first Firehouse Subs in 1994, Puskas and his team have painted more than 1,150 murals from his studio at Firehouse Subs Headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla.
Firehouse Subs offers small, medium and large hot specialty subs, including the number one selling Hook & Ladder® sub, served with smoked turkey breast and Virginia honey ham smothered with Monterey Jack cheese. Other top sellers include the Smokehouse Beef & Cheddar Brisket™ loaded with USDA choice beef brisket smoked for up to 16 hours in an authentic Texas smokehouse and topped with melted cheddar cheese and a special combination of sauces, including Sweet Baby Ray’s® Barbecue Sauce. Additionally, each restaurant offers an assortment of 50+ complimentary hot sauces, including Captain Sorensen’s® Datil Pepper Hot Sauce, named in honor of the founding brothers’ father, Rob Sorensen, a 43-year retired fire captain.
The touch-screen operated Coca-Cola Freestyle® fountain is available in every restaurant, excluding Alaska and non-traditional locations, and offers 175+ sparkling and still beverage options with 90+ zero and low-calorie options, the most flavor options available to guests by any restaurant brand. Choices include the top-selling exclusive Firehouse Subs recipes, Cherry Lime-Aid™, Cherry Lime-Aid™ Light and Sparkling Cherry Lime-Aid™, served with fresh squeezed lime.
The Firehouse Rewards digital loyalty program offers guests an opportunity to earn and redeem points for each restaurant visit through a smartphone app. Once registered, guests can order in-app and access recent orders, redeem points for free items, and receive exclusive offers, such as a free medium sub on their birthday, and more. The free app is available on Google Play and in the App Store.
In 2005, Firehouse Subs created the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation® with the mission of providing funding, life-saving equipment and educational opportunities to first responders and public safety organizations. Many first responders make do with older equipment and have limited or no access to needed resources. The 501(c)(3) Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation has granted more than $40 million to hometown heroes in 48 states, Puerto Rico and Canada. Each restaurant recycles leftover, five-gallon pickle buckets, available to guests for a $2 donation to the Foundation. Donation canisters on register counters explain the nonprofit’s mission and collect spare change, while the Round Up Program allows guests to “round up” their bill to the nearest dollar. All funds raised benefit the Foundation. This year, Firehouse of America will donate a portion of purchases at all U.S. Firehouse Subs locations to Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, resulting in a minimum donation of one million dollars.
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