Firehouse Subs
Food & Beverage · Quick-Service Restaurants
- Active units
- 1,170
- Avg unit volume
- $963k
- Royalty
- 6.0%
Franchised, year-end 2023
of weekly Net Sales
About Firehouse Subs
Serving a variety of hot gourmet sub sandwiches. Made with premium meats and cheeses, steamed hot and piled high on a toasted sub roll.
Key terms
- Franchise fee
$20k
- 2024 New Franchisee Development Incentive Program
Cash contribution per restaurant: $25,000 (commit 2) or $50,000 (3+); prepaid $20,000 per unit; timing/repayment conditions apply
- 2024 Veteran and First Responder Development Incentive Program
Cash contribution: $100,000 for 1st–3rd restaurant; $50,000 for 4th+; prepaid $20,000 per unit; eligibility and repayment conditions apply
- 2023 Development Incentive Program (existing franchisees)
Cash contribution per restaurant: $50,000 (1), $75,000 (2), $100,000 (3+); prepaid $20,000 per unit; timing/repayment conditions apply
- Brand fund
5.0% of Net Sales
- Footprint
1,200 – 2,000 sq ft
- Development Agreement Prepaid Franchise Fee
$10k
- Veteran discount
Not offered
Brand Percentile Rankings
Rankings compare brands in the same operating year. Fee and investment figures come from the FDD (2026 filing); filings on file: 2024, 2025, 2026.
Growth
- Total locations1249
Franchised units open at year-end
- New openings73
Gross new units opened during the calendar year
- 1-year unit growth rate3.6%
Net unit growth versus prior year
- 3-year unit CAGR3.3%
Compound annual growth rate of unit count over the trailing 3 years
- Unit growth ratio3.5×
Cumulative opens / closures through year-end
Unit economics
- Annual unit volume (Median)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- Annual unit volume (25th percentile)$775k
Sales include all restaurant revenues, excluding refunds and sales taxes.
- Annual unit volume (75th percentile)$1.1M
Sales include all restaurant revenues, excluding refunds and sales taxes.
- 1-year Median AUV growth rate4.6%
Year-over-year change in median AUV
- Store-level EBITDA Margin—
Median unit-level EBITDA / AUV
Investment profile
- Estimated initial investment$992k
Midpoint of estimated initial investment range
↓ Lower is better - Time to open295 months
Midpoint of average time from agreement to opening
↓ Lower is better - Royalty rate6.0%
Percent of net sales paid to the franchisor
↓ Lower is better - Sales-to-investment ratio—
Median AUV / estimated initial investment midpoint
- Cash-on-cash returns—
Median unit-level EBITDA / estimated initial investment midpoint. Steady-state estimate; year 1 returns will be lower as the unit ramps to median volumes.
Franchisee healthLocked
- Unit closure ratio
- Transfer vs. closure ratio
- Percent multi-unit franchisees
- Litigation rate
- EBITDA multiple on sales & transfers
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Location footprint
Showing 1 of 2 mapped locations
Sources
Financial and operating figures are sourced from the brand's Franchise Disclosure Documents. Brand percentile rankings are based on comparisons to other brands that include the same metrics in their Franchise Disclosure Documents.